JP7336868B2 - Gas information transmission device, information processing device, gas information transmission method, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gas information transmitting device and the like for transmitting gas information including gas usage information related to gas usage to an information processing device.

Conventionally, there has been a technology that can efficiently support the maintenance and management of propane gas meters, aggregation of meter reading data, and sales operations at LPG dealers, and that can contribute to reducing the labor and costs involved in these operations (Patent Document 1) reference).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-310645

With conventional technology, it has been difficult to collect information on gas usage from consumers, such as the homes of gas users, in an easy-to-handle data format.

A gas information transmitting device according to a first aspect of the present invention receives a terminal acquiring unit for acquiring gas information including gas usage information related to gas usage transmitted from a gas meter, and predetermined structure specifying information from an external device. a structure acquisition unit; and a terminal transmission unit that generates terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format including the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit based on the structure identification information received by the structure acquisition unit, and transmits the terminal transmission information to the information processing device. A gas information transmitting device comprising:

With this configuration, gas information including gas usage information relating to gas usage can be transmitted from the customer as terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format.

In addition, a gas information transmitting device of a second aspect of the present invention, in contrast to the first aspect of the present invention, the gas information transmitting device further comprises a device identifier transmitting section for transmitting a device identifier related to the gas information transmitting device to an external device, The structure acquisition unit is a gas information transmission device that receives structure identification information corresponding to the device identifier.

With such a configuration, even when there are a plurality of types of data formats of gas information used in an information system, it is possible to appropriately transmit terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format using corresponding structure specifying information.

Further, the gas information transmitting device of the third invention is a gas information transmitting device, in contrast to the first or second invention, wherein the gas information is a telegram output from the gas meter.

With this configuration, gas information in a predetermined data format, including information in telegrams output from the gas meter, can be transmitted from the customer.

Further, in the gas information transmitting device of the fourth invention, in contrast to any one of the first to third inventions, the gas information is information corresponding to a customer identifier for identifying a customer, and the terminal transmission unit comprises: A gas information transmission device that associates gas information with a customer identifier to generate terminal transmission information and transmits the terminal transmission information to an information processing device.

With such a configuration, the terminal transmission information including the customer identifier that can identify the customer can be transmitted from the customer in a predetermined data format.

Further, in the gas information transmitting device of the fifth invention, in contrast to any one of the first to fourth inventions, the terminal acquisition unit further comprises a first instruction in a predetermined data format transmitted from the information processing device information, and the terminal transmission unit further acquires a first data format different from the predetermined data format based on the first instruction information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit and the structure identification information acquired by the structure acquisition unit. 2, and transmits it to the gas meter.

With such a configuration, the first instruction information in a predetermined data format can be used in the information processing apparatus regardless of the configuration of equipment at the customer.

An information processing device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device used in an information system comprising one or more gas information transmitting devices and an information processing device, and receives a device identifier related to the gas information transmitting device. An information processing apparatus, comprising: a device identifier acquisition unit; and a structure identification information transmission unit that transmits structure identification information corresponding to the gas information transmission device to the gas information transmission device based on the device identifier received by the device identifier acquisition unit. is.

With this configuration, when there are multiple types of data formats of gas information used in an information system, corresponding structure specifying information can be provided even if the gas information transmitting device does not have the structure specifying information to be used.

According to the gas information transmitting device and the information processing device of the present invention, gas information including gas usage information relating to gas usage can be collected from consumers in a predetermined data format and used.

Conceptual diagram of information system A in Embodiment 1 Block diagram of the same information system A Block diagram of the information processing device A2 Flowchart explaining an operation example of the same gas information transmitting device A1 Flowchart for explaining an operation example of the information processing device A2 Flowchart explaining an operation example of the same delivery person terminal A3 Flowchart explaining an operation example of the same facility terminal A4 Conceptual diagram of the processing of the information system A Block diagram of information system B in Embodiment 2 A diagram showing an example of same-structure identification information The figure which shows an example of the same terminal transmission information Block diagram of an information processing device B2 that constitutes the same information system B Flowchart showing an operation example of the same gas information transmitting device B1 Sequence diagram showing an operation example of the same information system B Schematic diagram of a computer system in the above embodiment Block diagram of the same computer system

Hereinafter, embodiments of a gas information transmitting device, an information processing device, etc. will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, since components denoted by the same reference numerals in the embodiments perform similar operations, repetitive description may be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
In the present embodiment, an information system including one or more gas information transmitters and an information processor for acquiring and transmitting gas information including information on gas usage in one or more LPG cylinders will be described.

Further, in the present embodiment, an information system including a gas information transmitting device that collectively transmits two or more pieces of gas information at once will be described. The gas information transmitting device acquires gas usage information, which will be described later, once an hour, for example, and transmits the gas usage information for one day to the information processing device once a day. Further, the gas information transmitting device acquires gas usage information, which will be described later, once an hour, for example, and transmits the gas usage information for one day to the information processing device twice or more times a day. Also good.

Further, in the present embodiment, an information system including an information processing device that also receives delivery cylinder information (to be described later), delivery vehicle position information (to be described later), weather information (to be described later), and cylinder exchange information (to be described later) will be described.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an information system A according to this embodiment. The information system A includes one or more gas information transmitters A1, an information processor A2, one or more distributor terminals A3, and one or more facility terminals A4.

The gas information transmission device A1 is a device that acquires gas information including gas usage information and transmits it to the information processing device A2. The gas information transmitting device A1 may be of any type as long as it has a communication function.

The information processing device A2 is a server device that receives and accumulates information such as gas information, which will be described later. The gas information and the like may be only gas information, or in addition to gas information, one or more of delivery cylinder information (to be described later), delivery vehicle position information (to be described later), cylinder replacement information (to be described later), and weather information. The information processing apparatus A2 can be realized by a so-called cloud server or ASP server, but the type thereof does not matter.

The deliverer terminal A3 is a terminal used by the deliverer. However, the terminal A3 of the delivery person may be a terminal mounted on the delivery vehicle. The delivery person terminal A3 is, for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a so-called personal computer, or the like, but the type is not limited. The deliverer terminal A3 has a communication function.

The facility terminal A4 is a terminal existing in the facility. The facility terminal A4 is, for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a so-called personal computer, or the like, but the type is not limited. Facility terminal A4 has a communication function. The facilities are, for example, factories and depot stations. A factory is a facility for filling gas cylinders with gas. A depot station is a facility where gas cylinders are placed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the information system A according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the information processing device A2 that constitutes the information system A. As shown in FIG.

The gas information transmission device A1 includes a terminal storage unit A10, a terminal processing unit A11, and a terminal transmission unit A12. The terminal processing unit A11 includes a terminal acquisition unit A111 and a terminal storage unit A112.

The information processing device A2 includes a storage unit A21, a reception unit A22, a processing unit A23, and an output unit A24. The storage unit A21 includes a customer information storage unit A211, a gas information storage unit A212, a delivery cylinder information storage unit A213, a delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214, and a weather information storage unit A215. The receiver A22 includes a gas information receiver A221, a delivery cylinder information receiver A222, a delivery vehicle position information receiver A223, a weather information receiver A224, and a cylinder replacement information receiver A225. The processing unit A23 includes a gas information storage unit A231, a delivery cylinder information storage unit A232, a delivery vehicle position information storage unit A233, a weather information storage unit A234, and a cylinder replacement information storage unit A235. The output unit A24 includes a processing result output unit A241.

The deliverer terminal A3 includes a deliverer storage unit A31, a deliverer reception unit A32, a deliverer processing unit A33, a deliverer transmission unit A34, a deliverer reception unit A35, and a deliverer output unit A36.

The facility terminal A4 includes a facility storage section A41, a facility reception section A42, a facility processing section A43, a facility transmission section A44, a facility reception section A45, and a facility output section A46.

Various types of information are stored in the terminal storage unit A10 that constitutes the gas information transmitter A1. The various types of information are, for example, gas information to be described later, customer identifiers for identifying customers, cylinder identifiers for identifying cylinders, and time information for specifying times. The time information is, for example, date information specifying the date, time information specifying the date and time, and time zone information specifying the time zone. If the time information is time information, it may be considered that the time information includes date information.

