JP3729042B2 - Emergency vehicle approach notification system, in-vehicle communication device and roadside communication device - Google Patents

Description

【００６３】
即ち、車両ＩＤナンバ１０は、１回目に交差点３４の通信エリアＣを通過し、２回目に通信エリアＤを通過していることから、入口▲２▼から交差点３４に進入し、出口▲７▼から交差点３４を出て通過済みとなった車両であると判定される。また、車両ＩＤナンバ２２は、１回目に交差点３４の通信エリアＡを通過し、２回目の通過履歴はその時点で存在しないことから、入口▲３▼から交差点３４に進入し、現在交差点３４内に存在している車両であると判定される。
【００６４】
従って、交差点制御部１５は、他の交差点制御部１５より緊急移動情報を受信した場合は、表１のような通過履歴を参照することで各車両が交差点３４内をどのような経路で進んでいるのかを把握することができる。そして、各車両の交差点３４内の通過経路と、該交差点３４への緊急車両の接近方向から、各車両に対して緊急車両がどの方向から接近しているのかを報知することが可能となる。
【００６５】
尚、第２実施例の場合、車載機２０の制御部２１は、ナビゲーション機能を備えている必要は無く、該機能を備えていたとしても、経路探索された緊急走行経路に関する情報を緊急移動情報として送信する必要はない。
また、この様に、４つの通信エリアＡ〜Ｄの通過履歴に基づいて判定を行うことで、例えば、第１実施例の図３に示すように、上り車線と下り車線とに夫々別個の通信エリアを設定する必要が無い。
【００６６】
以上のように第２実施例によれば、交差点制御部１５は、交差点３４の四方に配置された４つの通信エリアＡ〜Ｄにおいて各車両より送信されたＩＤ情報の受信履歴に基づいて各車両の進行方向を判定すると、その進行方向と緊急移動情報を受信した交差点制御部１５の位置情報とに基づいて、緊急移動情報を送信させる送受信部１３を選択する。従って、交差点制御部１５は、その交差点３４を起点として各車両の進行方向を判定することで、各車両に対して実際に緊急移動情報を送信する必要があるか否かを判別することが可能となる。
【００６７】
（第３実施例）
図１０は本発明の第３実施例であり、緊急車両の緊急走行経路を概略的に示す平面図である。緊急車両３５は図１０中下方側より交差点３６に進入して左折した後、比較的短い距離にある次の交差点３７に進入して右折する経路をとる。交差点３６，３７には、第２実施例と同様に各進入路毎に４つの通信エリアＡ〜Ｄが夫々配設されており、また、交差点３６，３７間に配設されている通信エリアＭは、交差点３７側の交差点制御部１５によって制御されている。
【００６８】
次に、第３実施例の作用について説明する。交差点３６の交差点制御部１５ （１）において記憶される、緊急車両３５に関するＩＤ情報の受信履歴は１回目が“Ａ”，２回目が“Ｂ”となるので、２回目“Ｂ”が認識された時点で緊急車両３５は交差点３６を右折して通過したことが判定できる。
【００６９】
そして、交差点制御部１５（１）は、上記１回目“Ａ”において緊急車両３５より送信された緊急移動情報を認識するが、上記２回目“Ｂ”を認識した時点で次の交差点３７の交差点制御部１５（２）に緊急車両３５の緊急移動情報を転送する。すると、交差点制御部１５（２）は、交差点３７の通信エリアＡ〜Ｄ及びＭに対応する送受信部１３に緊急移動情報を送信する。
【００７０】
即ち、緊急車両３５が交差点３６の通信エリアＡに進入した時点では、その緊急車両３５が交差点３６の残り３方向の何れに進むのかは不明であるため、２回目の受信履歴により緊急車両３５の進行方向が明確になった時点で、その進行方向先にある交差点３７の交差点制御部１５（２）に緊急移動情報を送信するようにしている。
【００７１】
従って、第３実施例によれば、２つの交差点３６，３７の距離が比較的短い場合であっても、緊急車両３５が交差点３６を通過した場合に、その交差点３６を起点としてどの方向に進んだかが分かるので、車両の進行方向をより速く判定することが可能となる。よって、最初の交差点３６を通過した時点で次の交差点３７の交差点制御部１５（２）に対して迅速に緊急移動情報を転送できるので、次の交差点３７において一般車両の退避行動を確実に行わせることが可能となり、交通が混乱することを回避できる。
【００７２】
（第４実施例）
図１１は、本発明の第４実施例を示すものである。上記実施例のように、交差点制御部１５が接近する緊急車両と一般車両との位置関係が判定できる場合には、一般車両に対して退避位置を指定する報知を行うようにしても良い。図１１は、第１実施例の図３相当図である。交差点Ｄを救急車３が右折する場合、その交差点Ｄ内に存在する各自動車２は、何れの進入路上に存在しているかによって適切な退避位置が異なる。
【００７３】
即ち、進入路▲１▼においては、救急車３が右折車線に車線変更した後右折して進入路▲４▼方向に向かうため、進入路▲１▼上の自動車２には、音声出力部３１により音声で「左路肩に停車して下さい」のように報知を行うように、交差点制御部１５が緊急移動情報に退避位置情報を付加して与えるようにする。そして、進入路▲２▼，▲３▼上の自動車２については、交差点Ｄ内に進入しなければ十分であるから、音声出力部３１により「現在位置に停車して下さい」のように報知を行えば良い。また、情報表示部２４において画面に同趣旨の表示を行うことで報知を行っても良い。
【００７４】
以上のように第４実施例によれば、交差点制御部１５は、交差点Ｄ内に存在する各自動車２の退避位置を報知させるようにしたので、各自動車２のドライバは、報知された適切な退避位置に自車両を移動させることができ、安全性をより向上させることができる。
【００７５】
（第５実施例）
図１２及び図１３は本発明の第５実施例を示すものであり、図１２は、一般車両側に搭載される車載機（車載側通信装置）３８の要部の電気的構成を示す機能ブロック図である。車載機３８は、車載機３３の構成に、緊急コード識別部３９，ＮＡＮＤゲート４０及びＰＮＰトランジスタ４１を追加したものである。
【００７６】
これらの追加された構成要素と無線通信Ｉ／Ｆ２２には、電源スイッチ３２がＯＦＦであっても動作用電源が常時供給されるようになっている。そして、それら以外の電気的構成要素を表す、制御部２１を含む回路４２には電源、スイッチ３２がＯＦＦである場合でも、特定の条件が成立すると動作用電源が供給されるように構成されている。
【００７７】
即ち、無線通信Ｉ／Ｆ２２の受信信号は、復調されて緊急コード識別部３９に与えられるようになっている。図１３は、路側の送受信部１３より送信される信号フォーマットの一例を示すものである。これらの内、“緊急ステータス”は、例えば“００Ｈ”〜“０４Ｈ”の五段階の緊急度を表すコードであり、緊急コード識別部３９は、“緊急ステータス”のコードを判別して最強の“０４Ｈ”である場合にだけ、ＮＡＮＤゲート４０の一方の入力端子にハイレベルの信号を出力するようになっている。そして、緊急移動情報の緊急ステータスは、“０４Ｈ”に設定されている。
【００７８】
ＮＡＮＤゲート４０の他方の入力端子には、電源スイッチ３２がＯＦＦの場合にハイレベルとなる信号が与えられている。尚、この電源スイッチ３２を含む回路表現は、単に電源スイッチ３２のＯＦＦ／ＯＮに伴ってレベルがハイ／ロウに変化する信号の出力部分の構成を概念的に示すものであり、電源スイッチ３２がＯＮとなった場合の電源の供給系統を示すものではない。ＮＡＮＤゲート４０の出力端子は、エミッタが電源に接続されているＰＮＰトランジスタ４１のベースに接続されており、トランジスタ４１のコレクタは、回路４２の電源入力端子に接続されている。
【００７９】
次に、第５実施例の作用について説明する。電源スイッチ３２がＯＮの場合、回路４２には、通常通り動作用電源が供給されている。この時、ＮＡＮＤゲート４０の他方の入力端子はロウレベルであるから、トランジスタ４１のベース電位はハイレベルとなり、トランジスタ４１はＯＦＦとなっている。
【００８０】
そして、電源スイッチ３２がＯＦＦの場合、回路４２には動作用電源が供給されなくなりその動作を停止している。しかし、前述のように、無線通信Ｉ／Ｆ２２や緊急コード識別部３９等は常に動作している。
【００８１】
その状態で、路側の送受信部１３より緊急移動情報が送信された場合、緊急コード識別部３９は復調信号に含まれている緊急ステータスのコードを判別する。緊急移動情報のコードは“０４Ｈ”であるから、緊急コード識別部３９は、ＮＡＮＤゲート４０の一方の入力端子にハイレベルの信号を出力する。すると、ＮＡＮＤゲート４０の入力端子のレベルは何れもハイとなるので、その出力信号はロウレベルとなってトランジスタ４１はＯＮする。トランジスタ４１がＯＮすると、そのコレクタより回路４２に電源が供給されるので、回路４２は動作を開始する。
【００８２】
以上のように第５実施例によれば、車載機３８は、電源スイッチ３２がオフ状態であっても、無線通信Ｉ／Ｆ２２が緊急移動情報を受信すると回路４２に動作用電源の供給を開始するので、車両の乗員は、車載機３８の動作を停止させている場合でも緊急車両の接近を確実に認識することができる。
【００８３】
（第６実施例）
図１４は本発明の第６実施例を示すものである。第６実施例では、第１実施例のような路側の送受信部１３以降の構成は設けられておらず、救急車３側の車載機２０と自動車２側の車載機３３とが直接通信を行うように構成されている。即ち、救急車３が自動車２の後方から接近することによって、自動車２が車載機２０の無線通信Ｉ／Ｆ２２の通信エリア内に入ると、緊急移動情報がこれらの自動車２の車載機３３が有する無線通信Ｉ／Ｆ２２に直接送信される。
【００８４】
また、図１４では、本発明の緊急車両接近報知システムを、緊急車両たるパトカー４３が、例えばスピード違反をした違反車両４４に接近して停止を警告するために応用した場合をも示している。即ち、斯様な直接通信の場合には、第１実施例の図８に示すように、両車両のＩＤ情報が互いにやり取りされて相互に承認が行われるので、パトカー４３側では、違反車両のＩＤ情報を認識し、その特定のＩＤ情報を有する違反車両に対してのみ車両の停止要求を警告することが可能となる。
【００８５】
以上のように第６実施例によれば、緊急車両側の車載機２０と一般車両側の車載機３３との間で直接通信を行うようにしたので、インフラとして路側の送受信部１３等が設置されていない道路上であっても、一般車両に緊急車両が接近した場合に報知を行うことができ、システムを安価に構成することができる。
【００８６】
本発明は上記し且つ図面に記載した実施例にのみ限定されるものではなく、次のような変形または拡張が可能である。
路側の送受信部１３は交差点のみに限らず、単に道路上に配設しても良い。
路側表示部１７は、必要に応じて設ければ良い。
緊急移動情報は、少なくとも緊急走行信号のみでも良い。
情報表示部２４，音声出力部３１の何れか一方のみ設けても良い。また、報知手段の構成はこれらに限ることなく、緊急車両の接近を示すランプを点灯させたり、アラーム音を鳴動させるようなものでも良い。
救急車３の緊急走行を認証する場合、ホスト１９との照合を行うことなく、救急車３の制御部２１側のみで認証を行っても良い。
例えば、救急車３の出動前に、ＩＤカード２６にカードライタなどを利用して緊急走行の許可信号を書き込むと共に、ホスト１９にその許可信号の登録を行うようにする。そして、ホスト１９が救急車３の緊急走行を認証する場合は、その登録された許可信号が、ＩＤカード２６に書き込まれた許可信号と一致するか否かを照合するようにしても良い。斯様に構成すれば、ドライバのＩＤ情報に問題がない場合でも、そのドライバが不正な目的を以て緊急走行を試みることを防止することが可能である。
【００８７】
適格性判定手段２９は、必要に応じて設ければ良い。
ＶＩＣＳのインフラを利用するものに限らず、独自の設備によって緊急車両接近報知システムを構築しても良い。
通信手段による通信は、狭域通信に限ること無く、広域通信を行っても良く、例えば、携帯電話装置を組み込んだ送受信機を備えていても良い。また、電波信号に限らず、光信号を用いて通信を行っても良い。
