JP2001109985A - Guide route searching method of emergency vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an emergency vehicle guiding method capable of avoiding a traffic accident between emergency vehicles at the time of dispatching plural emergency vehicles to the site. SOLUTION: At the time of searching the same road for the other emergency vehicle in a route searching process before the lapse of a fixed time C1 from the time when the emergency vehicle, which first searches that route, is traveled on the road, this search is inhibited (steps V9 to V2) and after the lapse of the fixed time C1, the search is allowed (steps V9 to V10).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for searching for a guide route of an emergency vehicle for searching for a guide route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a fire, a crime, a traffic accident, a sudden illness, or the like is reported, and an occurrence site is specified, an emergency vehicle needs to arrive at the site in the shortest possible time. To this end, an emergency vehicle to go to the site is selected from waiting or running vehicles, and the emergency vehicle is promptly guided to the site. In order to promptly guide an emergency vehicle, it is necessary to provide route information for running the shortest route (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
-306994).

[0003]

However, depending on the scale and nature of an accident or disaster, a plurality of emergency vehicles may be sent to the site. In addition, there is not only a single site but also a plurality of sites. For example, one or more emergency vehicles may be directed to the incident site and the emergency deployment position, respectively. If more than one emergency vehicle travels on the same road at almost the same time or enters the same intersection at almost the same time, the risk of a traffic accident increases, so this situation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “conflict”) It is important to avoid.

[0004] A conceptual description will be given with reference to FIG. FIG.
And points A to D and J to N represent intersections. When the incident occurs at the point X, the two emergency vehicles 2a and 2b
a, Pb. The route search is performed immediately, but if the route is searched independently, there is a possibility that two emergency vehicles 2a and 2b may enter the intersection A at the same time. In addition, the vehicle sometimes runs along the same road. For this reason, there is a possibility that emergency vehicles may come into contact with each other and cause a traffic accident.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for guiding an emergency vehicle that can avoid a traffic accident between the emergency vehicles when a plurality of emergency vehicles are sent to the site.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention (1) The method for searching for a guidance route for an emergency vehicle according to the present invention uses a current position of a plurality of emergency vehicles as a departure point and allows two or more emergency vehicles This is a method of searching for a guidance route of each emergency vehicle so as not to travel on the same road (claim 1). According to the method, when a plurality of emergency vehicles are directed to one or a plurality of sites, it is possible to prevent the vehicles from traveling on the same road almost at the same time, so that a traffic accident between the emergency vehicles can be avoided. it can.

Referring to FIG. 11 as an example, the emergency vehicle 2b is searched for a route (shown by a broken line) that turns right at the intersection J, thereby eliminating the possibility of entering the intersection A at the same time as the emergency vehicle 2a. be able to. Here, “almost at the same time” means that a time threshold C1 is set so that a plurality of emergency vehicles do not travel on the same road within a time shorter than the threshold C1. (Claim 2).

[0008] The threshold value may be a fixed value for each road, or may be determined based on a distance from the road to the site where the incident occurred. In the former case, each road is fixed according to the type of the road (expressway, general road, etc.), the road width, the number of lanes of the road, the regulated speed, and the like.
In the latter case, the threshold becomes smaller as the distance to the incident site increases, and the threshold becomes larger as the distance to the incident site increases. The guide route searching method for an emergency vehicle according to the present invention uses the current position of a plurality of emergency vehicles as a departure point, and sets a guide route for each emergency vehicle so that two or more emergency vehicles do not enter the same intersection almost at the same time. This is a search method (claim 4).

According to the above-described method, when a plurality of emergency vehicles are sent to the site, they can be prevented from entering the same intersection almost at the same time, so that a traffic accident between the emergency vehicles can be avoided. . The approach direction of the intersection may be the same direction, the opposite direction, or 90
The direction may be in the direction of degrees, but regardless of the direction, try not to enter almost simultaneously. "Almost at the same time" is determined using the threshold value C2 in the same manner as described above (claim 5). The threshold value C2 may be a fixed value for each intersection, or may be determined based on the distance from the intersection to the incident site (claim 6). In the former case, each intersection is fixed by the number of branches at the intersection, the road width of the road crossing at the intersection, the number of lanes, the regulated speed, and the like. In the latter case, the threshold becomes smaller as the distance to the incident site increases, and the threshold becomes larger as the distance to the incident site increases.

After entering the intersection, the value may be different depending on whether the vehicle exits on the same road or a different road (claim 7). When going out on the same road, the risk of collision is relatively high, so take a large threshold, and when going out on a different road, make the threshold small, because the risk of collision is relatively small. . (2) The method for searching for a guidance route for an emergency vehicle according to the present invention comprises: setting a starting position based on a current position of a plurality of emergency vehicles, so that two or more emergency vehicles do not travel on the same road; (Claim 8).

According to the above method, when a plurality of emergency vehicles are sent to the site, they can be prevented from traveling on the same road, so that a traffic accident between the emergency vehicles can be avoided. it can. According to this method,
Since there is no limitation of “almost at the same time”, the route on which the emergency vehicle has traveled first cannot travel with the subsequent emergency vehicle (claim 9). Since it is not necessary to make a “substantially simultaneous” determination, the search algorithm is simplified and the search time can be reduced.