The terminal storage unit A10 stores gas information at two or more points in time. Gas information is, for example, information associated with cylinder identifiers, customer identifiers for identifying customers, and date information indicating dates. Gas information, for example, is associated with time information. Gas information includes, for example, gas usage information. The gas usage information is information about the used gas. The gas usage information includes, for example, one or more of gas usage information per unit time and gas meter reading information. The unit time gas usage information is information specifying the amount of gas usage per unit time. The unit time gas usage information is, for example, information specifying the amount of gas usage for each hour. The gas meter reading value information is, for example, information specifying a gas meter reading value. The gas meter reading value information is, for example, information specifying the gas meter reading value for each hour.

The gas information in the terminal storage unit A10 is normally information accumulated in the terminal storage unit A112.

The terminal processing unit A11 performs various types of processing. Various processes are, for example, processes performed by the terminal acquisition unit A111 and the terminal storage unit A112. The various processes are, for example, processes for deleting transmitted gas information from the terminal storage unit A10.

The terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires gas information, which is information including gas usage information related to the use of gas in an LPG cylinder, and which is information corresponding to a cylinder identifier that identifies the LPG cylinder. The terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires information from, for example, a gas meter. The terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires, for example, a meter reading from a gas meter, and calculates gas usage information specifying the gas usage amount per unit time, which is the difference between the previous meter reading and the current meter reading.

It is preferable that the terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires the gas usage information n (n is 2 or more) times per day per unit time. Further, it is preferable that the terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires the gas usage information every hour.

It is preferable that the terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires hour information from a clock (not shown) and associates the hour information with the acquired gas usage information. The clock (not shown) may exist in the gas information transmitting device A1, or may be a clock of an external device such as an NTP server.

The terminal storage unit A112 stores the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit A111 in the terminal storage unit A10. It is preferable that the terminal storage unit A112 stores the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit A111 in the terminal storage unit A10 every unit time. Note that the unit time is, for example, 1 hour, 30 minutes, 2 hours, or the like. Also, the terminal storage unit A112 preferably stores the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit A111 in the terminal storage unit A10 in association with one or more of the customer identifier, the cylinder identifier, and the time information. is.

The terminal transmission unit A12 transmits the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit A111 to the information processing device A2. The gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit A111 may be gas information stored in the terminal storage unit A10.

The terminal transmission unit A12, for example, associates the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit A111 with one or more identifiers and transmits the information to the information processing device A2. The one or more identifiers are, for example, one or more of a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier.

It is preferable that the terminal transmission unit A12 transmits the gas information of the terminal storage unit A10 at two or more points in time to the information processing device A2 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined conditions are, for example, that a predetermined time has come, that a predetermined number of pieces of gas information have been stored in the terminal storage unit A10, and the like. Also, transmitting in association with a cylinder identifier or the like means, for example, transmitting together with the cylinder identifier or the like, but the method of associating the information does not matter. Incidentally, the cylinder identifier is normally stored in the terminal storage section A10. Also, when the cylinder to be used is changed, it is preferable that the cylinder identifier of the cylinder is automatically stored in the terminal storage unit A10.

Here, transmission of gas information at two or more points in time may be transmission of two or more pairs of gas information and time information, or transmission of two or more pieces of gas information arranged in chronological order. .

The transmission of gas information for one day may be performed by transmitting 24 pairs of gas information and time information, or by transmitting 24 pieces of gas information arranged in chronological order.

Note that the one gas information is information including one gas usage information, but the one gas information may be information including a plurality of gas usage information.

It is preferable that the terminal transmission unit A12 transmits two or more pieces of gas information in the terminal storage unit A10 to the information processing device A2 less than n times a day.

It is preferable that the terminal transmission unit A12 transmits the gas information to the information processing device A2 once a day. Note that the transmission time does not matter.

The terminal transmission unit A12 may transmit gas information at different timings depending on conditions. That is, for example, the terminal transmission unit A12 normally transmits a plurality of pieces of gas information to the information processing device A2 at a low frequency (first frequency), and when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the terminal transmission unit A12 transmits more than usual. The gas information may be transmitted to the information processing device A2 at high frequency (second frequency). The predetermined condition here is determined by the terminal processing unit A11, for example, that a large amount of gas has been used to satisfy the predetermined condition (for example, the amount of gas used is equal to or greater than the threshold value or greater than the threshold value). is the case. Further, the predetermined condition is, for example, the amount of gas used is small for a long period of time so that the predetermined condition is satisfied (for example, the amount of gas used is greater than or equal to the first threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, or less than the threshold). ) is determined by the terminal processing unit A11.

After the terminal transmission unit A12 transmits the gas information to the information processing device A2, the terminal processing unit A11 preferably deletes the transmitted gas information from the terminal storage unit A10.

Various types of information are stored in the storage unit A21 that constitutes the information processing apparatus A2. The various types of information are, for example, customer information, gas information, delivery cylinder information, delivery vehicle position information, and weather information, which will be described later.

The customer information storage unit A211 stores one or more pieces of customer information in association with customer identifiers. Customer information is information about customers. Customer information includes, for example, name, customer location information, and contact information. The customer location information is information specifying the location of the customer. The customer location information is, for example, (latitude, longitude), address, and the like. The contact information is information that identifies the contact, such as an email address and phone number. The customer information has, for example, date information specifying the date when the gas cylinder was replaced. The customer information includes, for example, cylinder type information, cylinder number information, and remaining gas amount information. The cylinder type information is information specifying the type of cylinder used by the customer. The cylinder number information is information specifying the number of cylinders installed in the customer's home. The remaining amount of gas information is information specifying the remaining amount of gas in the customer's gas cylinder. The customer information includes, for example, one or more medium identifiers (eg, "LPG", "electricity") that identify media used by the customer, one or more appliance identifiers of energy appliances owned by the customer (eg, "gas appliance A", "Electrical Appliance B", "Appliance C"), and one or more company identifiers (eg, "Company A") that identify the energy company with which the customer has a contract. The customer information may include, for example, LPG cylinder information having cylinder volume information regarding the amount of LPG cylinders used by the customer. The LPG cylinder information may be cylinder type information.

Two or more pieces of gas information are stored in the gas information storage unit A212. The gas information storage unit A212 usually stores two or more pieces of gas information associated with a customer identifier. It is preferable that the gas information is associated with one or more of the time information specifying the time and the cylinder identifier. Further, the correspondence between the hour information and the cylinder identifier may be achieved as long as the gas information is stored in such a manner that the hour information and the cylinder identifier can be recognized.

The delivery cylinder information storage unit A213 stores information on one or more delivery cylinders. The delivery cylinder information is information relating to the cylinder to be delivered. The delivery cylinder information includes, for example, cylinder type information and cylinder status information. The delivery cylinder information is usually information from which the number of cylinders can be grasped. That is, the delivery cylinder information may include number information specifying the number of cylinders, or the number of delivery cylinder information received may indicate the number of cylinders. Cylinder type information is information specifying the type of cylinder, for example, 20 Kg, 30 Kg, 50 Kg, and the like. The cylinder status information is information indicating whether or not the cylinder is full. The delivery cylinder information is associated with, for example, one or more information among cylinder identifiers, delivery vehicle identifiers, delivery person identifiers, and time information specifying entry/exit dates and times. The entry/exit date/time means the entry/exit date/time to the factory where the cylinder is filled with gas, the entry/exit date/time to the depot station where the cylinder is placed, or the exit date/time.

The delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214 stores delivery vehicle position information. The delivery vehicle position information is information specifying the position of the delivery vehicle. The delivery vehicle location information is, for example, (latitude, longitude), but may be a facility identifier or the like that identifies the nearest facility. A facility is, for example, a factory or a depot station. The delivery vehicle position information is associated with, for example, a delivery vehicle identifier that identifies a cylinder delivery vehicle or a delivery person identifier.