車載機３０の制御部２１が有するカーナビゲーション機能は、必要に応じて設ければ良い。また、車載機３３が、例えばＣＤプレーヤやカーラジオ等の機能を有している場合に、緊急移動情報を受信すると、それらの機能を中断して図１に示すような報知機能を行うように機能を切り換えるように制御部２１を構成しても良い。
【００８８】
第２実施例のような受信履歴を、各車両の制御部２１が自車両の履歴を夫々記憶保持するようにしても良い。そして、各車両の制御部２１は、緊急移動情報を受信した場合、その緊急移動情報を受信した送受信部１３の位置情報と受信履歴とから、緊急車両が自車両に接近するか否かを判定し、接近すると判定した場合にのみ報知手段に報知を行わせれば良い。
また、この場合、第４実施例のように自動車２に退避位置を指示する場合には、車両側に制御部２１が自車両の適切な退避位置を判定して報知させるようにすれば良い。
第４実施例において、例えば第１実施例のように、車載機２０の制御部２１が有しているナビゲーション機能により提示された緊急車両の緊急走行経路が緊急移動情報に含まれている場合には、一般車両の車両側制御手段は、各車両の退避位置を報知させることに加えて、緊急走行経路に関するより詳細な情報を音声などにより報知させても良い。例えば、緊急車両が通過しようとする走行車線や、交差点を直進，右折，左折する，或いは、緊急車両の目的地に関する情報などである（「緊急車両が左折側車線より接近します」，「緊急車両が交差点を右折して通過します」，「緊急車両が×××方面に向かって走行中です」など）。
【００８９】
第５実施例において、例えば、緊急移動情報の発信元の距離が比較的離れている場合には緊急ステータスコードを低く設定しておき、前記距離が短くなるに従って緊急ステータスコードが順次高くなるように設定しても良い。
交差点制御部１５が、送受信部１３の配置間隔等から予想される緊急車両の到来時刻を、緊急移動情報に付加して送信させるようにしても良い。この場合、例えば、「緊急車両が約１５秒後に接近します」のように報知しても良い。
１つの交差点制御部１５が制御している複数の送受信部１３内においても、それらの何れか１つが緊急移動情報を受信した場合には、その他の送受信部１３に該情報を転送するようにしても良い。
【００９０】
路側通信制御部１４と交差点制御部１５とを一体に構成しても良い。
交差点に配設されている信号機の信号表示を制御するための信号制御部を設けることにより、緊急車両の緊急走行経路途中にある交差点の進入路の信号を“青”に設定し、その他の進入路の信号を“赤”に強制的に設定するように制御しても良い。
また、車載機３３の制御部２１がカーナビゲーション機能を有している場合に、その機能により提示されている車両の走行経路情報を路側通信装置５０側に送信するように構成する。そして、交差点制御部１５は、受信した走行経路情報や各車両の位置情報等に基づいて交通量を予測すると、その予測した交通量に基づいて交差点に配置されている信号機の信号切り替え制御を行うように構成しても良い。
例えば、渋滞が既に発生している状態において信号機の信号切り替えを制御することでその解消を図ろうとすると、各車両は所謂“ＧＯ＆ＳＴＯＰ”状態になっており平均車速は低下しているため、渋滞の解消には非常に時間を要することになる。これに対して、交差点制御部１５が予測した交通量に基づいて信号機の信号切り替え制御を行うようにすれば、各車両の平均車速がある程度高い状態において渋滞の発生を未然に防止することが可能となる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明の第１実施例であり、緊急車両接近報知システムが実際に使用される場合の一形態を概念的に示す図
【図２】路側の送受信部と車載機との間で狭域通信を行うイメージを示す斜視図
【図３】図１の交差点Ｄを救急車が右折する場合の一例を示す図
【図４】路側に配設されるシステムの電気的構成を示す機能ブロック図
【図５】緊急車両に搭載される車載機の電気的構成を示す機能ブロック図
【図６】一般車両側の図５相当図
【図７】救急車が緊急走行を開始する前に、緊急車両誘導ホストとの間で行う認証及び許可等のプロセスを示すシーケンス図
【図８】ホストからの緊急走行許可指示を受けた救急車が緊急走行を行う場合に、自動車に緊急移動情報を送信する場合のシーケンス図
【図９】本発明の第２実施例であり、１つの交差点に配設される４つの通信エリアＡ〜Ｄの例を示す図
【図１０】本発明の第３実施例であり、緊急車両の緊急走行経路を概略的に示す平面図
【図１１】本発明の第４実施例を示す図３相当図
【図１２】本発明の第５実施例であり、一般車両側に搭載される車載機の要部の電気的構成を示す機能ブロック図
【図１３】路側の送受信部より送信される信号フォーマットの一例を示す図
【図１４】本発明の第６実施例であり、緊急車両側の車載機と一般車両側の車載機との間で直接通信を行う場合を示す図
【符号の説明】
２は自動車（一般車両）、３は救急車（緊急車両）、１３は送受信部（路側通信手段）、１４は路側通信制御部（路側制御手段）、１５は交差点制御部（路側制御手段）、１７は路側表示部（路側報知手段）、１９は緊急車両誘導ホスト、２０は車載機（車載側通信装置）、２１は制御部（車両側制御手段）、２２は無線通信インターフェイス（車両側通信手段）、２４は情報表示部（報知手段）、２９は適格性判定手段、３１は音声出力部（報知手段）、３３は車載機（車載側通信装置）、３５は緊急車両、３８は車載機（車載側通信装置）、４３はパトカー（緊急車両）、５０は路側通信装置を示す。[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an emergency vehicle approach notification system for notifying a general vehicle that an emergency vehicle that is traveling urgently is approaching, and an in-vehicle communication device and a roadside communication device used in the system.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
For example, emergency vehicles such as police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks are designed to alert drivers of other general vehicles by sounding sirens when performing emergency travel. Further, when an emergency vehicle enters an intersection with a red light, for example, an audio notification is performed using a speaker such as “an ambulance enters an intersection”.
[0003]
However, recent automobiles are equipped with an air conditioner in a standard manner, and the number of cars is increasing when the passenger compartment is closed. In addition, since the airtightness of the passenger compartment is also high, it is difficult for external sounds to reach the passenger compartment. For this reason, when an emergency vehicle is approaching, the recognition of the driver of the general vehicle tends to be delayed, and an emergency vehicle that is traveling on the green traffic light course at the intersection and an emergency vehicle entering from the red traffic light path The vehicle sometimes caused a near miss.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is an emergency vehicle approach notification system capable of more reliably informing a driver of a general vehicle that an emergency vehicle is approaching, and its The object is to provide an in-vehicle communication device and a roadside communication device used in the system.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 1, when the vehicle side control means receives an emergency travel signal indicating that the emergency vehicle is in an emergency travel via the vehicle side communication means, the notification means means the emergency vehicle. Is notified to the vehicle occupant.
[0006]
That is, even if the vehicle occupant is in a state where all the windows of the passenger compartment are closed, for example, the notification by the notification means can surely know that the emergency vehicle is approaching the host vehicle. It becomes. Therefore, the vehicle occupant can take action for evacuating the vehicle to a safe position at an earlier stage based on the information, and avoid the approaching emergency vehicle with a margin. Can do.
[0007]
  AndThe roadside control means, when any one of the plurality of roadside communication means receives the emergency travel signal, controls the other roadside communication means to transmit the emergency travel signal. That is, the emergency travel signal transmitted from the emergency vehicle is transmitted to other vehicles via the roadside communication means arranged on the roadside, so the emergency travel signal is transmitted over a wider range or needs to be transmitted. It is possible to selectively transmit only to a certain point. Therefore, the signal transmission form can be made more flexible.
