JP2023081063A - Information processing device, method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

To calculate a gas consumption period when a consumer uses up gas in a gas container.SOLUTION: A communication device receives a pointer value telegraphic message from an NCU in a predetermined time interval. The pointer value telegraphic message includes a pointer value read from a gas meter connected to a gas container. A control device subtracts the pointer value from a first counter showing a gas residual amount in the gas container, and the first counter sets gas container capacity in the gas container as an initial value, determines a time point for replacing the gas container on the basis of a value of the first counter, keeps the same value as the first counter in response to the replacement of the gas container, stores a second counter showing the gas residual amount in the gas container, sets the initial value in the first counter, subtracts the pointer value from the second counter, and calculates a gas consumption period on the basis of a value of the second counter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, method, and computer program. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, method, and computer program for calculating a period during which gas is used up by a consumer based on the amount of gas used by the consumer.

Generally, gas used in general households is supplied to consumers by a gas supplier (gas supplier). For example, a gas supplier (gas cylinder) filled with LP (Liquid Petroleum) gas or the like is used as one means of supplying gas to consumers. The gas container is installed in equipment (consumer equipment) in a consumer's house or the like, and gas is supplied from the gas container.

In order to prevent consumers from being unable to use gas due to lack of gas in gas containers, gas suppliers shall deliver and install gas containers filled with gas at regular intervals. Replace the damaged gas container with a new gas container. For replacement work, under the direction of the gas supplier, personnel with a certain level of ability (delivery workers) visit consumer facilities, collect used gas containers, and install gas containers filled with gas. It is done by

In addition to the replacement work described above, under the direction of the gas supplier, personnel with a certain level of ability (meter readers) visit the consumer facilities at regular intervals and check the guideline value of the gas meter installed at the consumer facility. and measure the amount of gas used by consumers. In the conventional technology, the amount of gas used by the consumer is recorded in a computer system through such measurement work, and the amount of gas used by the consumer is predicted based on the recorded amount of gas used.

Patent No. 6364571

A technology exists in which a gas meter is connected to a network control unit (NCU), the NCU reads the indicator value of the gas meter, and the NCU transmits data including the indicator value to a computer system. Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for calculating a predicted usage amount based on the gas usage amount collected from the NCU. By collecting the amount of gas used from the NCU, compared to the above-mentioned measurement work by meter readers, the burden of meter reading work can be reduced, and the amount of gas used can be obtained more frequently. Prediction accuracy can be improved. That is, it reduces the probability that the gas in the gas container will run out of gas.

As long as the gas container replacement work is performed by the delivery staff (that is, a manual load is generated), it is important not only to prevent the gas bottle from running out of gas, but also to ensure that the delivery staff can efficiently replace the gas bottle. It is also important to be able to replace By replacing gas containers with as little gas as possible remaining in the gas container, the interval between previous changes can be shortened, thus making delivery personnel more efficient. The gas container can be replaced at any time. In other words, it is ideal to replace the gas cylinder just before the gas in the gas cylinder becomes depleted. For this reason as well, it is necessary to accurately calculate the period during which the consumer actually uses up the gas in the gas container.

The technology described in Patent Document 1 calculates a unit predicted use change amount, which is the amount of increase or decrease in use from the previous day on the day to be predicted, which is a future day, and The unit predictive usage change amount is integrated to calculate the predictive usage change amount for the day on which the prediction is to be made, and the predictive usage amount is calculated based on the predictive usage change amount. However, the technique described in Patent Literature 1 does not shorten the interval from the previous replacement work to the next replacement work for the gas container.

An information processing apparatus according to one embodiment is an information processing apparatus including a control device and a communication device, wherein the communication device receives a guideline value message from an NCU at predetermined time intervals, and receives the guideline value message. includes a guideline value read from a gas meter connected to the gas container, said controller subtracting said guideline value from a first counter indicative of the remaining amount of gas in said gas container, said first counter being , the gas container capacity of the gas container is set as an initial value, the time point for replacing the gas container is determined based on the subtracted value of the first counter, and when the gas container is replaced, , a second counter that holds the same value as the first counter and indicates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container is stored in a storage device, the initial value is set in the first counter, and the first counter is set to the initial value; The guideline value is subtracted from the No. 2 counter, and a gas consumption period during which the consumer uses up the gas in the gas container is calculated based on the subtracted second counter value.

A method performed by a computing device according to one embodiment is a method performed by a computing device, comprising receiving a guideline value telegram from an NCU at a predetermined time interval, the guideline value telegram includes a guideline value read from a gas meter connected to the gas container; and subtracting the guideline value from a first counter indicating the remaining amount of gas in the gas container, wherein the first the counter is set as an initial value to the gas container capacity of the gas container; determining a time to replace the gas container based on the subtracted first counter value; In response to the replacement of the container, a second counter that holds the same value as the first counter and indicates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container is stored in a storage device, and stored in the first counter. setting the initial value; subtracting the guideline value from the second counter; and gas consumption by a consumer using up the gas in the gas container based on the subtracted second counter value. and calculating the duration.

According to the information processing apparatus and method according to one embodiment, it is possible to accurately calculate the period during which the consumer actually uses up the gas in the gas container.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of detailed components of a server computer; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of processing for instructing delivery of a gas container. It is a figure which shows the example of a consumer data table. It is a figure which shows the example of a delivery data table. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a remaining amount of gas data table; 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for calculating a gas consumption period; 6 is a flow chart showing an example of a process for determining a gas usage tendency; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a gas usage trend data table; FIG.