The weather information storage unit A215 stores weather information related to weather. Weather information is, for example, information on one or more of weather, temperature, humidity, and the like. Weather information is preferably associated with hour information. Time information is, for example, date information and time information.

The receiving unit A22 receives various types of information. The various types of information are, for example, gas information, delivery cylinder information, delivery vehicle position information, weather information, and cylinder replacement information.

The gas information receiver A221 receives gas information from the gas information transmitter A1. The gas information receiving unit A221 receives gas information associated with one or more identifiers, for example, a customer identifier or a cylinder identifier, from the gas information transmitter A1.

The delivery cylinder information receiving unit A222 receives delivery cylinder information. The delivery cylinder information receiving unit A222 receives delivery cylinder information in association with, for example, one or more information among a cylinder identifier, a delivery vehicle identifier, and a delivery person identifier. The delivery cylinder information receiving unit A222 receives delivery cylinder information in association with, for example, a carrier identifier. The carrier identifier is information for identifying the carrier on which the cylinder is placed. The delivery cylinder information receiving unit A222 receives the delivery cylinder information in association with, for example, the time information specifying the entry/exit date and time. The date and time of entry/exit is the date and time of entry/exit from the facility. The delivery cylinder information receiving unit A222 receives delivery cylinder information from the facility terminal A4, for example. The delivery cylinder information receiving unit A222 receives the delivery cylinder information from the deliverer terminal A3, for example. Note that the transmission source of the delivery cylinder information does not matter. Also, the cylinder identifier is information that is stored, for example, in a communication means (for example, an RFID tag) installed on the delivered cylinder and received indirectly or directly from such communication means. The cylinder identifier may be, for example, information input to the facility terminal A4 by the user and transmitted from the facility terminal A4. The delivery vehicle identifier is, for example, information stored in a communication means (e.g. RFID tag) installed on the delivery vehicle itself (e.g. trailer head) and received indirectly or directly from such communication means. be. In this case, the delivery vehicle identifier can be said to be a trailer head identifier. Also, the delivery vehicle identifier and the trailer head identifier may be separate information, and in such a case, the delivery cylinder information receiving section A222 may receive the delivery cylinder information in association with the trailer head identifier as well. Also, the deliverer identifier is, for example, information received indirectly or directly from the deliverer terminal A3 held by the deliverer. The deliverer identifier may also be information received, for example, indirectly or directly, stored in a communication means installed on the delivery vehicle itself (eg, a trailer head). Furthermore, the carrier identifier is information that is stored, for example, in a communication means (for example, an RFID tag) installed on the carrier of the delivery vehicle and received indirectly or directly from such communication means.

The delivery vehicle position information receiving unit A223 receives the delivery vehicle position information. The delivery vehicle position information receiving unit A223 normally receives the delivery vehicle position information from the delivery vehicle terminal A3, which is the terminal of the delivery vehicle. Note that the terminal A3 of the deliverer is a terminal different from the terminal held by the deliverer, and may be a terminal mounted on a delivery vehicle.

The delivery vehicle position information receiving unit A223 normally receives the delivery vehicle position information in association with the delivery vehicle identifier that identifies the delivery vehicle. However, the delivery vehicle position information receiving unit A223 may receive the delivery vehicle position information in association with the delivery person identifier.

The weather information reception unit A224 receives weather information. Here, the reception is, for example, reception from a server device (not shown), reception of information input from an input device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and reading from a recording medium such as an optical disk, magnetic disk, or semiconductor memory. You may think that it is a concept including reception of issued information. A server device (not shown) is a device that stores weather information.

The cylinder replacement information receiving section A225 receives cylinder replacement information indicating that the cylinder has been replaced. The cylinder exchange information receiving section A225 receives cylinder exchange information paired with, for example, one or more of the customer identifier and the cylinder identifier. The cylinder exchange information receiving section A225 receives cylinder exchange information from the deliverer terminal A, for example. However, the transmission source of the cylinder replacement information does not matter.

The processing unit A23 performs predetermined processing using two or more pieces of gas information in the gas information storage unit A212. Predetermined processing includes, for example, a delivery date prediction process described later, a delivery control process described later, a futures transaction process described later, a residential stay process described later, an energy optimum plan presentation process described later, a household credit acquisition process described later, Statistical processing, etc. Statistical processing is statistical processing for a plurality of gas information. Statistical processing is the process of calculating the average amount of gas used by a household over a period of time from multiple pieces of gas information, the process of calculating the cumulative amount of gas used over a period of time, and the transition of the amount of gas used. , and the like. The delivery date prediction process is a process of predicting the delivery date of gas cylinders to households. Delivery control processing is processing for delivering gas cylinders to households that have run out of gas. A futures transaction process is a process for determining the price of gas and supporting futures trading. The process of staying at a residence is a process of outputting information regarding whether or not there is a resident at the residence. The optimal energy plan presentation process is a process of presenting an appropriate energy plan. The household credibility acquisition process is a process of acquiring and outputting the credibility of a household.

The processing unit A23 performs a predetermined process using, for example, the delivery cylinder information stored in the delivery cylinder information storage unit A213. The predetermined processing is, for example, delivery control processing.

The processing unit A23 performs predetermined processing using, for example, the delivery vehicle position information stored in the delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214. The predetermined processing is, for example, delivery control processing.

The processing unit A23 performs predetermined processing using the weather information stored in the weather information storage unit A215. The predetermined processing is, for example, delivery date prediction processing, futures transaction processing, and energy optimum plan presentation processing.

The gas information storage unit A231 stores the gas information received by the gas information reception unit A221 in the gas information storage unit A212. The gas information storage unit A231 stores the gas information received by the gas information reception unit A221 in the gas information storage unit A212 in association with, for example, one or more of the time information, the customer identifier, and the cylinder identifier. The time information may be information received from the gas information transmitter A1, or may be information acquired from a clock (not shown).

The delivery cylinder information storage unit A232 stores the delivery cylinder information received by the delivery cylinder information reception unit A222 in the delivery cylinder information storage unit A213. The delivery cylinder information storage unit A232 stores delivery cylinder information in the delivery cylinder information storage unit A213 in association with, for example, one or more information among a cylinder identifier, a delivery vehicle identifier, and a delivery person identifier.

The delivery vehicle position information storage unit A233 stores the delivery vehicle position information received by the delivery vehicle position information reception unit A223 in the delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214. The delivery vehicle position information storage unit A233 stores the delivery vehicle position information in the delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214 in association with the delivery vehicle identifier or the deliverer identifier.

The weather information storage unit A234 stores weather information in the weather information storage unit A215. The weather information storage unit A234 normally stores weather information in the weather information storage unit A215 in association with time information. The hour information may be information received by the reception unit A22, or may be obtained from a clock (not shown). Also, the time information may be date information or time information.

When the cylinder replacement information receiving unit A225 receives the cylinder replacement information, the cylinder replacement information storage unit A235 stores the remaining amount of gas information contained in the gas information paired with one or more of the customer identifier and the cylinder identifier. Update the information to identify that the remaining amount of gas is full.

Various types of information are stored in the deliverer storage unit A31 that constitutes the deliverer terminal A3. Various information is, for example, a deliverer identifier that identifies a deliverer. Various information is, for example, a delivery vehicle identifier that identifies a delivery vehicle. The delivery person identifier and the delivery vehicle identifier may be the same information. Various types of information are, for example, cylinder replacement information. Cylinder replacement information is information indicating that the cylinder has been replaced. The cylinder replacement information is associated with, for example, one or more of a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier.

The delivery person reception part A32 receives various instructions and information. Various instructions and information are, for example, cylinder replacement information. The various instructions and information are, for example, cylinder replacement information and one or more of a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier. It should be noted that when a cylinder of a certain household is exchanged or exchanged, the deliverer inputs cylinder exchange information to the deliverer terminal A3. Further, the cylinder replacement information may be input by, for example, pressing a button, or may be input by inputting information into a field.

The shipper preferably enters one or more of a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier along with the cylinder replacement information. In such a case, the deliverer reception part A32 receives the cylinder replacement information and one or more of the customer identifier and the cylinder identifier.