  Further, the roadside control means determines the traveling direction of the emergency vehicle based on the history that the plurality of roadside communication means have received the emergency travel signal, and sends the emergency travel signal to the roadside communication means at a position where the approach of the emergency vehicle is predicted. Send. Therefore, since the emergency travel signal is transmitted only to the roadside communication means at the position where the approach of the emergency vehicle is considered to be more certain from the reception history of the emergency travel signal, the accuracy of the information can be improved.
[0008]
  Claim2According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, each road-side communication unit transmits position information to the vehicle-side communication unit, and the road-side control unit outputs the signal when transmitting an emergency travel signal to the road-side communication unit. The received position information of the roadside communication means is also transmitted. Therefore, the vehicle-side control means of each general vehicle can know from which direction the emergency vehicle is approaching the host vehicle, and can take a retreat action according to the approach direction. .
[0009]
  Claim3According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the vehicle-side control means determines the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the history of position information received by the vehicle-side communication means as time elapses. Then, the traveling direction is compared with the positional information of the roadside communication means that has received the emergency travel signal, and it is determined whether or not to notify the notifying means. In other words, from this position information, it can be determined whether or not the own vehicle actually needs to take a retracting action due to the approach of the emergency vehicle, so that the notification is made only when it is actually necessary to take the retracting action. can do.
[0011]
  Claim4According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the vehicle-side control means notifies the retracted position of the vehicle by the notification means. That is, the vehicle-side control means can determine the safer position of the host vehicle from the direction of the emergency vehicle that is about to approach and the traveling direction of the host vehicle. By urging the vehicle occupant to move the host vehicle, safety can be further improved.
[0012]
  Claim5According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the vehicle side control means causes the vehicle side communication means to transmit the ID information of the host vehicle. Then, when the roadside control means determines the traveling direction of each vehicle based on the history of the ID information of each vehicle, the roadside control means compares the traveling direction with the position information of the roadside communication means that has received the emergency traveling signal, and performs emergency traveling. A roadside communication means for transmitting a signal is selected. That is, the roadside control means can determine whether or not an emergency travel signal needs to be actually transmitted to each vehicle by determining the traveling direction of each vehicle.
[0013]
  Claim6According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the roadside communication means is arranged so as to correspond to at least each approach road of the intersection, and the roadside control means is provided for each intersection. For example, when the intersection is a crossroad, the roadside communication means is arranged so as to correspond to at least four approach roads. Therefore, when the vehicle passes through the intersection, it is possible to know in which direction the vehicle has traveled starting from the intersection, so that the traveling direction of the vehicle can be determined more quickly.
[0014]
Even when the distance between the two intersections is relatively short, the emergency traveling signal can be quickly transferred to the roadside control means at the next intersection when the emergency vehicle passes the first intersection. It is possible to ensure that the general vehicle is evacuated at the intersection, and traffic can be prevented from being confused.
[0015]
  Claim7According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the vehicle-side control means of the emergency vehicle transmits information on the emergency travel route that is presented by route calculation by the navigation function. Then, when any one of the plurality of roadside communication means receives the travel route information together with the emergency travel signal, the roadside control means prompts the roadside communication means disposed at a position where the approach of the emergency vehicle is predicted. Send a running signal. That is, the emergency vehicle is assumed to travel along the emergency travel route presented by the navigation function, so that an emergency travel signal is transmitted to the roadside communication means arranged along the route, thereby Accuracy can be improved.