An emergency vehicle guidance route search method according to the present invention comprises:
This is a method of searching for a guide route of each emergency vehicle so that two or more emergency vehicles do not enter the same intersection with the current position of a plurality of emergency vehicles as a departure point. According to the above method, when a plurality of emergency vehicles are sent to the site, they can be prevented from entering the same intersection, so that a traffic accident between the emergency vehicles can be avoided.

In the route search process, priority is given to the emergency vehicle that first searched for the intersection.
The search for the same intersection is prohibited (claim 11). Therefore, the search algorithm is simplified, and the search time can be reduced. (3) The emergency vehicle guidance route search method of the present invention searches for a route in the reverse direction from a destination, selects an emergency vehicle in the order of earliest arrival, determines the searched route as a guidance route, and selects the route. Out of the emergency vehicles, it is determined whether the second and subsequent emergency vehicles travel on the same road at almost the same time as the other emergency vehicles or enter the same intersection almost at the same time. When the vehicle travels on the same road or enters the same intersection almost at the same time, a method of re-searching the guide route of the emergency vehicle is used (claims 12 and 13).

In these methods, a route search is performed in the reverse direction from the destination, emergency vehicles are selected in the order of arrival, and the searched route is determined as a guidance route. Therefore, the guidance route is determined for the emergency vehicle that arrives first. The second and subsequent emergency vehicles may travel on the same road at almost the same time as other emergency vehicles, or enter the same intersection at almost the same time. If so, re-search the guidance route to avoid this conflict.

According to the present invention, when the number of emergency vehicles is relatively small and the possibility of collision is low, the emergency vehicle and the guidance route can be determined at once by searching in the reverse direction.
Further, even when there is a possibility of a collision, at least the first emergency vehicle is determined by one route search, so that it is possible to quickly reach the site. (4) The emergency vehicle guidance route search method of the present invention sets the priority of the emergency vehicle, performs a route search in the order of the emergency vehicle with the highest priority, and when performing the route search, has a higher priority. Do not run on the same road almost simultaneously with emergency vehicles or enter the same intersection almost simultaneously.
This is a method of searching for a guide route of the emergency vehicle (claims 14 and 15).

In this method, the priority of the emergency vehicle is fixed from the beginning, and the route search is repeated each time the priority decreases. At that time, a guide route of the emergency vehicle is searched so that the emergency vehicle with a higher priority does not travel on the same road almost at the same time or does not enter the same intersection almost at the same time. Therefore, when a plurality of emergency vehicles are sent to the site, a traffic accident between the emergency vehicles can be avoided.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. <System Configuration> FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing the configuration of a traffic control center 1 that implements an emergency vehicle guidance method. The traffic control center 1 is connected to a bidirectional optical beacon 3 provided on a road through a communication line 5. The two-way optical beacon 3 performs two-way communication with the emergency vehicle 2 and the general vehicle 4. In addition, the traffic light 6 arranged on the road
Is also connected to a traffic light 6 through a communication line to control the traffic.

The traffic control center 1 includes a processing device 12, a route calculation device 13, a road map database 14, and the like. The processing device 12 is configured to receive a report of a disaster or an accident through the communication line 7,
Vehicle information (information such as a vehicle identification number and the current position of the vehicle) of an emergency vehicle or a general vehicle is input from the two-way optical beacon 3 through the communication line 5. Further, guidance information is provided to the emergency vehicle through the two-way optical beacon 3.

As a means for communicating with an emergency vehicle, a two-way optical beacon 3 will be described below as an example. In addition, it is desirable to use a dedicated mobile radio. If the dedicated mobile radio is used, the communication speed becomes slower, but it is possible to perform finer route guidance than narrow streets. The processing device 12 performs a site such as a disaster or an accident (hereinafter referred to as a “case site”) based on the input information.
While specifying the emergency deployment position to wait for emergency vehicles if necessary, determine one or more emergency vehicles to be deployed at the incident site or emergency deployment position, output guidance information of the emergency vehicle, Further, it outputs control information of the traffic light 6 in order to make the emergency vehicle run smoothly.

The route calculation device 13 obtains the position information of the emergency vehicle, the position information of the case site and the emergency deployment position from the processing device 12, and calculates the guide route of each emergency vehicle based on the map data of the road map database 14. And output it. The road map data stored in the road map database 14 is a road map (a highway national road, a motorway, a national road, a prefectural road, a road designated by a government ordinance, a municipal road, a narrow street such as a living road, a facility / (Including roads in the area) is divided into meshes, and road data including a combination of nodes and links is stored for each mesh, and traffic regulation data is stored.

The "link" refers to a vector obtained by approximating a road section with a straight line, and the "node" refers to a start point, an end point, or a bend point of a link. The running time when passing through the link is called link cost,
The link cost when the connection cost when moving from one link to another link connected to the link (such as the average signal waiting time) is also considered as the arc cost. In the present invention, since the traveling of the emergency vehicle is assumed, the link cost is based on the average traveling speed of the emergency vehicle in an emergency.In the emergency traveling, the normal signal is ignored. The difference between the arc cost and the link cost is a small value.