Any input means such as a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a menu screen, or the like may be used for inputting information such as cylinder replacement information. The delivery person reception part A32 can be realized by a device driver for input means such as a touch panel or a keyboard, control software for a menu screen, or the like.

The delivery person processing unit A33 performs various types of processing. The various processes are, for example, processes for converting the information received by the delivery person receiving part A32 into a data structure for information to be transmitted. For example, when the deliverer reception unit A32 receives cylinder exchange information, the various processes include the cylinder exchange information, the deliverer identifier in the deliverer storage unit A31, and the input customer identifier and cylinder identifier. This is a process of configuring information in which one or more identifiers are associated with each other. Various types of processing are, for example, processing for converting information received by the delivery person receiving unit A35 into a data structure for outputting information.

The deliverer transmission unit A34 transmits cylinder replacement information to the information processing device A2. The deliverer transmission unit A34 normally transmits to the information processing apparatus A2 cylinder replacement information in which the customer identifier and one or more of the cylinder identifiers are associated with each other. It is preferable that the deliverer transmission unit A34 also transmits the deliverer identifier together with the cylinder replacement information.

The delivery person receiving part A35 receives various kinds of information. The delivery person receiving unit A35 receives various kinds of information from the information processing device A2, for example. The delivery person receiving unit A35 receives customer information, which will be described later, from the information processing device A2, for example. The customer information is information about the customer, and is information paired with the customer identifier. The customer information received by the delivery person receiving unit A35 is, for example, information about the customer to whom the gas cylinder is delivered.

The deliverer output unit A36 outputs various information. Various information is, for example, information configured by the delivery person processing unit A33. Various information is, for example, customer information. This customer information is information about the customer to whom the gas cylinder is delivered. This customer information preferably includes one or more of the following: customer identifier, customer location information, information on gas cylinders to be delivered (for example, cylinder type information specifying the type of gas cylinder, number of gas cylinders, etc.) Customer The location information is information specifying the location of the customer, such as (latitude, longitude), address, and the like.

Here, the output usually means display on a display, but projection using a projector, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, storage on a recording medium, other processing devices or other It may be considered that the concept includes delivery of processing results to other programs.

Various types of information are stored in the facility storage unit A41 that constitutes the facility terminal A4. Various types of information are, for example, facility identifiers that identify facilities. It is preferable that the facility storage section A41 stores information received from a terminal (for example, RFID) of the delivery vehicle, and delivery cylinder information relating to the cylinders mounted on the delivery vehicle. The delivery cylinder information is associated with the cylinder identifier. It is preferable that the delivery cylinder information is associated with, for example, the carrier identifier and the entry/exit date and time. The delivery cylinder information includes, for example, cylinder type information and cylinder status information. The delivery cylinder information preferably has information specifying the number of cylinders to be delivered.

The facility reception part A42 receives various instructions and information.

The facility processing unit A43 performs various types of processing. Various processes are, for example, processes for accumulating information received by the facility reception unit A45. The facility processing unit A43 at least temporarily stores the delivery cylinder information and the identifier received by the facility receiving unit A45 in the facility storage unit A41. The identifier is, for example, one or more of a cylinder identifier, a carrier identifier, a delivery vehicle identifier, and a delivery person identifier.

The facility transmission unit A44 transmits various types of information. The facility transmission unit A44, for example, transmits various kinds of information to the information processing device A2. The facility transmission unit A44 transmits, for example, the delivery cylinder information in association with the identifier. The identifier is, for example, one or more of a cylinder identifier, a carrier identifier, a delivery vehicle identifier, and a delivery person identifier.

The facility reception unit A45 receives various types of information. The facility reception unit A45, for example, receives various information from a terminal (for example, RFID) of the delivery vehicle. The facility reception unit A45 receives, for example, the delivery cylinder information in association with the identifier. The identifier is, for example, one or more of a cylinder identifier, a carrier identifier, a delivery vehicle identifier, and a delivery person identifier.

The facility output unit A46 outputs various information.

Terminal storage unit A10, storage unit A21, customer information storage unit A211, gas information storage unit A212, delivery cylinder information storage unit A213, delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214, weather information storage unit A215, delivery person storage unit A31, and facility The storage unit A41 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized with a volatile recording medium.

It does not matter how the information is stored in the terminal storage unit A10 or the like. For example, information may be stored in the terminal storage unit A10 or the like via a recording medium, or information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the terminal storage unit A10 or the like. Alternatively, information input via an input device may be stored in the terminal storage section A10 or the like.

Terminal processing unit A11, terminal acquisition unit A111, terminal storage unit A112, processing unit A23, gas information storage unit A231, delivery cylinder information storage unit A232, delivery vehicle position information storage unit A233, weather information storage unit A234, cylinder replacement information storage The part A235, the delivery person processing part A33, and the facility processing part A43 can usually be implemented by an MPU, memory, or the like. The processing procedures of the terminal processing unit A11 and the like are usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

The terminal transmission unit A12, the output unit A24, the processing result output unit A241, the delivery person transmission unit A34, and the facility transmission unit A44 are usually realized by wireless or wired communication means, but may be realized by broadcasting means. .

Reception unit A22, gas information reception unit A221, delivery cylinder information reception unit A222, delivery vehicle position information reception unit A223, weather information reception unit A224, cylinder exchange information reception unit A225, delivery person reception unit A35, and facility reception unit A45 , is usually implemented by wireless or wired communication means, but may be implemented by means of receiving broadcast.

The delivery person reception part A32 and the facility reception part A42 can be realized by a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a menu screen, or the like.

The deliverer output unit A36 and the facility output unit A46 may or may not include output devices such as displays and speakers. The deliverer output unit A36 and the like can be realized by output device driver software, or output device driver software and output device.

Next, the operation of the information system A will be explained. First, an operation example of the gas information transmitting device A1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S401) The terminal processing unit A11 determines whether it is time to acquire gas usage information. If it is the time to acquire the gas usage information, the process goes to step S402, and if it is not the time to acquire the gas usage information, the process goes to step S407. For example, when acquiring gas usage information every hour, the terminal processing unit A11 acquires time information from a clock (not shown), and the time indicated by the time information is "X:00" (X is from 1 to 24 natural number up to), it is determined that it is time to acquire the gas usage information.

(Step S402) The terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires gas meter reading information from a gas meter (not shown). This technique is a known technique. Note that the gas meter is generally an LP gas meter, and is a device that holds a gas reading value that indicates the integrated flow rate from installation.

(Step S403) The terminal acquisition unit A111 calculates gas usage amount information per unit time, which is the difference between the gas meter reading value information acquired last time and the gas meter reading value information acquired this time in step S402. The terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires the gas usage amount information per unit time by, for example, "gas usage amount information per unit time = gas meter reading value information acquired last time - gas meter reading value information acquired in step S402". .

(Step S404) The terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires time information indicating the current time from a clock (not shown).

(Step S405) The terminal acquisition unit A111 configures accumulated gas usage information.

(Step S406) The terminal storage unit A112 associates and stores the time information acquired in step S404 and the gas usage information configured in step S405. Return to step S401. Note that the storage destination of gas usage information and the like is usually the terminal storage unit A10. Note that the terminal storage unit A112 may store the gas usage information in association with the cylinder identifier. In such a case, the terminal acquisition unit A111 also acquires the cylinder identifier.

(Step S407) The terminal processing unit A11 determines whether it is time to transmit gas information. If it is the time to transmit the gas information, the process goes to step S408, and if it is not the time to transmit the gas information, the process returns to step S401. For example, when transmitting gas information once a day, the terminal processing unit A11 acquires time information from a clock (not shown), and the time indicated by the time information is a predetermined time (for example, "24:00 01 minute”), it is determined that it is time to transmit the gas information. Even if it is determined that the predetermined time has passed, the gas information that has already been transmitted is not normally transmitted again. Further, even if the terminal processing unit A11 determines that the predetermined time has passed, the terminal processing unit A11 normally does not determine that it is time to transmit the gas information until a predetermined period (for example, one day) has passed. do not.