[0016]
  Claim8According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the vehicle-side control unit of the general vehicle transmits the travel route information of the vehicle that is presented after route calculation is performed by the navigation function. When the roadside control means predicts the traffic volume based on the received travel route information, the position information of each vehicle, etc., the roadside control means performs signal switching control of the traffic lights arranged at the intersection based on the predicted traffic volume.
[0017]
  For example, if you try to solve the problem by controlling the signal switching of traffic lights in a state where traffic congestion has already occurred, each vehicle is in a so-called “GO & STOP” state, and the average vehicle speed has decreased. It will take a very long time to resolve. In contrast, the claims8As described above, if the signal switching control of the traffic light is performed based on the traffic volume predicted by the roadside control means, it becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of traffic congestion in a state where the average vehicle speed of each vehicle is high to some extent. .
[0018]
  Claim9According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the roadside control means also transmits information indicating the approach direction of the emergency vehicle together with the emergency travel signal. That is, the claim4Thru8In the case of this configuration, the roadside control means can grasp the positional relationship between the emergency vehicle and the own vehicle, so it is possible to determine from which direction the emergency vehicle is approaching each general vehicle. It becomes. Therefore, the vehicle-side notification means can also notify the vehicle occupant of the approach direction based on the information indicating the approach direction of the emergency vehicle, and the vehicle occupant knows the approach direction of the emergency vehicle and moves away. Can be taken more easily.
[0019]
  Claim 10According to the emergency vehicle approach notification system described above, the roadside control means causes the roadside communication means for transmitting the emergency travel signal to transmit a signal for instructing the retracted position of the vehicle by the notification means.4The same effect can be obtained.
[0020]
  Claim 11According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the roadside notification means for notifying the approach of the emergency vehicle based on the reception information of the roadside communication means is provided. That is, even if the vehicle is not equipped with a notification unit, it is possible to know the approach of the emergency vehicle by the notification by the roadside notification unit.
[0021]
  Claim 12According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the roadside notification means is arranged at least in the vicinity of the intersection. That is, when an emergency vehicle enters an intersection, other general vehicles need special care. Therefore, safety can be further improved by performing notification by the roadside notification means.
[0022]
  Claim 13According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the vehicle-side notification means can notify various information by voice. That is, when the occupant is driving the vehicle, vision is often used to obtain information for driving, and it is difficult for the occupant to recognize by visual notification. Therefore, for example, by making an auditory notification with a voice such as “an emergency vehicle is approaching”, it is possible to reliably notify the vehicle occupant.
[0023]
  Claim 14According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the vehicle-side control unit of the emergency vehicle permits the transmission of the emergency travel signal when the eligibility determination unit determines that the driver of the emergency vehicle is eligible. That is, only when it is recognized that the driver is qualified to drive an emergency vehicle based on the driver's ID information, etc. Can be sent.
[0024]
  Claim 15According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the eligibility determination means communicates with the host via the vehicle side communication means and the road side control means when information for determining the eligibility of the driver is input. The input information is collated with the information held by the host side. In other words, by comparing with information held on the host side, it is possible to determine the eligibility of the driver more diversely and reliably.
[0025]
  Claim 16According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the eligibility determination information includes emergency travel permission information. Therefore, the necessity of emergency travel itself on the host side (that is, an actual event or accident occurs, Can be determined directly, and eligibility can be determined at a higher level.
[0026]
  Claim 17According to the emergency vehicle approach notification system described above, the vehicle-side control means starts supplying the operation power when the vehicle-side communication means receives the emergency travel signal, even if the operation power supply switch is OFF. Thus, the vehicle occupant can reliably grasp the approach of the emergency vehicle.
[0027]
  Claim18According to the emergency vehicle approach notification system described above, when the vehicle-side communication unit receives an emergency travel signal when the notification unit is performing a function other than the notification, the vehicle-side control unit changes the function of the notification unit at that time. Switch to make notifications. For example, even when the notification means displays FM multiplex broadcast text information, etc., an emergency vehicle signal is automatically notified when an emergency travel signal is received. Can be surely grasped.
[0028]
  Claim19According to the emergency vehicle approach notification system described above, the vehicle-side communication means is configured to be able to directly communicate with the vehicle-side communication means of other vehicles, so that it is on a road where no road-side communication means is installed as infrastructure. However, when an emergency vehicle approaches a general vehicle, notification can be performed.
[0029]
  Claim 20According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, the communication means is configured to perform narrow-range communication such as DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication), for example, so that vehicle-side communication of a vehicle that originally does not require an emergency travel signal It is possible to avoid receiving even the means. Further, due to the high speed of the communication speed, for example, even when the vehicle is traveling on a highway, necessary information can be reliably communicated.
[0030]
  Claim 21According to the described emergency vehicle approach notification system, since a part of the system is configured to be shared with VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System), the system can be configured at low cost using the existing infrastructure. it can.
[0031]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 conceptually shows an embodiment in which an emergency vehicle approach notification system is actually used, and an automobile 2 as a general vehicle is traveling on a road 1 and is behind it (lower in FIG. 1). This is an example when an ambulance 3, which is an emergency vehicle, approaches.
[0032]
There are four intersections A, B, C, and D on the road 1, and the ambulance 3 is turning right at the intersection D and going to the accident site 5 on the road 4. On roads 1 and 4, communication areas 6 to 12 are provided around intersections A to D.
[0033]
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the roadside communication device 50 that is a system arranged on the roadside. At least four transmission / reception units (roadside communication means) 13 are arranged corresponding to four directions extending from one intersection (however, in FIG. 1, only one communication area is shown in principle for each intersection. ) For example, it is possible to use a radio wave beacon or the like previously arranged on the road as VICS equipment. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, these transmission / reception units 13 are configured to perform narrow-area communication with a vehicle-mounted device 20, 33 to be described later via a roadside antenna 13 a using the DSRC protocol. Moreover, the transmission / reception part 13 transmits the positional information which shows each arrangement | positioning position (for example, in which position of the intersection A) to the vehicle equipment 20 and 33 side.
[0034]
When the signal received by the transmission / reception unit 13 is transmitted to the intersection control unit (roadside control unit) 15 via the roadside communication control unit (roadside control unit) 14, the intersection control unit 15 disposed at another intersection. To be sent to. The intersection control unit 15 is connected to four roadside display units (roadside notification means) 17 via the display control unit 16, and controls the display of the roadside display unit 17.
[0035]
The roadside display unit 17 is composed of, for example, an LED panel, and is disposed at least near the intersection of the road 1 or the like, and can display characters, figures, and the like so that it can be seen by a vehicle occupant. Each intersection control unit 15 is connected to the VICS center 18 and the emergency vehicle guidance host 19.
[0036]
On the other hand, FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the vehicle-mounted device (vehicle-mounted communication device) 20 disposed in the emergency vehicle. The control unit (vehicle-side control means) 21 is configured mainly with a microcomputer or the like, and controls each unit of the in-vehicle device 20. Further, the control unit 21 communicates with the road-side transmission / reception unit 13 via a wireless communication interface (I / F) 22, and the wireless communication I / F (vehicle-side communication means) 22 transmits / receives signals Modulation / demodulation.
[0037]
When the ID card 26 is inserted into a card slot 25 (see FIG. 1) provided in the housing of the information display section (notification means) 24, the ID card unit 23 is data written in the ID card 26. Is output to the control unit 21. When the control unit 21 determines that the ambulance 3 performs emergency traveling based on the data, the control unit 21 controls the alarm lamp (pat lamp) 27 to light and the siren 28 to ring. The host 19, the control unit 21, the ID card unit 23, and the ID card 26 constitute an eligibility determination unit 29.