Generally, data on traffic regulation includes prohibition of turning, prohibition of right and left turns, and one-way traffic. However, in the present invention, traffic regulation on general vehicles is not applied since emergency vehicles are assumed to run. Thus, the data takes into account only the traffic regulations for emergency vehicles. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the emergency vehicle 2a is allowed to turn even on a road where turning is prohibited (specifically, the connection cost to a link that is different from the link connected to the link by a 180-degree direction is extremely small). Turn right and left at intersections where turning is prohibited.

Further, the traffic control center 1 constantly obtains traffic congestion information, accident information, construction information, and the like, and updates the road map data based on these information. Therefore, the link cost and the arc cost are based on the emergency speed of the emergency vehicle in consideration of the degree of congestion at the present time, the length of the congestion, the accident, the construction, and the like. <Overall Flow> A flow from the occurrence of a case to the output of guidance information of an emergency vehicle and the control information of the traffic light 6 in the traffic control center 1 will be briefly described below.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the flow from the occurrence of a case to the deployment of an emergency vehicle. The processing device 12 constantly monitors the position of the emergency vehicle through the two-way optical beacon 3, data communication using a dedicated line, wireless telephone, and the like (step S1). Is input (step S3).
Then, a target emergency vehicle is determined (for example, an emergency vehicle within a certain distance range from the incident site or an emergency vehicle within a jurisdiction is extracted; step S4). When necessary, an emergency deployment position (emergency deployment is mainly for police cars) is determined (step S5).

Next, in consideration of the target emergency vehicle, the position of the incident site, and the emergency deployment position, a guidance route search is performed so that the emergency vehicle can arrive at the earliest (step S).
7). By this search, the destination of each emergency vehicle is automatically determined, and each guidance route is determined (step S7). Thereafter, guidance route information and caution information are transmitted to each emergency vehicle through the bidirectional optical beacon 3 (step S8), and traffic signal control information is transmitted to the traffic signal 6 so that guidance can be smoothly performed (step S9).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of measures to be taken when the emergency vehicle starts traveling toward the destination, monitors the position of the emergency vehicle, and cannot travel as scheduled. Monitor the current position of the emergency vehicle (Step T
1) It is checked whether the vehicle is traveling on the specified guidance route (step T2). When some emergency vehicles are not traveling on the guidance route (NO in step T3), the route search is performed again (step T4).

When all emergency vehicles are traveling on the guidance route, the scheduled position and the current position on the guidance route are displayed every moment (step T5).
(YES in step T6), the time when the emergency vehicle passes each point of the guide route is calculated again (step T6).
7) If there is a possibility that a plurality of emergency vehicles will pass on the same road at substantially the same time or pass the same intersection at substantially the same time, the caution information is transmitted to the emergency vehicles (step T9).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow when the case process is completed. When the case processing is completed,
A signal for releasing the traffic signal control is transmitted (Step U1; the transmission of the release signal may be performed for each intersection when the emergency vehicle has passed the intersection). And if there is a vehicle that does not travel on the indicated guidance route
(YES in step U2), the cause is investigated, and constants and logic are changed as necessary (step U3).

The actual travel time for each link is calculated (step U4), and the congestion degree and the congestion length of the link at that time are referred to (step U5), and the link cost and the congestion degree and the congestion length are calculated. The relation number is corrected (step U6). Thereby, the emergency traveling characteristics of the emergency vehicle, which has almost no signal waiting and traffic regulation can be ignored to some extent, are learned and corrected, and the link cost accuracy of the route and the accuracy of the scheduled traveling time are gradually improved. I can go.

<Calculation of Guidance Route> Next, the route calculation device 1
The method of calculating the guidance route performed by No. 3 will be described in detail.
The route calculation device 13 reads the road map data stored in the road map database 14, stores the link information of the road map data in a temporary storage area called a link table, and stores the node information in a temporary storage area called a node table. To be stored. Then, the search of the route is advanced by putting the data of the link table and the node table into and out of the pivot table which is a temporary storage area. At the time when the search is completed, the data in the link table becomes the data representing the guide route as the search result.

The link table includes information such as a link number to be transferred from the road map data, a link cost, a link start point, an end point, an exit link, and the like. Stores information such as "set cost" and "already set emergency vehicle". "Set flag"
Is a mark attached to a link for which any emergency vehicle has already been searched. The “predetermined cost” is a route cost added from the departure point of the emergency vehicle when any emergency vehicle has already searched for the link.
“Pre-set emergency vehicle” is a number for identifying an emergency vehicle.

The node table includes information such as a node number to be transferred from the road map data, the presence or absence of an intersection, an intersection name, node coordinates, and the like. It stores information such as "emergency vehicle passing". The “passed flag” is a mark attached to a node through which any emergency vehicle has already passed.
The “existing transit cost” is a route cost added when any emergency vehicle has already passed through the node until the emergency vehicle enters the node.
The “emergency vehicle that has passed” is a number for identifying an emergency vehicle.