(Step S408) The terminal processing unit A11 acquires gas usage information and the like to be transmitted from the terminal storage unit A10. The gas usage information, etc. is, for example, a set of gas usage information and time information, only gas usage information, gas usage information and a cylinder identifier, or a set of gas usage information, a cylinder identifier, and time information. is.

(Step S409) The terminal processing unit A11 acquires the customer identifier from the terminal storage unit A10.

(Step S410) The terminal processing unit A11 configures gas information and the like to be transmitted. The gas information or the like has one or more identifiers, such as a plurality of gas usage information, for example. The one or more identifiers are, for example, information on one or more of a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier.

(Step S411) The terminal transmission unit A12 transmits the gas information and the like configured in step S410 to the information processing device A2.

(Step S412) The terminal processing unit A11 deletes the transmitted gas usage information and the like. Here, a flag indicating that the information has been transmitted may be stored in association with the transmitted gas usage information or the like. Adding such flags may be captured in the same way as removing them. Return to step S401.

In the flow chart of FIG. 4, the number of times the gas usage information is accumulated is greater than the number of times the gas information is transmitted. That is, in the flow chart of FIG. 4, a plurality of pieces of gas usage information are collectively transmitted to the information processing device A2. As a result, the power consumption of the gas information transmitting device A1 is reduced, and the frequency of battery replacement of the gas information transmitting device A1 can be reduced. However, in the flowchart of FIG. 4, gas information may be transmitted each time gas usage information is obtained.

In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the processing ends when the power is turned off or an interrupt for processing end occurs.

Next, the operation of the information processing device A2 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S501) The gas information receiver A221 determines whether or not the gas information and the like transmitted from the gas information transmitter A1 have been received. If the gas information or the like has been received, the process goes to step S502, and if the gas information or the like has not been received, the process goes to step S504. The gas information and the like are, for example, gas information and one or more identifiers. The one or more identifiers are, for example, information on one or more of a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier.

(Step S502) The gas information storage unit A231 uses the gas information and the like received in step S501 to configure stored gas information and the like.

(Step S503) The gas information storage unit A231 stores the gas information and the like configured in step S502 in the gas information storage unit A212. Return to step S501.

(Step S504) The delivery cylinder information receiving part A222 determines whether or not the delivery cylinder information or the like has been received. If the delivery cylinder information or the like is received, the process goes to step S505, and if the delivery cylinder information or the like is not received, the process goes to step S507. The delivery cylinder information and the like are, for example, delivery cylinder information and one or more identifiers. The one or more identifiers are, for example, information on one or more of cylinder identifiers, delivery person identifiers, and delivery vehicle identifiers.

(Step S505) The delivery cylinder information accumulation unit A232 uses the delivery cylinder information and the like received in step S504 to configure the stored delivery cylinder information and the like.

(Step S506) The delivery cylinder information storage unit A232 stores the delivery cylinder information and the like configured in step S505 in the delivery cylinder information storage unit A213. Return to step S501.

(Step S507) The delivery vehicle position information receiving unit A223 determines whether or not delivery vehicle position information or the like has been received. If the delivery vehicle position information or the like has been received, the process proceeds to step S508, and if the delivery vehicle position information or the like has not been received, the process proceeds to step S510. Note that the delivery vehicle position information and the like are, for example, delivery vehicle position information and one or more identifiers. The one or more identifiers are, for example, information on one or more of a delivery person identifier and a delivery vehicle identifier.

(Step S508) The delivery vehicle position information accumulation unit A233 uses the delivery vehicle position information and the like received in step S507 to configure the accumulated delivery vehicle position information and the like.

(Step S509) The delivery vehicle position information storage unit A233 stores the delivery vehicle position information and the like configured in step S508 in the delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214. Return to step S501.

(Step S510) The cylinder replacement information receiving section A225 determines whether or not the cylinder replacement information or the like has been received. If the cylinder replacement information or the like has been received, the process proceeds to step S511, and if the cylinder replacement information or the like has not been received, the process proceeds to step S513. Note that the cylinder replacement information and the like are, for example, cylinder replacement information and one or more identifiers. The one or more identifiers are, for example, information on one or more of a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier.

(Step S511) The cylinder replacement information storage unit A235 uses the cylinder replacement information and the like received in step S510 to configure stored cylinder replacement information and the like.

(Step S512) The cylinder replacement information storage unit A235 updates the remaining amount of gas information in the customer information storage unit A211 using the cylinder replacement information configured in step S511. Return to step S501.

(Step S513) The processing unit A23 determines whether or not it is time to acquire weather information. If it is the time to acquire the weather information, the process goes to step S514, and if it is not the time to acquire the weather information, the process goes to step S516. Note that the timing for acquiring the weather information is, for example, every hour, every day, or the like.

(Step S514) The weather information reception unit A224 acquires weather information and the like from a server (not shown).

(Step S515) The weather information storage unit A234 stores the weather information and the like acquired in step S514 in the weather information storage unit A215 in association with the time information. Return to step S501. The weather information and the like are, for example, weather information and time information.

(Step S516) Using the gas information, the processing unit A23 determines whether or not it is time to perform processing. If it is time to perform the process, the process goes to step S517, and if it is not the time to perform the process, the process returns to step S501.

(Step S517) The processing unit A23 performs predetermined processing. Predetermined processing includes, for example, delivery date prediction processing, delivery control processing, futures transaction processing, residence stay processing, energy optimum plan presentation processing, household credit acquisition processing, statistical processing, and the like.

(Step S518) The processing unit A23 acquires a processing result, which is information specifying the processing result in step S517.

(Step S519) The processing result output unit A241 outputs the processing result obtained in step S518. Return to step S501.

Note that in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the process ends when the power is turned off or an interrupt to end the process occurs.

Next, an operation example of the delivery person terminal A3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S601) The deliverer reception part A32 determines whether or not information has been received. If the information has been received, the process goes to step S602, and if the information has not been received, the process goes to step S603. The information is, for example, a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier.

(Step S602) The deliverer processing unit A33 at least temporarily stores the information accepted in step S601 in the deliverer storage unit A31. Return to step S601.

(Step S603) The deliverer reception part A32 determines whether or not cylinder exchange information has been received. If the cylinder replacement information has been received, the process goes to step S604, and if the cylinder replacement information has not been received, the process goes to step S606.

(Step S604) The deliverer processing unit A33 configures cylinder exchange information and the like to be transmitted. The cylinder replacement information and the like have, for example, a customer identifier and a cylinder identifier.

(Step S605) The deliverer transmission unit A34 transmits the cylinder exchange information and the like configured in step S604 to the information processing device A2. Return to step S601.

(Step S606) The deliverer reception unit A35 determines whether information has been received. If the information has been received, the process goes to step S607, and if the information has not been received, the process goes to step S609. The information is, for example, customer information and delivery list. A delivery list is information of a list of customers to whom the delivery person should deliver gas cylinders.

(Step S607) The deliverer processing unit A33 uses the information received in step S606 to construct information to be output. The information to be output includes, for example, customer information, a delivery list, a map clearly indicating the position specified by the customer position information possessed by the customer information, and the position specified by the customer position information from the position specified by the delivery vehicle position information. This is the route information as a result of the route search up to. Note that the delivery person processing unit A33 may have a function of acquiring delivery vehicle position information (for example, a function of a GPS receiver) and a route search function.

(Step S608) The deliverer output unit A36 outputs the information configured in step S607. Return to step S601.

(Step S609) The deliverer processing part A33 acquires the position information of the delivery vehicle.

(Step S610) The deliverer processing unit A33 acquires the delivery vehicle identifier from the deliverer storage unit A31.

(Step S611) The deliverer processing unit A33 uses the delivery vehicle position information acquired in step S609 and the delivery vehicle identifier acquired in step S610 to configure delivery vehicle position information and the like to be transmitted.

(Step S612) The delivery person transmission unit A34 transmits the delivery vehicle position information and the like configured in step S611 to the information processing device A2. Return to step S601.