[0038]
The map data 30 is recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. When the control unit 21 reads the map data 30 via a CD-ROM driver (not shown), the control unit 21 displays the map data 30 on the information display unit 24 including a liquid crystal display. That is, the control unit 21 also has a car navigation function, and if an accident site or the like is input as a destination, the travel route to the accident site can also be calculated and displayed.
[0039]
In this case, the position of the host vehicle can be grasped by obtaining position information transmitted from the roadside transmission / reception unit 13, but it has a device for receiving GPS signals of GPS satellites as in the case of a normal car navigation device. You may make it acquire the position of the own vehicle from a GPS signal. The in-vehicle device 20 also includes a voice output unit (notification unit) 31 for notifying various information output from the control unit 21 by voice. The power switch 32 is a switch for turning on and off the power of the in-vehicle device 20.
FIG. 6 shows a configuration of an in-vehicle device (on-vehicle side communication device) 33 mounted on a general vehicle, in which the ID card unit 23, the warning lamp 27 and the siren 28 are removed from the in-vehicle device 20.
[0040]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing processes such as authentication and authorization performed with the emergency vehicle guidance host (hereinafter simply referred to as a host) 19 before the ambulance 3 starts emergency traveling. First, when it is recognized in the host 19 that an emergency such as an automobile accident has occurred ((1)), the emergency vehicle guidance host 19 is, for example, an ambulance 3 located near the accident site by a mobile phone device or the like. Dispatch request to the passengers.
[0041]
Then, the occupant of the ambulance 3 inserts the ID card 26 into the card slot (2) and inputs a password by a password input device (not shown) (3). Information such as the name of the occupant and the vehicle ID of the ambulance 3 is written in the ID card 26 in advance, and these are transmitted as ID information to the host 19 side together with the password. In this case, the ID information is sent from the wireless communication I / F 22 of the in-vehicle device 20 to the host 19 via the roadside communication control unit 14 and the intersection control unit 15.
[0042]
The host 19 authenticates the vehicle side based on the ID information sent from the ambulance 3 ((4)). That is, it is determined whether or not the occupant is qualified to make the ambulance 3 travel urgently. When the host 19 authenticates the eligibility on the vehicle side, this time, the host 19 transmits a request for authenticating the host 19 to the ambulance 3 to the ambulance 3 side (5). Then, the ambulance 3 side authenticates the host 19 (6) and returns an authentication response to the host 19 side (7). When the host 19 receives the authentication response from the ambulance 3, the host 19 transmits an emergency travel permission instruction to the ambulance 3 ((8)).
[0043]
The above sequence is an example when the ambulance 3 is present on the road. For example, when the ambulance 3 is in a state before being dispatched and is located in the vicinity of the host 19, the roadside communication control unit 14. And it is not necessary to communicate via the intersection control part 15, and it should just communicate directly via another communication means.
[0044]
Next, FIG. 8 shows a sequence in a case where emergency movement information is transmitted to the automobile 2 that is a general vehicle when the ambulance 3 that has received an emergency travel permission instruction from the host 19 performs emergency travel. The in-vehicle device 20 of the ambulance 3 transmits ID information to the intersection control unit 15 (1) when the emergency traveling is started, and performs mutual authentication.
[0045]
The authentication in this case is authentication for confirming that the vehicle-mounted device 20 and the intersection control unit 15 (1) are hardware used in the emergency vehicle approach notification system, and communicate with unauthorized devices. This is done to avoid disrupting traffic. And if there is no problem in mutual authentication, the vehicle equipment 20 will transmit the information of emergency movement with respect to the intersection control part 15 (1). The emergency travel information includes an emergency travel signal indicating that the ambulance 3 performs emergency travel, information on a route for performing the emergency travel, position information of the transmission / reception unit 13 that has received the emergency travel signal, and the like.
[0046]
The intersection control unit 15 (1) that has received the emergency movement information from the in-vehicle device 20 communicates with the other intersection control unit 15 (2) in the vicinity of the same as the communication sequence performed with the ambulance 3. The ID information of the ambulance 3 is transmitted, the mutual authentication is performed, and the emergency movement information is transmitted.
[0047]
Then, the intersection control unit 15 (2) enters the communication area of the intersection, transmits ID information, and transmits emergency movement information from the ambulance 3 to the automobile 2 of the general vehicle that has performed mutual authentication. . In this case, the emergency movement information is broadcast to all the transmission / reception units 13 connected to the intersection control unit 15 (2) via the roadside communication control unit 14.
[0048]
Reference is now made to FIG. In the in-vehicle device 20 on the side of the ambulance 3, the guidance route to the accident site and the letters “emergency guidance” are displayed on the screen of the information display unit 24.
[0049]
On the other hand, when the in-vehicle device 33 of the automobile 2 receives the emergency movement information according to the above sequence, the voice output unit 31 makes a voice notification based on the information, for example, “100 m behind the emergency vehicle approaching”. At the same time, the position of the host vehicle and the position of the ambulance 3 are displayed on the screen of the information display unit 24, and the characters “emergency vehicle approach” are also displayed. That is, since the position of the own vehicle is found from the position information obtained from the roadside transmission / reception unit 13, it can be seen from the emergency movement information that the position of the ambulance 3 is in front of entering the intersection A, Their positional relationship is displayed on the screen of the information display unit 24.
[0050]
At this time, the roadside display unit 17 on the road performs character display such as “emergency vehicle approaching” by the intersection control unit 15 (2) controlling the display control unit 16. That is, even if the vehicle is not equipped with the in-vehicle device 33, it is possible to know that the emergency vehicle is approaching by visually recognizing the display on the roadside display unit 17.
[0051]
And since the passenger | crew of the motor vehicle 2 by which the above notification was performed by the vehicle equipment 33 can recognize that the ambulance 3 is approaching from back, on the left side, for example, so as not to disturb the travel of the ambulance It is possible to take a retreating action such as moving the own vehicle to the road shoulder and stopping the vehicle with a margin. Here, FIG. 3 is an example of the case where the ambulance 3 turns right at the intersection D, and a general vehicle such as the automobile 2 is used for the ambulance 3 to turn right by performing retreat by being notified in advance. The travel route can be cleared.
[0052]
As described above, according to this embodiment, when one of the transmission / reception units 13 receives the emergency movement information transmitted from the ambulance 3, the intersection control unit 15 transmits / receives the emergency movement information to other intersections. 13, the control unit 21 of the automobile 2 that has received the emergency movement information from the transmission / reception unit 13 informs the occupant that the emergency vehicle in emergency traveling is approaching by the information display unit 24 and the voice output unit 31. I was informed.
[0053]
That is, the passenger of the automobile 2 can surely know that the ambulance 3 is approaching the host vehicle even when all the windows of the passenger compartment are closed. Therefore, an automobile occupant can take an action for evacuating the host vehicle to a safe position at an earlier stage based on the information, and avoid the approaching ambulance 3 with a margin. Can do.
[0054]
And since the emergency movement information transmitted from the ambulance 3 is transmitted to other vehicles via the transmission / reception unit 13 arranged on the roadside, the emergency movement information is transmitted over a wider range or needs to be transmitted. It is possible to selectively transmit only to a certain point. Therefore, the signal transmission form can be made more flexible.
[0055]
Further, according to the present embodiment, each transmitting / receiving unit 13 transmits position information to the vehicle-side wireless communication I / F 22, and the intersection control unit 15 transmits emergency movement information to the wireless communication I / F 22. In this case, the position information of the transmission / reception unit 13 that has received the emergency travel signal is also transmitted. Accordingly, the control unit 21 of each automobile 2 or the like can know from which direction the emergency vehicle is approaching the host vehicle, and can take a retreat action according to the approach direction. .