<Guidance Route Calculation Method 1> FIGS. 5 and 6
Identifies a number of emergency vehicles after an incident has occurred,
It is a flowchart for demonstrating the calculation method 1 of the guidance route aiming at arranging one or several emergency vehicles to an incident site, and arranging another emergency vehicle at an emergency deployment position. First, the current positions of a plurality of emergency vehicles are specified, and pre-processing (data clearing) of each table is performed (step V1). If there is an emergency vehicle whose departure is not ready and the departure is delayed, the initial value of the route cost of the delayed emergency vehicle is set in advance for the delay time instead of 0. The searcher is extended from each emergency vehicle at the same time. The first destination is the incident site.

In step V2, a search for a link is performed. In this search, routes are determined in ascending order of the route cost by the bucket method. In this process, a link to be searched is extracted from the pivot table and is referred to. It is determined whether or not a route having the incident site as a destination has been searched (step V3). If it has not been searched, it is determined whether or not it has arrived at the incident site (step V4). If it has been searched, it is determined whether or not it has arrived at the emergency deployment position (step V5).

If none of them has arrived, the set flag of the search link is referred to (step V6), and it is checked whether or not the set flag has been set (step V7). The fact that the already-set flag is set means that the searcher of another emergency vehicle has already passed through the search link. It should be noted that whether there is a setting flag already set,
In principle, the search link is examined. For example, there is a road with a narrow road width and no oncoming lane. If it is desired to avoid passing by another emergency vehicle on such a road, it is necessary to check the already-set flag also for a link in a direction opposite to the search link.

If there is a setting, the route cost of the emergency vehicle is compared with the preset route cost (step V8), and the route cost of the emergency vehicle is larger than the preset route cost by a threshold value C1 or more. (Step V
9). Here, the threshold value C1 is a cost set so that a plurality of emergency vehicles do not travel on the same road almost simultaneously. As described above, the threshold value C1 may be a fixed value for each road, or may be determined based on the distance from the road to the incident site.

When the search path is not larger than the preset route cost by the threshold value C1 or more (that is, the route cost is larger than the preset route cost and smaller than the preset route cost + C1), the search element is extended. Since the vehicle travels on the same road almost at the same time as another emergency vehicle, the extension of the search element is stopped, the process returns to step V2, and the search for another search link is continued. Therefore, the search is frozen for a search link that is not greater than the preset route cost by the threshold value C1 or more. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, the freeze is released when the preset flag, the preset route cost, and the preset emergency vehicle of the search link are cleared.

If the preset flag is not set in step V7, or if it is larger than the preset route cost by the threshold value C1 or more in step V9, the search element of another emergency vehicle does not pass through the search link. Alternatively, it can be determined that time has elapsed even if a searcher of another emergency vehicle has passed through the search link, and the process proceeds to the next step V10.
In step V10, the already passed flag of the search node is referred to. The already-passed flag is a flag that is set so that a searcher of another emergency vehicle has already passed the node.

If the passed flag is passed (step V)
11: YES), the route cost of the emergency vehicle is compared with a preset passing cost (step V12), and whether the route cost of the emergency vehicle is greater than the passing cost of the passing route by a threshold C2 or more. A determination is made (step V13). Here, the threshold value C2 is a cost set so that a plurality of emergency vehicles do not enter the same intersection almost at the same time. The threshold value C2 may be a fixed value for each intersection, or may be determined based on the distance from the intersection to the incident site.

When the passing cost is not larger than the preset passing cost by the threshold value C2 or more (that is, the passing cost is higher than the preset passing cost and smaller than the preset passing cost + C2), the search element is extended. Since the vehicle enters the same intersection almost simultaneously with another emergency vehicle, the search element is not extended, and the process returns to step V2 to continue searching for another search link. Therefore, the search is frozen for a search link that is not larger than the preset passing cost by the threshold C2 or more. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, this freeze is released when the passed flag, the passed cost, and the passed emergency vehicle of the search node are cleared.

If the passed flag is not set in step V11, or if the cost is more than the threshold C2 in step V13, the search element of another emergency vehicle does not pass through the search node. Alternatively, it can be determined that even if a search element of another emergency vehicle passes through the search node, it is not almost the same time, and the process proceeds to the next step V14.
In step V14, the set flag of the search link is turned on, the route cost of the emergency vehicle is registered in the set cost, and the set emergency vehicle is set as the emergency vehicle. As a result, the searched route of the emergency vehicle is already set, and it is possible to prevent the emergency vehicles searched thereafter from traveling on the same road almost simultaneously.

At step V15, the already-passed flag of the search node is turned on, the route cost of the emergency vehicle is registered in the already-passed cost, and the passed emergency vehicle is set as the emergency vehicle. As a result, the searched node of the emergency vehicle has already passed, and it is possible to prevent the emergency vehicle searched thereafter from entering the same intersection almost at the same time. Then, in step V16, a link connected to the search link is registered in the pivot table.

Assuming that the route search is continued for a plurality of emergency vehicles as described above and the search link reaches the incident site (YES in step V4), the process proceeds to step V20 in FIG. In step V20 in FIG. 6, the emergency vehicle is determined to be an emergency vehicle heading to the incident site. It is checked whether the route search to the incident site has been completed for the required number of emergency vehicles (step V22), and if not completed, the destination of the next route search is the incident site (step V22). V25).