In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the timing of transmitting the delivery vehicle position information does not matter.

In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the processing ends when the power is turned off or an interrupt for processing end occurs.

Next, an operation example of the facility terminal A4 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S701) The facility reception unit A45 determines whether or not delivery cylinder information or the like has been received. If the delivery cylinder information or the like is received, the process goes to step S702, and if the delivery cylinder information or the like is not received, the process returns to step S701.

(Step S702) The facility processing unit A43 acquires time information from a clock (not shown).

(Step S703) The facility processing unit A43 uses the delivery cylinder information and the like received in step S701 and the time information acquired in step S702 to construct delivery cylinder information and the like to be transmitted.

(Step S704) The facility transmission unit A44 transmits the delivery cylinder information and the like configured in step S703 to the information processing device A2. Return to step S701.

Note that in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the processing ends when the power is turned off or an interrupt for processing end occurs.

A specific operation example of the information system A according to the present embodiment will be described below using a conceptual diagram (FIG. 8) of the processing of the information system A. FIG. A conceptual diagram of the system structure of the information system A is shown in FIG.

In the information system A, as described above, the gas information is transmitted from the gas information transmitting device A1 to the information processing device A2 at appropriate timings and stored in the information processing device A2. Further, delivery vehicle position information is transmitted from the delivery person terminal A3 to the information processing device A2, and is accumulated in the information processing device A2. In addition, the delivery cylinder information is transmitted from the facility terminal A4 to the information processing device A2, and is accumulated in the information processing device A2. In addition, cylinder replacement information is transmitted from the delivery person's terminal A3 to the information processing device A2, and is accumulated in the information processing device A2. The information processing device A2 also receives and accumulates weather information from a weather server (not shown).

The deliverer terminal A3 that transmits the delivery vehicle position information and the deliverer terminal A3 that transmits the deliverer terminal A3 are terminals used by the deliverer, but needless to say, they may be different terminals.

In the information processing device A2, the processing unit A23 performs various processes using various information accumulated in the DB (A21). Various types of processing are, for example, delivery date prediction processing, delivery control processing, futures transaction processing, residential stay processing, energy optimum plan presentation processing, and household credit acquisition processing. Also, the various types of processing may be, for example, processing of simply outputting the results of the above-described statistical processing and various types of accumulated information.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to collect and use gas information including gas usage information related to the use of LPG cylinders.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the power consumption of the power source of the gas information transmitting device A1 can be suppressed by efficiently transmitting the gas information.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to collect and use delivery cylinder information about cylinders to be delivered.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to collect and use the information of delivery cylinder information including cylinder type information.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, weather information can also be obtained and used.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the cylinder is replaced, the cylinder replacement information can be received and used.

Note that the processing in this embodiment may be realized by software. Then, this software may be distributed by software download or the like. Also, this software may be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed. Note that this also applies to other embodiments in this specification. The software that realizes the gas information transmitting device A1 in this embodiment is the following program. In other words, the program provides a computer capable of accessing a terminal storage unit storing gas information at two or more points in time, information including gas usage information relating to the use of gas in an LPG cylinder, and a cylinder identifier that identifies the LPG cylinder. a terminal acquisition unit that acquires gas information that is information corresponding to a customer A program that functions as a terminal transmission unit that transmits gas information in the terminal storage unit at two or more points in time to the information processing device in association with an identifier.

Further, the software that implements the information processing apparatus A2 in the present embodiment is the following program. In other words, this program associates the time information specifying the time and the customer identifier with a computer capable of accessing a gas information storage section in which information on two or more gases is stored. A terminal acquisition unit for acquiring gas information, which is information including usage information and corresponds to a customer identifier, and a terminal transmission unit for transmitting the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit to the information processing device. a gas information receiving unit that receives gas information associated with a customer identifier from a gas information transmitting device; and a gas information storage unit that associates the gas information received by the gas information receiving unit with the time information and the customer identifier. and a processing unit that performs predetermined processing using two or more pieces of gas information stored in the gas information storage unit.

(Embodiment 2)

In the present embodiment, the gas information transmitting device B1 acquires gas information including gas usage information relating to the use of gas, and based on the separately received structure identification information, transmits terminal transmission information including the gas information in a predetermined data format. to the information processing device B2.

The gas information transmitter B1 receives the structure identification information corresponding to the device identifier of the gas information transmitter B1. The gas information is, for example, a message. Gas information transmitting device B1 also transmits gas information in association with a customer identifier that identifies a customer. Gas information transmitting device B1 generates second instruction information in a data format different from the predetermined data format based on the instruction information in the predetermined data format transmitted from information processing device B2, and transmits the generated second instruction information. Information may be sent to the gas meter M.

Further, in the present embodiment, the information processing device B2 may acquire the device identifier of the gas information transmitting device B1 and transmit the corresponding structure specifying information to the gas information transmitting device B1.

Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, an information system B including one or more gas information transmitters B1 and information processors B2 will be described.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of information system B in this embodiment.

The information system B includes a gas information transmitter B1 and an information processor B2. Further, the information system B may be provided with a delivery vehicle terminal A3 and a facility terminal A4, similarly to the information system A of the above-described embodiment.

The gas information transmission device B1 includes a terminal storage unit A10, a terminal processing unit A11, a terminal transmission unit A12, and a device identifier transmission unit B17. The terminal processing unit A11 includes a terminal acquisition unit A111, a terminal storage unit A112, and a structure acquisition unit B117. The terminal transmission section A12 includes a terminal transmission information generation section B127.

The gas information transmitting device B1 can receive information transmitted from the gas meter M. The gas meter M is usually an LP gas meter, and is a device that holds a gas reading value indicating the integrated flow rate from installation. The gas meter M may be a gas meter for liquefied natural gas.

The device identifier transmission unit B17 transmits a device identifier related to the gas information transmission device B1 to an external device. The device identifier is, for example, an identifier unique to each gas information transmitting device B1 within the information system B, and is stored in the terminal storage section A10.

The device identifier may be, for example, a code representing the model of the gas information transmitting device B1 or a code representing the manufacturer. Further, the device identifier may be a code specifying structure specifying information compatible with the gas information transmitting device B1.

The external device is, for example, the information processing device B2 to which the gas information is sent. Without being limited to this, the device identifier may be transmitted to another information processing device that can communicate with the gas information transmitting device B1 via the Internet or the like.

The structure acquisition unit B117 receives predetermined structure identification information from an external device. The structure acquisition unit B117 acquires structure identification information corresponding to the device identifier. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the structure specifying information is transmitted from the information processing device B2 to which the device identifier has been transmitted. The structure acquisition unit B117 receives structure identification information from the information processing device B2. The structure acquisition unit B117 stores the received structure identification information in the terminal storage unit A10.

Structure identification information is information that defines elements included in terminal transmission information, their data types, and relationships among elements of terminal transmission information. That is, the structure specifying information is information that defines the document structure of terminal transmission information. The structure-specific information includes, for example, information called schema. In this embodiment, the structure specifying information includes, for example, JSON schema, but may include information described in other schema languages (such as DTD). Moreover, the information which specifies the element value contained in the information transmitted from the gas meter M in the information transmitted from the gas meter M as structure identification information may be included. For example, when the serial number of the gas meter and the reading value of the gas meter are transmitted from the gas meter M as a series of character string information, information specifying the serial number part in the information transmitted from the gas meter M, the gas meter Information that identifies the meter reading portion of the information sent from M may also be included.

The terminal transmission information generation unit B127 generates terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format including the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit A111 based on the structure identification information acquired by the structure acquisition unit B117. The generated terminal transmission information is transmitted to the information processing device B2 by the terminal transmission section A12.