[0056]
Furthermore, the control unit 21 of the ambulance 3 transmits information on the emergency travel route presented by the navigation function, and when the intersection control unit 15 recognizes the travel route information, it is arranged at a position where the approach of the ambulance 3 is predicted. Since the emergency movement information is transferred to the other intersection control unit 15 that is being used, the accuracy of the information indicating the approach of the ambulance 3 can be improved.
[0057]
In the automobile 2, the approach of the ambulance 3 is notified by voice. That is, when the occupant is driving the car, the visual sense is often used to obtain information for driving, so that the audible notification is made by voice and the occupant of the car 2 is surely notified. It can be performed.
[0058]
Further, since the roadside display unit 17 for notifying the approach of an emergency vehicle based on the reception information of the intersection control unit 15 is disposed at least in the vicinity of the intersection, even if the vehicle is not equipped with the in-vehicle device 33, the roadside It is possible to know the approach of the emergency vehicle by the notification by the display unit 17.
[0059]
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 21 of the ambulance 3 permits the transmission of the emergency traveling signal when the ID card 26 determines that the driver of the ambulance 3 is eligible. The emergency travel signal can be transmitted only when it is recognized that the emergency travel is performed. In that case, the control unit 21 communicates with the emergency vehicle guidance host 19 via the intersection control unit 15 and collates the ID information read from the ID card 26 with the information held on the host 19 side. It becomes possible to determine the eligibility of the various and more reliably. In addition, unauthorized use due to theft can also be prevented.
[0060]
Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the transmission / reception unit 13 and the wireless communication I / F 22 perform narrow-area communication according to the DSRC protocol, so that it is possible to avoid the emergency movement information being received by a vehicle that is originally unnecessary. Further, due to the high speed of the communication speed, necessary information can be reliably communicated even when the vehicle is traveling on an expressway. Then, by sharing a part of the system with the VICS, the system can be configured at low cost using the existing infrastructure.
[0061]
(Second embodiment)
FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Only different parts will be described below. FIG. 9 is an example of four communication areas A to D arranged at one intersection 34. These communication areas A to D are each formed by four transmission / reception units 13, and each communication area is set to cover both the upper and lower lanes. Further, the circled numbers in the figure indicate the eight entrances / exits of the intersection 34.
[0062]
Table 1 below shows the passing history of the communication area of each vehicle, which is stored and held by the intersection control unit 15 that manages and controls the intersection 34 in FIG. 9. The intersection control unit 15 stores the ID information of each vehicle transmitted from each transmission / reception unit 13 as a history. In Table 1, new data is arranged in the upper column.
[Table 1]

[0063]
That is, since the vehicle ID number 10 passes through the communication area C of the intersection 34 for the first time and passes through the communication area D for the second time, the vehicle ID number 10 enters the intersection 34 from the entrance (2) and exits (7). It is determined that the vehicle has exited the intersection 34 and has already passed. Further, the vehicle ID number 22 passes through the communication area A of the intersection 34 for the first time, and the second passage history does not exist at that time. Therefore, the vehicle ID number 22 enters the intersection 34 from the entrance (3) and enters the current intersection 34. It is determined that the vehicle exists in the vehicle.
[0064]
Therefore, when the intersection control unit 15 receives the emergency movement information from the other intersection control unit 15, by referring to the passage history as shown in Table 1, each vehicle travels in the intersection 34 by any route. You can see if you are. And it becomes possible to alert | report which direction the emergency vehicle is approaching with respect to each vehicle from the passage route in the intersection 34 of each vehicle and the approach direction of the emergency vehicle to this intersection 34.
[0065]
In the case of the second embodiment, the control unit 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 does not need to have a navigation function, and even if the function is provided, information on the emergency travel route searched for the route is displayed as emergency travel information. There is no need to send as.
In addition, by making the determination based on the passage histories of the four communication areas A to D in this way, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, separate communication is performed for the up lane and the down lane, respectively. There is no need to set an area.
[0066]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the intersection control unit 15 sets each vehicle based on the reception history of the ID information transmitted from each vehicle in the four communication areas A to D arranged on the four sides of the intersection 34. When the traveling direction is determined, the transmission / reception unit 13 that transmits the emergency movement information is selected based on the traveling direction and the position information of the intersection control unit 15 that has received the emergency movement information. Therefore, the intersection control unit 15 can determine whether or not the emergency movement information needs to be actually transmitted to each vehicle by determining the traveling direction of each vehicle starting from the intersection 34. It becomes.
[0067]
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically illustrating an emergency travel route of an emergency vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The emergency vehicle 35 enters the intersection 36 from the lower side in FIG. 10 and turns left, and then enters the next intersection 37 at a relatively short distance and turns right. At the intersections 36 and 37, as in the second embodiment, four communication areas A to D are arranged for each approach path, and the communication area M is arranged between the intersections 36 and 37. Is controlled by the intersection control unit 15 on the intersection 37 side.
[0068]
Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described. The ID information reception history related to the emergency vehicle 35 stored in the intersection control unit 15 (1) of the intersection 36 is “A” for the first time and “B” for the second time, so that “B” is recognized for the second time. It can be determined that the emergency vehicle 35 has made a right turn at the intersection 36.
[0069]
Then, the intersection control unit 15 (1) recognizes the emergency movement information transmitted from the emergency vehicle 35 at the first "A", but at the time when the second "B" is recognized, the next intersection 37 The emergency movement information of the emergency vehicle 35 is transferred to the control unit 15 (2). Then, the intersection control unit 15 (2) transmits emergency movement information to the transmission / reception unit 13 corresponding to the communication areas A to D and M of the intersection 37.
[0070]
That is, when the emergency vehicle 35 enters the communication area A of the intersection 36, it is unclear which direction the emergency vehicle 35 travels in the remaining three directions of the intersection 36. When the traveling direction becomes clear, emergency movement information is transmitted to the intersection control unit 15 (2) of the intersection 37 that is ahead in the traveling direction.
[0071]
Therefore, according to the third embodiment, even when the distance between the two intersections 36 and 37 is relatively short, when the emergency vehicle 35 passes through the intersection 36, the vehicle travels in any direction starting from the intersection 36. Since it is known, it is possible to determine the traveling direction of the vehicle faster. Therefore, since the emergency movement information can be quickly transferred to the intersection control unit 15 (2) of the next intersection 37 when the first intersection 36 is passed, the retreat action of the general vehicle is surely performed at the next intersection 37. It is possible to avoid traffic disruption.
[0072]
(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the case where the positional relationship between the emergency vehicle approaching the intersection control unit 15 and the general vehicle can be determined as in the above-described embodiment, the general vehicle may be notified of designating the retreat position. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. When the ambulance 3 makes a right turn at the intersection D, an appropriate retreat position differs depending on which approach road each vehicle 2 existing in the intersection D exists.
[0073]
That is, in the approach road (1), the ambulance 3 changes the lane to the right turn and then turns right and heads in the direction of the approach path (4). The intersection control unit 15 adds the evacuation position information to the emergency movement information so as to give a notification such as “Please stop on the shoulder on the left road” by voice. For the car 2 on the approach roads {2} and {3}, it is sufficient if the vehicle 2 does not enter the intersection D. Therefore, the voice output unit 31 gives a notification such as “Please stop at the current position”. Just do it. Moreover, you may alert | report by displaying the same meaning on a screen in the information display part 24. FIG.
[0074]
As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the intersection control unit 15 notifies the retracted position of each automobile 2 existing in the intersection D, so that the driver of each automobile 2 is informed The host vehicle can be moved to the retreat position, and safety can be further improved.
[0075]
(5th Example)
12 and 13 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of an in-vehicle device (on-vehicle side communication device) 38 mounted on the general vehicle side. FIG. The in-vehicle device 38 is obtained by adding an emergency code identification unit 39, a NAND gate 40, and a PNP transistor 41 to the configuration of the in-vehicle device 33.