Then, the guidance route obtained this time is determined and stored (step V26), and all the links where the preset emergency vehicle is the relevant vehicle are referred to (step V27). The set flag, the set cost, and the set emergency vehicle of the link not on the guidance route are all cleared (step V28). For routes other than the route determined as a result of this, that is, routes that were not adopted as optimal routes only by extending the searcher,
Other emergency vehicles were allowed to pass freely. Note that the link on the determined guidance route does not clear the already-set flag or the like, so that it is possible to exclude emergency vehicles searched later from traveling on the same road almost simultaneously.

Further, referring to all the nodes where the passed emergency vehicle is the relevant vehicle (step V29), among the links, the passed flag, the passed cost, and the passed emergency vehicle of the node which does not pass this time are referred to. Clear all
(Step V30). As for an intersection that is not on the determined guidance route, that is, an intersection where the search element is merely extended, another emergency vehicle can freely enter thereafter. It should be noted that since the already-passed flag and the like are not cleared for the nodes on the determined guidance route, it is possible to exclude emergency vehicles searched later from entering the same intersection almost simultaneously.

Thereafter, the process returns to step V2 to continue the route search with the incident site as the destination. When the route search for the required number of emergency vehicles to the incident site is completed,
In step V3, YES is selected, and it is determined whether the search link has arrived at the emergency deployment position (step V5). When the vehicle arrives at the emergency deployment position, the process proceeds to step V21, and the emergency vehicle is determined as the emergency vehicle heading to the emergency deployment position.

Then, it is checked whether or not the route search to the incident site has been completed for the required number of emergency vehicles (step V22).
2 will be selected as YES. The “required number” is the number of emergency vehicles which are input in advance and are directed to the incident site or the emergency deployment position. It is checked whether or not all emergency vehicles have reached the incident site or the emergency deployment position (step V23). If they have not yet arrived, the destination of the next route search is the emergency deployment position (step V23).
24).

Then, the guidance route obtained this time is determined and stored (step V26), and thereafter, the same processing as described above is performed. When it is determined in step V23 that all emergency vehicles have reached the incident site or the emergency deployment position,
Proceeding to step V31, the guidance route of each emergency vehicle and the passage time at the main time point are extracted (step V31), and caution information is created (step V32).

Here, the "caution information" is used when the emergency vehicle does not run at the scheduled speed even if the vehicle is guided so as not to pass the same road almost at the same time or to enter the same intersection at the same time. Because of the risk of conflict,
This is information for notifying the passenger of the danger in advance.
For example, information such as "another emergency vehicle may enter the next intersection", "another emergency vehicle may travel on the road after turning right", and the like.

As described above, according to the guidance route calculation method 1 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the search is started simultaneously from the current positions of a plurality of emergency vehicles, and the vehicles that reach the incident site are identified as the vehicles that arrive quickly. Vehicles that reach the emergency deployment position can be determined one by one in order from the earliest arrival. Then, another emergency vehicle that arrives slowly travels on the same road almost at the same time as the preceding vehicle and does not enter the same intersection. However, since the search is started for a plurality of emergency vehicles at the same time, it is not known whether the vehicle is on the optimal route during the search. Therefore, when a slow vehicle travels on the same road almost at the same time as the preceding vehicle being searched or enters the same intersection at almost the same time, the search from that position is frozen and the optimum route of the preceding vehicle is frozen. Is determined, if it is not on the optimal route, the route search from this point is restarted. If it is on the optimal route, the freeze is not released.

<Guidance Route Calculation Method 2> FIGS. 7 and 8
The emergency vehicles proceed on the same road at the same intersection by proceeding with the route search without considering the destination of each emergency vehicle and giving priority to the emergency vehicle that first entered when the routes cross 6 is a flowchart for explaining a guidance route calculation method 2 for the purpose of prohibiting the passage of a route. First, the current positions of a plurality of emergency vehicles are specified, and pre-processing (clearing data) of each table is performed (step W1). The searcher is extended at the same time without setting a destination from each emergency vehicle.

It is determined whether the search has been completed for the entire search range of the road map (step W2). If the search has not been completed, a link search is performed (step W2a). In this search, routes are determined in ascending order of the route cost by the bucket method. In this process, a link to be searched is extracted from the pivot table and is referred to. By referring to the already set flag of the search link (step W3), it is checked whether or not the already set flag is set (step W4). At this time, if it is desired to avoid passing by another emergency vehicle on a road with a narrow road width and no oncoming lane, it is necessary to check the already-set flag for the link in the direction opposite to the search link.

If there is a setting, the route cost of the emergency vehicle is compared with the preset route cost (step W5), and the route cost of the emergency vehicle is larger than the preset route cost by a threshold value C1 or more. (Step W
6). When it is not larger than the preset route cost by the threshold C1 or more (that is, larger than the preset route cost,
(This is a case where it is smaller than the preset route cost + C1.)
As the search element is extended, the vehicle travels on the same road almost simultaneously with other emergency vehicles, so the route cost and the route distance of the emergency vehicle are maximized, and the search after the search link is terminated ( Step W14). And step W2
And continue searching for other search links.