In the present embodiment, the terminal acquisition unit A111 receives information represented by a 5-bit message transmitted from the gas meter M, for example. In the present embodiment, the terminal transmission information generation unit B127 includes the information received by the terminal acquisition unit A111 in the terminal transmission information in JSON format (an example of a predetermined data format) based on the structure identification information. In other words, the terminal transmission information generator B127 converts the gas information into JSON format terminal transmission information based on the structure identification information. In addition to the JSON format, the predetermined data format may be structured data such as an XML format or an HTML format.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of structure specifying information.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, in addition to the example of the definition of the document structure of the terminal transmission information, the description of the values included in the terminal transmission information in association with each element of the terminal transmission information is schematically shown. That is, in this example, the terminal transmission information includes the date and time of generation (“datetime”), the customer identifier (“userid”), and the information from the gas meter M (“gasmeter”). Among these, the information from the gas meter M includes the serial number (“serialnum”) of the gas meter M and the reading value of the gas meter M (“consumption”). In the structure identification information, the serial number of the gas meter M corresponds to the character string from the X1th to the X2th information transmitted from the gas meter M, and the meter reading value of the gas meter M corresponds to the information transmitted from the gas meter. It is defined that the character strings from the X3th to the X4th correspond. Such a rule is realized, for example, as a program for processing information transmitted from the gas meter M executed by the terminal transmission information generation unit B127, and is included in the information transmitted from the gas meter M It may be included as a mapping table that identifies the location of the values.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of terminal transmission information.

The terminal transmission information includes, for example, gas information such as a meter reading obtained from the gas meter M (“1020345” in the figure) and a serial number (“XF” in the figure). These values correspond to the codes represented by the messages output from the gas meter M. FIG. The gas information may include the gas flow rate for a predetermined period calculated based on the meter reading instead of the meter reading. The terminal transmission information includes information such as the date ("20190402" in the figure) and the time ("080004" in the figure) when the data was acquired. The terminal transmission information also includes a customer identifier (“2122142” in the figure) that identifies the customer. That is, the terminal transmission information generator B127 generates terminal transmission information by associating the gas information with the customer identifier.

The data format of such terminal transmission information is a highly machine-readable data format that can be easily interpreted by the information processing device B2.

Further, in the present embodiment, the gas information transmitting device B1 has a function of instructing the gas meter M based on the information transmitted from the information processing device B2. That is, the terminal acquisition unit A111 acquires instruction information (first instruction information) in a predetermined data format transmitted from the information processing device B2. The terminal transmission unit A12 generates instruction information (second instruction information) in a data format different from the predetermined data format based on the instruction information in the predetermined data format and the structure specifying information, and transmits the instruction information to the gas meter M. . More specifically, the terminal acquisition unit A111 receives the instruction information in JSON format. Then, the terminal transmission unit A12 generates and transmits instruction information in a 5-bit message format that can be accepted by the gas meter M based on the instruction information in the JSON format and the structure specifying information. In this case, as the structure specifying information, information specifying an element including instruction information to be sent to the gas meter M among the information transmitted from the information processing device B2, or converting the information into a format acceptable to the gas meter M Information for doing so may be included as a program executed by the terminal transmission unit A12, for example.

The instruction information is information for specifying an instruction to the gas meter M. FIG. When the instruction information is sent to the gas meter M, the gas meter M executes the instructions corresponding to the instruction information. As such instruction information, for example, there is instruction information such as "HALT" to stop the gas meter M. The information processing device B2 transmits such instruction information in JSON format to the gas information transmission device B1. The gas information transmitting device B1 generates instruction information in a 5-bit electronic text format from the received JSON format information, and transmits the instruction information to the gas meter M. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the information processing device B2 that constitutes the information system B. As shown in FIG.

The information processing device B2 includes a storage unit A21, a reception unit A22, a processing unit A23, an output unit A24, and a structure identification information transmission unit B27. The storage unit A21 includes a customer information storage unit A211, a gas information storage unit A212, a delivery cylinder information storage unit A213, a delivery vehicle position information storage unit A214, a weather information storage unit A215, and a structure specific information storage unit B217. The reception unit A22 includes a gas information reception unit A221, a delivery cylinder information reception unit A222, a delivery vehicle position information reception unit A223, a weather information reception unit A224, a cylinder replacement information reception unit A225, and an apparatus identifier acquisition unit B227. The processing unit A23 includes a gas information storage unit A231, a delivery cylinder information storage unit A232, a delivery vehicle position information storage unit A233, a weather information storage unit A234, and a cylinder replacement information storage unit A235. The output unit A24 includes a processing result output unit A241.

The device identifier acquisition unit B227 acquires a device identifier related to the gas information transmission device B1. For example, when the device identifier transmission section B17 of the gas information transmission device B1 transmits a device identifier, the device identifier acquisition section B227 receives the transmitted device identifier.

The structure identification information storage B217 stores a plurality of types of structure identification information prepared in advance. Each piece of structure identification information is associated with a device identifier. That is, the structure identification information corresponding to the gas information transmitting device B1 that transmitted the device identifier is specified by the device identifier.

The structure-specific information transmitting unit B27 acquires structure-specific information corresponding to the gas information transmitting device B1 paired with the device identifier acquired by the device identifier acquiring unit B227, and transmits the structure-specific information to the gas information transmitting device B1. do.

Next, the operation of the information system B will be explained.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the gas information transmitting device B1.

The processing from step S1401 to step S1406 is the same as the processing from step S401 to step S406 in the above-described first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

(Step S1407) The terminal processing unit A11 determines whether or not it is time to transmit gas information. If it is the time to transmit the gas information, the process goes to step S1408, and if it is not the time to transmit the gas information, the process returns to step S1401.

(Step S1408) The terminal processing unit A11 acquires structure identification information from the terminal storage unit A10.

(Step S1409) The terminal processing unit A11 acquires gas usage information and the like to be transmitted from the terminal storage unit A10.

(Step S1410) The terminal processing unit A11 acquires the customer identifier from the terminal storage unit A10.

(Step S1411) The terminal processing unit A11 generates terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format based on the structure identification information.

(Step S1412) The terminal transmission unit A12 transmits the terminal transmission information generated in step S1411 to the information processing device B2.

(Step S1413) The terminal processing unit A11 deletes the transmitted terminal transmission information and the gas information used to generate it. Here, a flag indicating that the information has been transmitted may be stored in association with the transmitted gas usage information or the like. Adding such flags may be captured in the same way as removing them. Return to step S1401.

In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 13, the processing ends when the power is turned off or an interruption of processing end occurs.

In the information system B, the gas information transmitter B1 receives the structure identification information from the information processor B2. The operation at this time will be described.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the information system B. FIG.

(Step S101) First, in the gas information transmitting device B1, the device identifier transmitting section B17 reads the device identifier of the gas information transmitting device B1 from the terminal storage section A10 and transmits it to the information processing device B2.

(Step S102) In the information processing device B2, the device identifier acquisition unit B227 receives the device identifier.

(Step S103) In the information processing apparatus B2, the structure identification information transmission section B27 acquires the structure identification information corresponding to the apparatus identifier from the structure identification information storage section B217.

(Step S104) In the information processing device B2, the structure identification information transmission section B27 transmits the structure identification information corresponding to the device identifier to the gas information transmission device B1.

(Step S105) In the gas information transmitting device B1, the structure acquisition section B117 receives the structure specifying information.

(Step S106) In the gas information transmission device B1, the structure acquisition unit B117 stores the received structure identification information in the terminal storage unit A10. As a result, the structure specifying information becomes available in the gas information transmitting device B1.

The process of receiving the structure-specific information by the gas information transmitting device B1 is such that, for example, the gas information transmitting device B1 is installed at a consumer (customer) or the like and used as a component of the information system B. It should be done when the time comes. Moreover, it may be performed periodically (for example, each time a predetermined number of days passes or a predetermined number of months passes). By performing this periodically, the structure identification information used in each gas information transmission device B1 can be automatically updated simply by updating the structure identification information stored in the information processing device B2.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, gas information including gas usage information related to gas usage can be converted into terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format and transmitted to the information processing device B2. Further, according to the present embodiment, even when there are multiple types of data formats for gas information used in an information system, it is possible to appropriately transmit terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format using corresponding structure specifying information.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the data format of the terminal transmission information is a structured data format such as JSON format, that is, a format with high machine readability. It is possible to easily perform information processing for terminal transmission information transmitted from each of the service information transmission devices.