[0076]
These added components and the wireless communication I / F 22 are always supplied with operating power even when the power switch 32 is OFF. The circuit 42 including the control unit 21 representing the electric components other than those is configured to be supplied with operating power when a specific condition is satisfied even when the switch 32 is OFF. Yes.
[0077]
That is, the reception signal of the wireless communication I / F 22 is demodulated and given to the emergency code identification unit 39. FIG. 13 shows an example of a signal format transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 13 on the road side. Among these, the “emergency status” is a code representing, for example, five levels of urgency from “00H” to “04H”, and the emergency code identifying unit 39 determines the code of “emergency status” and determines the strongest “ Only when it is 04H ″, a high level signal is output to one input terminal of the NAND gate 40. The emergency status of the emergency movement information is set to “04H”.
[0078]
The other input terminal of the NAND gate 40 is given a signal that becomes high level when the power switch 32 is OFF. The circuit expression including the power switch 32 conceptually shows a configuration of an output portion of a signal whose level changes to high / low as the power switch 32 is turned OFF / ON. It does not indicate the power supply system when turned on. The output terminal of the NAND gate 40 is connected to the base of a PNP transistor 41 whose emitter is connected to the power supply, and the collector of the transistor 41 is connected to the power supply input terminal of the circuit 42.
[0079]
Next, the operation of the fifth embodiment will be described. When the power switch 32 is ON, the circuit 42 is supplied with operating power as usual. At this time, since the other input terminal of the NAND gate 40 is at a low level, the base potential of the transistor 41 is at a high level, and the transistor 41 is OFF.
[0080]
When the power switch 32 is OFF, the operation power is not supplied to the circuit 42 and the operation is stopped. However, as described above, the wireless communication I / F 22, the emergency code identification unit 39, and the like are always operating.
[0081]
In this state, when the emergency movement information is transmitted from the roadside transmission / reception unit 13, the emergency code identification unit 39 determines the code of the emergency status included in the demodulated signal. Since the code of the emergency movement information is “04H”, the emergency code identification unit 39 outputs a high level signal to one input terminal of the NAND gate 40. Then, since the level of the input terminal of the NAND gate 40 becomes high, the output signal becomes low level and the transistor 41 is turned on. When the transistor 41 is turned on, power is supplied to the circuit 42 from its collector, and the circuit 42 starts to operate.
[0082]
As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the in-vehicle device 38 starts supplying the operation power to the circuit 42 when the wireless communication I / F 22 receives the emergency movement information even when the power switch 32 is in the OFF state. Thus, the vehicle occupant can reliably recognize the approach of the emergency vehicle even when the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 38 is stopped.
[0083]
(Sixth embodiment)
FIG. 14 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the sixth embodiment, the configuration after the roadside transmission / reception unit 13 as in the first embodiment is not provided, and the vehicle-mounted device 20 on the ambulance 3 side and the vehicle-mounted device 33 on the vehicle 2 side communicate directly. It is configured. That is, when the ambulance 3 approaches from behind the vehicle 2 and the vehicle 2 enters the communication area of the wireless communication I / F 22 of the vehicle-mounted device 20, the emergency movement information is wirelessly included in the vehicle-mounted devices 33 of these vehicles 2. Directly transmitted to the communication I / F 22.
[0084]
FIG. 14 also shows a case in which the emergency vehicle approach notification system of the present invention is applied in order that a police car 43 as an emergency vehicle approaches a violation vehicle 44 that has made a speed violation, for example, and warns the stop. That is, in the case of such direct communication, as shown in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment, the ID information of both vehicles is mutually exchanged and the mutual approval is performed. It becomes possible to recognize the ID information and warn the vehicle stop request only to the violating vehicle having the specific ID information.
[0085]
As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, since direct communication is performed between the vehicle-mounted device 20 on the emergency vehicle side and the vehicle-mounted device 33 on the general vehicle side, the roadside transmission / reception unit 13 and the like are installed as infrastructure. Even on a road that is not provided, notification can be made when an emergency vehicle approaches a general vehicle, and the system can be configured at low cost.
[0086]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following modifications or expansions are possible.
The roadside transmission / reception unit 13 is not limited to an intersection, and may simply be disposed on a road.
The roadside display unit 17 may be provided as necessary.
The emergency movement information may be at least an emergency travel signal only.
Only one of the information display unit 24 and the audio output unit 31 may be provided. The configuration of the notification means is not limited to these, and a lamp that indicates the approach of an emergency vehicle or an alarm sound may be used.
When the emergency traveling of the ambulance 3 is authenticated, the authentication may be performed only on the control unit 21 side of the ambulance 3 without checking with the host 19.
For example, before the ambulance 3 is dispatched, an emergency travel permission signal is written in the ID card 26 using a card writer or the like, and the permission signal is registered in the host 19. Then, when the host 19 authenticates the emergency travel of the ambulance 3, it may be verified whether or not the registered permission signal matches the permission signal written in the ID card 26. With this configuration, even when there is no problem in the driver ID information, it is possible to prevent the driver from attempting an emergency run with an unauthorized purpose.
[0087]
The eligibility determination means 29 may be provided as necessary.
The emergency vehicle approach notification system may be constructed with original equipment, not limited to those using the VICS infrastructure.
The communication by the communication means is not limited to narrow area communication, and may be wide area communication. For example, a transmitter / receiver incorporating a mobile phone device may be provided. Moreover, you may communicate using not only a radio wave signal but an optical signal.
The car navigation function of the control unit 21 of the in-vehicle device 30 may be provided as necessary. Further, when the in-vehicle device 33 has a function of, for example, a CD player or a car radio, when emergency movement information is received, the function is interrupted and a notification function as shown in FIG. 1 is performed. The control unit 21 may be configured to switch functions.
[0088]
The reception history as in the second embodiment may be stored and held by the control unit 21 of each vehicle. And the control part 21 of each vehicle determines whether an emergency vehicle approaches the own vehicle from the positional information and reception history of the transmission / reception part 13 which received the emergency movement information, when emergency movement information is received. However, it is only necessary to notify the notification means only when it is determined that the vehicle is approaching.
Further, in this case, when instructing the retracted position to the automobile 2 as in the fourth embodiment, the control unit 21 may determine and notify the appropriate retracted position of the host vehicle to the vehicle side.
In the fourth embodiment, for example, as in the first embodiment, the emergency travel route of the emergency vehicle presented by the navigation function of the control unit 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 is included in the emergency movement information. In addition to notifying the retreat position of each vehicle, the vehicle-side control means of the general vehicle may notify more detailed information regarding the emergency travel route by voice or the like. For example, information on travel lanes where emergency vehicles are going to pass, intersections going straight, turning right, turning left, or emergency vehicle destinations ("emergency vehicles approach from left turn lane", "emergency The vehicle turns right at the intersection, "" Emergency vehicle is driving towards XXX, etc. ").
[0089]
In the fifth embodiment, for example, the emergency status code is set to be low when the distance of the emergency movement information source is relatively long, and the emergency status code is sequentially increased as the distance becomes shorter. May be set.
The intersection control unit 15 may add the arrival time of the emergency vehicle predicted from the arrangement interval of the transmission / reception unit 13 to the emergency movement information for transmission. In this case, for example, the notification may be made as “an emergency vehicle approaches after about 15 seconds”.
Even in a plurality of transmission / reception units 13 controlled by one intersection control unit 15, when any one of them receives emergency movement information, the information is transferred to the other transmission / reception units 13. Also good.
[0090]
The roadside communication control unit 14 and the intersection control unit 15 may be configured integrally.
By providing a signal control unit for controlling the signal display of the traffic lights installed at the intersection, the signal of the approach road at the intersection in the middle of the emergency travel route of the emergency vehicle is set to “blue”, and other approaches It may be controlled to forcibly set the road signal to “red”.