If the preset flag is not set in step W4, or if the value is larger than the preset route cost by the threshold C1 or more in step W6, the search element of another emergency vehicle does not pass through the search link. Alternatively, it can be determined that time has elapsed even if a searcher of another emergency vehicle has passed the search link, and the process proceeds to the next step W7. In step W7, the already passed flag of the search node is referred to. If the passed flag is passed (YE in step W8)
S), the route cost of the emergency vehicle is compared with the already set route cost (step W9), and it is determined whether the route cost of the emergency vehicle is larger than the route cost of the emergency vehicle by the threshold C2 or more. (Step W10).

If the search cost is not larger than the preset passing cost by more than the threshold value C2 (that is, it is higher than the preset passing cost and smaller than the preset passing cost + C2), the search element is extended. Since the vehicle will enter the same intersection almost simultaneously with another emergency vehicle, stop extending the searcher, maximize the route cost and route distance of the emergency vehicle, and cut off the search after the search link (Step W14). Then, the process returns to step W2 to continue searching for another search link.

If the passed flag is not set in step W8, or if the cost is more than the threshold C2 in step W10, no other emergency vehicle searcher has passed the search node. Alternatively, even if a searcher of another emergency vehicle passes through the search node, it can be determined that they are not substantially at the same time, and the process proceeds to next step W11. In step W11, the set flag of the search link is turned on, and the set cost is set as the route cost of the emergency vehicle. As a result, the searched route of the emergency vehicle is already set, and it is possible to prevent the emergency vehicles searched thereafter from traveling on the same road almost simultaneously.

In step W12, the passed flag of the search node is turned on, and the passed cost is set as the route cost of the emergency vehicle. As a result, the searched node of the emergency vehicle has already passed, and it is possible to prevent the emergency vehicle searched thereafter from entering the same intersection almost at the same time. Then, in step W13, a link connected to the search link is registered in the pivot table.

When the search has been completed for the entire search range of the road map, the process moves from step W2 to step W20 in FIG. 8, and the emergency vehicles are determined in ascending order by referring to the route cost toward the site where the case occurred in the link table (case). If only one device is deployed at the site of occurrence, determine the one with the lowest route cost). Next, it is determined whether an emergency vehicle needs to be deployed at the emergency deployment position (Step W21).
If it is not necessary, the process proceeds to step W28, where the guidance route of each emergency vehicle and the passing time at the main time are extracted (step W2
8), create the attention information (step W29).

If an emergency vehicle is to be deployed at the emergency deployment position (YES in step W21), an emergency vehicle that does not head to the incident site is assigned to the emergency deployment position in one pattern (step W22). For example, there are five emergency vehicles (referred to as 41 to 45), two vehicles 41 and 42 are directed to the incident site, and the other three vehicles 43, 44 and 45 are deployed at emergency deployment positions P1, P2 and P3. In case, emergency vehicle 4
3 to P3, emergency vehicle 44 to P4, emergency vehicle 45 to P4
5 is one pattern.

With this pattern, the total of the route costs of the emergency vehicles arriving at the respective emergency deployment positions is calculated, and the pattern is examined until the total is minimized (step W2).
2-W26). In addition to the method of minimizing the total sum, a method of checking the maximum value of the route cost for each emergency vehicle so as to be minimum may be considered. If the smallest pattern is found, an emergency vehicle heading to the emergency deployment position is determined based on the allocation pattern (step W27).
Extract the guidance route of each emergency vehicle and the passing time at the main point
(Step W28), create caution information (Step W2)
9).

As described above, this guidance route calculation method 2
According to the method, the route search proceeds without being aware of the destination of each emergency vehicle, so that there is an advantage that the process of searching the route for all emergency vehicles and all destinations only needs to be performed once. However, a route through which the emergency vehicle passes and a route around the route cannot be passed by another emergency vehicle, and thus there is a possibility that unnecessary traveling restrictions may be imposed. <Guidance Route Calculation Method 3> FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a guidance route calculation method 3.

In the guide route calculation method 3, a route is calculated in the reverse direction from the destination, one emergency vehicle arriving at the incident site at the earliest is determined, and the vehicle goes to the incident site.
For emergency vehicles after the first vehicle, check whether the guide route of the emergency vehicle has already been determined, and if so, recalculate the guide route to the incident site in the forward direction so as not to cause this conflict. . After that, the route calculation is again performed in the forward direction for the emergency vehicle heading to the emergency deployment position while avoiding conflict with the previously determined guidance route.

First, a route search is performed in the reverse direction from the incident site (step X1). The emergency vehicles are selected in the order in which they arrive at the emergency vehicle first (step X2), and each route is set as a guide route of each emergency vehicle toward the incident site.
(Step X3). Next, among the determined emergency vehicles, 2
The route cost of the guide route of the emergency vehicle after the third is added in the forward direction from the position of the emergency vehicle (step X4). Then, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has passed the same road almost at the same time as the emergency vehicle already determined, or whether or not to enter the same intersection at the same time (step X5). This determination method is performed using a threshold value (a value equivalent to C1 or C2), as described in the guide route calculation method 1 and the guide route calculation method 2 already.