Also, FIG. 15 shows the appearance of a computer that executes the programs described in this specification and realizes the information processing apparatus B2 and the like of the various embodiments described above. The above-described embodiments can be implemented in computer hardware and computer programs running thereon. FIG. 15 is an overview diagram of this computer system 300, and FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the system 300. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 15, computer system 300 includes computer 301 including a CD-ROM drive, keyboard 302 , mouse 303 and monitor 304 .

16, a computer 301 includes a CD-ROM drive 3012, an MPU 3013, a bus 3014 connected to the CD-ROM drive 3012, a ROM 3015 for storing programs such as a boot-up program, It includes a RAM 3016 connected and for temporarily storing application program instructions and providing temporary storage space, and a hard disk 3017 for storing application programs, system programs and data. Although not shown here, computer 301 may also include a network card that provides connection to a LAN.

A program that causes the computer system 300 to execute the functions of the information processing apparatus B2 of the embodiment described above may be stored in the CD-ROM 3101, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 3012, and further transferred to the hard disk 3017. . Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to computer 301 via a network (not shown) and stored in hard disk 3017 . Programs are loaded into RAM 3016 during execution. The program may be loaded directly from CD-ROM 3101 or network.

The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third party program that causes the computer 301 to execute the functions of the information processing apparatus B2 of the embodiment described above. A program need only contain those parts of instructions that call the appropriate functions (modules) in a controlled manner to produce the desired result. How the computer system 300 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

Also, the number of computers that execute the above programs may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, it goes without saying that two or more communication means existing in one device may be physically realized by one medium.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, each process may be implemented by centralized processing by a single device, or may be implemented by distributed processing by a plurality of devices.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various modifications are possible and are also included within the scope of the present invention.

An embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the plurality of embodiments described above. For example, it is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment itself, and each component of the above-described embodiment may be appropriately replaced or combined with a component of another embodiment. Also, some components and functions may be omitted from the above-described embodiments. For example, the gas information transmitting device A1 in the first embodiment may have the configuration of the gas information transmitting device B1 of the second embodiment. Further, the configuration of the information processing device B2 of the second embodiment may be included in the information processing device A2 of the first embodiment.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the gas information transmitting device and the information processing device according to the present invention have the effect of being able to collect and use gas information including gas usage information related to gas usage from consumers in a predetermined data format. , a gas information transmitter, an information processor, and the like.

A1 gas information transmitter A2 information processor A3 delivery vehicle terminal A4 facility terminal A10 terminal storage unit A11 terminal processing unit A12 terminal transmission unit A21 storage unit A22 reception unit A23 processing unit A24 output unit A31 delivery person storage unit A32 delivery person reception unit A33 Distributor processing unit A34 Distributor transmission unit A35 Distributor reception unit A36 Distributor output unit A41 Facility storage unit A42 Facility reception unit A43 Facility processing unit A44 Facility transmission unit A45 Facility reception unit A46 Facility output unit A111 Terminal acquisition unit A112 Terminal Storage unit A211 Customer information storage unit A212 Gas information storage unit A213 Delivery cylinder information storage unit A214 Delivery vehicle position information storage unit A215 Weather information storage unit A221 Gas information reception unit A222 Delivery cylinder information reception unit A223 Delivery vehicle position information reception unit A224 Weather Information reception unit A225 Cylinder replacement information reception unit A231 Gas information storage unit A232 Delivery cylinder information storage unit A233 Delivery vehicle position information storage unit A234 Weather information storage unit A235 Cylinder replacement information storage unit A241 Processing result output unit B1 Gas information transmission device B2 Information Processing device B17 Device identifier transmission unit B27 Structure identification information transmission unit B117 Structure acquisition unit B127 Terminal transmission information generation unit B217 Structure identification information storage unit M Gas meter

Claims (9)

a terminal acquisition unit that acquires gas information including gas usage information related to gas usage transmitted from a gas meter;
a device identifier transmission unit that transmits a device identifier related to the gas information transmission device to an external device;
a structure acquisition unit that receives structure identification information that is predetermined structure identification information from the external device and that corresponds to the device identifier ;
a terminal transmission unit that generates terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format including the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit based on the structure identification information received by the structure acquisition unit, and transmits the terminal transmission information to an information processing device; Gas information transmitter. 2. The gas information transmitting device according to claim 1 , wherein said gas information is a telegram output from said gas meter. The gas information is information corresponding to a customer identifier that identifies a customer,
3. The gas information transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said terminal transmission unit associates said gas information with said customer identifier to generate said terminal transmission information, and transmits said terminal transmission information to said information processing device. The terminal acquisition unit further acquires the first instruction information in the predetermined data format transmitted from the information processing device,
Further, the terminal transmission unit obtains a second data format different from the predetermined data format based on the first instruction information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit and the structure identification information acquired by the structure acquisition unit. 4. The gas information transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which generates instruction information of and transmits it to said gas meter. An information processing device used in an information system comprising one or more gas information transmitting devices and an information processing device,
a device identifier acquiring unit that receives a device identifier related to the gas information transmitting device from the gas information transmitting device ;
a structure identification information transmission unit that identifies structure identification information corresponding to the gas information transmission device based on the device identifier received by the device identifier acquisition unit and transmits the structure identification information to the gas information transmission device ;
Terminal transmission information including gas information including gas usage information on gas usage transmitted from a gas meter, and terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format generated based on the structure identification information is received from the gas information transmitting device. an information processing device comprising a gas information receiving section for A gas information transmission method realized by a terminal acquisition unit , a device identifier transmission unit, a structure acquisition unit, and a terminal transmission unit of a gas information transmission device,
a terminal acquisition step in which the terminal acquisition unit acquires gas information including gas usage information related to gas usage transmitted from a gas meter;
a device identifier transmission step in which the device identifier transmission unit transmits a device identifier related to the gas information transmission device to an external device;
a structure obtaining step in which the structure obtaining unit receives predetermined structure identifying information corresponding to the device identifier from the external device;
The terminal transmission unit generates terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format including the gas information acquired in the terminal acquisition step based on the structure identification information received in the structure acquisition step, and transmits the terminal transmission information to the information processing device. A gas information transmission method, comprising: a terminal transmission step. An information processing method used in an information system comprising one or more gas information transmitters and implemented by a device identifier acquisition unit, a structure identification information transmitter , and a gas information receiver, comprising:
a device identifier obtaining step in which the device identifier obtaining unit receives a device identifier related to the gas information transmitting device from the gas information transmitting device ;
The structure-specific information transmitting unit identifies structure-specific information corresponding to the gas information transmitting device based on the device identifier received by the device identifier acquiring unit, and transmits structure-specific information to the gas information transmitting device. a step ;
The gas information receiving unit receives terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format generated based on the structure identification information, the terminal transmission information containing gas information including gas usage information relating to the use of gas transmitted from the gas meter. and a step of receiving gas information received from the gas information transmitting device . The computer of the gas information transmitter ,
a terminal acquisition unit that acquires gas information including gas usage information related to gas usage transmitted from a gas meter;
a device identifier transmission unit that transmits a device identifier related to the gas information transmission device to an external device;
a structure acquisition unit that receives structure identification information that is predetermined structure identification information from the external device and that corresponds to the device identifier ;
To function as a terminal transmission unit that generates terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format including the gas information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit based on the structure identification information received by the structure acquisition unit, and transmits the information to an information processing device. of the program. A computer used in an information system comprising one or more gas information transmitters,
a device identifier acquiring unit that receives a device identifier related to the gas information transmitting device from the gas information transmitting device ;
a structure identification information transmission unit that identifies structure identification information corresponding to the gas information transmission device based on the device identifier received by the device identifier acquisition unit and transmits the structure identification information to the gas information transmission device ;
Terminal transmission information including gas information including gas usage information on gas usage transmitted from a gas meter, and terminal transmission information in a predetermined data format generated based on the structure identification information is received from the gas information transmitting device. A program for functioning as a gas information receiving unit for

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