Moreover, when the control part 21 of the vehicle equipment 33 has a car navigation function, it is comprised so that the travel route information of the vehicle shown by the function may be transmitted to the roadside communication apparatus 50 side. When the intersection control unit 15 predicts the traffic volume based on the received travel route information, the position information of each vehicle, and the like, the intersection control unit 15 performs signal switching control of the traffic lights arranged at the intersection based on the predicted traffic volume. You may comprise as follows.
For example, if you try to solve the problem by controlling the signal switching of traffic lights in a state where traffic congestion has already occurred, each vehicle is in a so-called “GO & STOP” state, and the average vehicle speed has decreased. It will take a very long time to resolve. On the other hand, if the traffic signal predicted by the intersection control unit 15 is controlled, the traffic signal can be prevented from being generated when the average vehicle speed of each vehicle is high to some extent. It becomes.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating one embodiment of an emergency vehicle approach notification system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an image of performing narrow area communication between a roadside transmission / reception unit and an in-vehicle device.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example when an ambulance turns right at intersection D in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a system arranged on the roadside.
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an in-vehicle device mounted on an emergency vehicle.
6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 on a general vehicle side.
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a process such as authentication and authorization performed with an emergency vehicle guidance host before an ambulance starts emergency driving.
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram in a case where emergency travel information is transmitted to a car when an ambulance that has received an emergency travel permission instruction from a host performs emergency travel.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of four communication areas A to D arranged at one intersection according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing an emergency travel route of an emergency vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of an in-vehicle apparatus mounted on a general vehicle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal format transmitted from a roadside transmission / reception unit;
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a case where direct communication is performed between an in-vehicle device on the emergency vehicle side and an in-vehicle device on the general vehicle side according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 is an automobile (general vehicle), 3 is an ambulance (emergency vehicle), 13 is a transmission / reception unit (roadside communication means), 14 is a roadside communication control unit (roadside control means), 15 is an intersection control unit (roadside control means), 17 Is a roadside display section (roadside notification means), 19 is an emergency vehicle guidance host, 20 is an in-vehicle device (vehicle-side communication device), 21 is a control section (vehicle-side control means), and 22 is a wireless communication interface (vehicle-side communication means). , 24 is an information display unit (notification unit), 29 is an eligibility determination unit, 31 is a voice output unit (notification unit), 33 is an in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device), 35 is an emergency vehicle, and 38 is an in-vehicle device (in-vehicle unit). Side communication device), 43 is a police car (emergency vehicle), and 50 is a roadside communication device.

Claims (23)

Vehicle-side communication means for communicating with the outside of each vehicle, vehicle-side control means for performing control based on information received by the vehicle-side communication means, and notification for notifying the vehicle occupant Equipped with means,
When the vehicle-side control means receives an emergency travel signal indicating that the emergency vehicle is in emergency travel via the vehicle-side communication means, the vehicle-side control means informs the emergency vehicle that the emergency vehicle is approaching ,
A plurality of roadside communication means arranged in a predetermined area on the roadside and configured to be communicable with the vehicle side communication means;
Roadside control means for controlling the transmission of information between the plurality of roadside communication means,
The roadside control unit controls the other roadside communication unit to transmit the emergency travel signal when any one of the plurality of roadside communication units receives the emergency travel signal transmitted from the emergency vehicle. Then, the traveling direction of the emergency vehicle is determined based on the history of the plurality of roadside communication means receiving the emergency travel signal, and the approach of the emergency vehicle is predicted to be in accordance with the determined traveling direction. emergency vehicle approach warning system characterized that you send an emergency running signal to the arranged by which the roadside communication means. The roadside communication means transmits respective position information to the vehicle side communication means,
The roadside control means, when transmitting the emergency travel signal to the roadside communication means, also transmits position information of the roadside communication means that has received the emergency travel signal . Emergency vehicle approach notification system. The vehicle-side control means determines the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the history of the position information received by the vehicle-side communication means , and the traveling direction and the position information of the road-side communication means that has received the emergency travel signal The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 2 , wherein it is determined whether or not to cause the notification means to perform notification. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle-side control unit causes the notification unit to notify the retracted position of the vehicle. The vehicle side control means is configured to be capable of transmitting ID information of the host vehicle by the vehicle side communication means,
The roadside control means determines the traveling direction of each vehicle based on the history of the ID information of each vehicle received by each roadside communication means, and the positional information of the roadside communication means that has received the traveling direction and the emergency travel signal. The roadside communication means for transmitting the emergency travel signal is selected by comparing with the emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 2 or 3. The roadside communication means is arranged so as to correspond to each approach path at least at an intersection,
6. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 5 , wherein the roadside control means is provided for each intersection . It said vehicle-side control unit of the emergency vehicle is provided with a navigation function, and the information of the emergency travel route presented by the navigation function is transmittable configured via the vehicle-side communication means,
When the roadside control means is arranged such that any one of the plurality of roadside communication means receives the travel route information together with the emergency travel signal, the roadside communication means is disposed at a position where the approach of the emergency vehicle is predicted. emergency vehicle approach warning system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein Rukoto to transmit the emergency running signal against. The vehicle-side control means of the general vehicle also has a navigation function, and is configured to be able to transmit the travel route information of the vehicle presented by the navigation function via the vehicle-side communication means ,
The roadside control means said received via the roadside communication means travel route information and based on the position information of each vehicle to predict the traffic volume, the predicted traffic on the traffic signal is located at the intersection on the basis The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 7 , wherein the signal switching control is performed . The roadside control unit, emergency vehicle approach warning system according to any one of claims 5 to 8 wherein with emergency running signal, characterized that you also transmitted information indicating the approaching direction of the emergency vehicle. The roadside control means causes a roadside communication means for transmitting an emergency travel signal to transmit a signal for instructing a retracted position of the vehicle by the notification means. The emergency vehicle approach notification system described. Emergency vehicle approach warning system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized that you have provided a roadside informing means for informing the approach of the emergency vehicle on the basis of the received information of the roadside communication means. 12. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 11, wherein the roadside notification means is disposed at least in the vicinity of an intersection . The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the vehicle-side notification means is configured to be able to notify various information by voice . When the vehicle-side control means mounted on the emergency vehicle includes qualification determination means for determining the qualification of the driver of the emergency vehicle, and the qualification determination means determines that the driver is eligible the emergency vehicle approach warning system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized that you have been configured to allow transmission of the emergency running signal. When the information for determining the eligibility of the driver is input, the eligibility determination means communicates with a host via the vehicle side communication means and the road side control means, and the input information, The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 14 , wherein the emergency vehicle approach notification system is configured to be able to collate with information held on a host side . 16. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 15, wherein the information for determining eligibility includes emergency travel permission information for an emergency vehicle. The vehicle-side control means is configured to start supplying the operation power when the vehicle-side communication means receives the emergency travel signal even when the operation power supply switch is in an OFF state. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency vehicle approach notification system is provided. The vehicle-side notification means is configured to be able to perform functions other than the notification,
The vehicle-side control means performs notification by switching the function of the notification means at that time when the vehicle-side communication means receives the emergency travel signal when the notification means performs a function other than notification. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the emergency vehicle approach notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 18 is controlled . 2. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side communication unit is configured to be able to directly communicate with a vehicle-side communication unit of another vehicle . It said communication means, emergency vehicle approach warning system according to any one of claims 1 to 1 9, characterized that you have been configured to perform short range communication. The emergency vehicle approach notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein a part of the system is configured to be shared with VICS . The vehicle-side communication device comprising the vehicle-side communication unit, the vehicle-side control unit, and the notification unit, and used in the emergency vehicle approach notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 21. . A roadside communication apparatus comprising the roadside communication means and the roadside control means, wherein the roadside communication apparatus is used in an emergency vehicle approach notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 18, 19 or 21.

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