If it is determined that the vehicle will pass or enter at the same time, the guidance route of the second and subsequent emergency vehicles is changed to the same route as described in the guidance route calculation method 1 and the guidance route calculation method 2. Alternatively, recalculation is performed by a method for avoiding simultaneous entry (step X6). In this way, each emergency vehicle heading to the incident site and its guidance route are determined (step X7). When the above-described processing for the incident site is completed (step X8), the guide route to the emergency deployment position is determined for the remaining emergency vehicles in the same manner as described in the guide route calculation method 1 and the guide route calculation method 2. Recalculation is performed by a method that avoids simultaneous passage or simultaneous entry (step X9).

Then, the guidance route of each emergency vehicle and the passing time at the main time are extracted (step X10), and caution information is created (step X11). As described above, in this guidance route calculation method 3, if the second and subsequent emergency vehicles heading to the incident site conflict with the already determined emergency vehicle guidance route, this collision is avoided. It is necessary to recalculate the guidance route, and then also to recalculate the emergency vehicle heading to the emergency deployment position.

Therefore, although the number of times of route calculation increases, when the number of emergency vehicles is small, the possibility of a collision is small, and the number of calculations is small, so that it is efficient. <Guidance Route Calculation Method 4> In this guidance route calculation method 4, priority is given to emergency vehicles, and a guidance route is determined from emergency vehicles with a high priority. At this time, the route to be calculated later is calculated by a method for avoiding simultaneous passage or simultaneous approach as described in the guide route calculation method 1 or the guide route calculation method 2.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the guidance route calculation method 4. The priority of the emergency vehicle is set (step Y1). For example, in the case of a fire, a fire truck is given priority, an ambulance is given priority, and finally a police car. Then, emergency vehicles are set in descending order of priority (step Y2), route search processing is performed in descending order (step Y3), and emergency vehicles heading to the destination are determined.

When the guide route of one emergency vehicle is determined,
For the next search process, the route cost information of the route is set (step Y6). When a route search for the next emergency vehicle is performed, a threshold value (a value equivalent to C1 or C2) is used in the same manner as described in the guide route calculation method 1 or the guide route calculation method 2. Almost on the same road at the same time,
Avoid entering the same intersection at the same time. When the route search is completed for all emergency vehicles (YES in step Y5), the guidance route of each emergency vehicle and the passing time at the main time are extracted (step Y7), and attention information is created.
(Step Y8).

<Others> The above-described guidance route calculation methods 1 to 1
As a result of the implementation of 4, the second and subsequent emergency vehicles were forced to take a very large route, or there was no alternative road.
There is a case where the route of the emergency vehicle after the vehicle cannot be calculated (for example, FIG. 11 shows a case where the road JK is closed). In this case, the thresholds C1 and C2 are reduced and recalculation is performed. Even if the thresholds C1 and C2 are reduced, if a large route remains, the threshold C
1, and C2 are set to 0 and recalculated. If a regular value is not used as the threshold value in this way, it is expected that two or more emergency vehicles will collide with each other and cause a dangerous situation, so it is necessary to transmit more warning "caution information". It is.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above, and various changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing a configuration of a traffic control center 1 that implements an emergency vehicle guidance method.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of processing from the occurrence of a case to the output of guidance information of the emergency vehicle 2 and the control information of the traffic light 6 in the traffic control center 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a countermeasure when the emergency vehicle starts traveling toward a destination, monitors the position of the emergency vehicle, and cannot travel as scheduled.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the case processing ends.

FIG. 5 identifies a plurality of emergency vehicles after an incident occurs,
It is a flowchart for demonstrating the guidance route calculation method 1 aiming at arranging one emergency vehicle to a case site and arranging another emergency vehicle at an emergency deployment position.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 5;

FIG. 7: The route search proceeds without being aware of the destination of each emergency vehicle, and priority is given to the emergency vehicle that first enters when the routes cross, so that the emergency vehicles travel on the same road almost simultaneously, 9 is a flowchart for explaining a guidance route calculation method 2 for the purpose of prohibiting the vehicle from passing through the same intersection at almost the same time.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 calculates the route in the reverse direction from the destination, determines one emergency vehicle that arrives at the incident site the earliest, and determines the second and subsequent emergency vehicles heading to the incident site. A flowchart for explaining a guidance route calculation method 3 in which it is determined whether or not the guidance route of the emergency vehicle is in conflict, and if so, the guidance route to the incident site is recalculated in the forward direction so as not to cause the collision. It is.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of a guidance route calculation method 4 for assigning a priority to an emergency vehicle and determining a guidance route from an emergency vehicle with a high priority.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual map for explaining a method of directing emergency vehicles 2a and 2b to a case site when a case occurs.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traffic control center 2 Emergency vehicle 3 Two-way optical beacon 4 General vehicle 5 Communication line 6 Traffic signal 12 Processing device 13 Route calculation device 14 Road map database

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 27, 2000 (200.4.2
7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0051

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

<Guidance Route Calculation Method 2> FIGS. 7 and 8
Advances the route search without considering the destination of each emergency vehicle, by route priority emergency vehicle initially enters at the time of crossing, the emergency vehicle to each other almost simultaneously the same <br/> one road 9 is a flowchart for explaining a guidance route calculation method 2 for the purpose of prohibiting traveling and passing through the same intersection almost simultaneously . First, the current positions of a plurality of emergency vehicles are specified, and pre-processing (clearing data) of each table is performed (step W1). The searcher is extended at the same time without setting a destination from each emergency vehicle.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C032 HB24 HB25 HC38 HD13 HD16 HD17 HD24 2F029 AA02 AB05 AB13 AC02 AC08 AC09 AC13 AC16 5H180 AA12 CC01 EE11 FF01 FF12 FF13 FF22 FF32 JJ02

Claims (15)

[Claims] An emergency vehicle guidance route searching method for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, wherein a current position of the plurality of emergency vehicles is set as a departure point. So that no two or more emergency vehicles travel on the same road almost simultaneously,
A method for searching for a guidance route for an emergency vehicle, characterized by searching for a guidance route for each emergency vehicle. 2. In the route search process, when another emergency vehicle searches for the same road by the time when the emergency vehicle searched first travels on the road until a predetermined time C1 has elapsed, the search is prohibited. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined period of time C1 is allowed to elapse. 3. The "constant time C1" is defined by the following (a) or (b):
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the emergency route is determined by: (a) Fixed value for each road (b) Value determined by the distance from the road to the incident site 4. A method for searching for a guidance route of an emergency vehicle for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, wherein a current position of the plurality of emergency vehicles is set as a departure point. A method of searching for a guidance route of an emergency vehicle, characterized by searching for a guidance route of each emergency vehicle so that two or more emergency vehicles do not enter the same intersection almost simultaneously. 5. In the route search process, when another emergency vehicle searches for the same intersection by a predetermined time C2 from the time when the emergency vehicle searched first passes through the intersection, this is prohibited. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a predetermined time period C2 is permitted after the elapse of the predetermined time period C2. 6. The "constant time C2" is defined by the following (c) or (d):
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the route is determined by: (c) Value fixed for each intersection (d) Value determined by the distance from the intersection to the incident site 7. The emergency vehicle guidance according to claim 5, wherein the “certain time C2” has a different value depending on whether the vehicle enters the intersection and then exits on the same road or on a different road. Route search method. 8. A method for searching for a guidance route of an emergency vehicle for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, wherein a current position of the plurality of emergency vehicles is set as a departure point. A method for searching for a guidance route for an emergency vehicle, comprising: searching for a guidance route for each emergency vehicle so that two or more emergency vehicles do not travel on the same road. 9. The emergency search system according to claim 8, wherein in the route search process, priority is given to an emergency vehicle which first searched for a road, and thereafter, search for the same road by other emergency vehicles is prohibited. Vehicle guidance route search method. 10. An emergency vehicle guidance route searching method for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, wherein a current position of the plurality of emergency vehicles is set as a departure point. A method for searching for a guidance route for an emergency vehicle, comprising: searching for a guidance route for each emergency vehicle so that two or more emergency vehicles do not enter the same intersection. 11. The emergency search method according to claim 10, wherein in the route search process, an emergency vehicle which first searched for an intersection is given priority, and thereafter, search for the same intersection by other emergency vehicles is prohibited. Vehicle guidance route search method. 12. An emergency vehicle guidance route searching method for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, wherein a route search is performed in a reverse direction from a destination, Emergency vehicles are selected in the order of arrival, and the searched route is determined as a guidance route. Among the selected emergency vehicles, the second and subsequent emergency vehicles are:
It is determined whether or not the vehicle travels on the same road almost simultaneously with another emergency vehicle. If the vehicle travels on the same road almost simultaneously with another emergency vehicle, the guide route of the emergency vehicle is searched again. Vehicle guidance route search method. 13. An emergency vehicle guidance route searching method for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, comprising: searching a route in a reverse direction from a destination; Emergency vehicles are selected in the order of arrival, and the searched route is determined as a guidance route. Among the selected emergency vehicles, the second and subsequent emergency vehicles are:
It is determined whether to enter the same intersection almost at the same time as another emergency vehicle, and when approaching the same intersection almost at the same time as another emergency vehicle, the guide route of the emergency vehicle is searched again. Vehicle guidance route search method. 14. An emergency vehicle guidance route searching method for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, wherein the priority of the emergency vehicles is set. When conducting a route search in the order of emergency vehicles with higher priority, the search for a guide route of the emergency vehicle should be performed so that the emergency vehicle with higher priority does not travel on the same road almost simultaneously. Characteristic emergency vehicle guidance route search method. 15. An emergency vehicle guidance route searching method for searching for a guidance route so that a plurality of emergency vehicles can quickly reach one or a plurality of places, wherein the priority of the emergency vehicles is set. When performing a route search in the order of emergency vehicles with the highest priority, it is necessary to search for a guidance route of the emergency vehicle so as not to enter the same intersection almost simultaneously with a higher priority emergency vehicle. Characteristic emergency vehicle guidance route search method.