Hereinafter, an information processing system according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the following description, "consumers" refer to those who use the gas supplied by the gas supplier, such as general households, businesses (companies, restaurants, etc.), and government agencies. In this embodiment, a gas container filled with gas is installed in a consumer facility, and a gas supplier delivers (exchanges) the gas container filled with gas when a certain amount of gas in the gas container is used. ) will be described. In the gas cylinder delivery work, under instructions from the information processing system 100, a delivery person fills gas at a filling station located in a predetermined area, and selects a plurality of gas cylinders to be delivered on the same delivery day. This is done by loading trucks and visiting each consumer facility to install a new gas container.

FIG. 1 shows an overall information processing system 100 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 100 includes a server computer 1, a client computer 2, and NCUs 3a, 3b . . . 3n (hereinafter collectively referred to as "NCUs 3"). These devices are interconnected through a network, but the client computer 2 and NCU 3 need not necessarily be connected.

The server computer 1 is implemented by the gas supplier, collects data indicating the amount of gas used from the NCU 3, determines the date of delivery of the gas container (delivery date), It is a computer device (information processing device) that executes processing such as calculating the day (gas consumption day) when the gas is used up. When the server computer 1 calculates the estimated gas usage, it determines the date of delivery of the gas container based on a predetermined standard. Specific processing executed by the server computer 1 will be described below in relation to this embodiment. Note that the server computer 1 may be implemented by a single computer device, or may be implemented by a plurality of computer devices.

The client computer 2 is a computer device (information processing device) used by a delivery person. When the server computer 1 determines the delivery date of the gas container, the client computer 2 is notified of information including the delivery date. Based on this notification, the delivery staff will replace the gas container on the specified delivery date. Client computers 2 may be portable computing devices such as smart phones and tablets, laptop computing devices, notebook computing devices, and the like.

The NCU 3 is a computer device (information processing device) that is attached to a gas meter (not shown) installed in a consumer facility, and whose built-in sensor reads the indicator value of the gas meter. The NCU 3 transmits a guideline value message including the guideline value to the server computer 1 at time intervals such as once an hour.

The server computer 1 and client computer 2 are connected via a network (wired and/or wireless) such as LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), and LTE (Long Term Evolution). The server computer 1 and NCU 3 are connected through a network (wired and/or wireless) such as LTE and LPWA (Low Power Wide Area). In this embodiment, the network to which the server computer 1 and the client computer 2 are connected and the network to which the server computer 1 and the NCU 3 are connected are separate networks, but both may be the same network.

Next, an example of detailed components of the server computer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The server computer 1 includes a control device 11 , memory 12 , storage device 13 and communication device 14 .

The control device 11 is also called a processor, and executes control of each component and calculation of data. Further, the control device 11 reads a program stored in the storage device 13 to the memory 12 and executes it for executing various processes according to the present embodiment. Here, the above-mentioned program is a program for implementing part of the functions executed by the information processing system 100 and is stored in the storage device 13 of the server computer 1 .

The memory 12 is a volatile data storage device that stores data sent from the client computer 2, computer-executable instructions, data after arithmetic processing according to the instructions, and the like. The memory 12 may be implemented with RAM (random access memory) (eg, SRAM (static RAM) and DRAM (dynamic RAM)) and the like.

The storage device 13 is a non-volatile data storage device that stores the above-described programs and a database table 13a used by a DBMS (Database Management System). The storage device 13 may be implemented with a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a magnetic storage device (such as a hard disk drive), an optical disc, or the like. Data such as programs and database tables may be stored in NAS (Network Attached Storage) and/or SAN (Storage Area Network) in addition to or instead of storage device 13 .

Communication device 14 is a network interface that transmits and receives data and control information to and from client computer 2 and NCU 3 over a network. This network interface is implemented by, for example, a network card (eg, LAN card) conforming to a protocol such as TCP/IP.

<First embodiment>
Next, an example of processing executed by the information processing system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG. In the first embodiment, the server computer 1 collects the guideline value messages collected from the NCU 3, and calculates the period during which the consumer runs out of gas (gas consumption period) based on the guideline values included in the guideline value messages. do. The consumer is assigned a unique identification number (consumer identification number) and at least the guideline value telegram contains the consumer identification number or a value associated with the consumer (e.g. the gas meter identification number uniquely assigned to the gas meter). number). In this embodiment, the guideline value message includes the gas meter identification number, and the consumer identification number and the gas meter identification number are associated with each other and stored in the consumer data table described below.

An NCU 3 is attached to each consumer's gas meter, and the server computer 1 receives guidance value messages (for each consumer) from a plurality of NCUs 3, but in this embodiment only for a specific consumer A. will be described. FIG. 3 shows a process in which the server computer 1 calculates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container installed in the target consumer equipment, determines the delivery date based on the remaining amount of gas, and instructs the delivery person on the delivery date. It is a flow chart showing.

First, the communication device 14 of the server computer 1 receives the guideline value message from the NCU 3 (step S301). Next, the control device 11 acquires the target consumer data record from the consumer data table 400 based on the gas meter identification number included in the guideline value message (step S302). An example of a consumer data table 400 is described with reference to FIG. The consumer data table 400 is a database table for managing all gas consumption of consumers to whom gas is supplied from the gas supplier, and is stored in the storage device 13 .

Consumer data table 400 stores consumer data records for each consumer. As shown in FIG. 4, the consumer data table 400 includes, as data items, consumer identification number 401, gas meter identification number 402, name 403, address 404, guideline value 405, measurement date 406, gas container capacity 407, replacement date. 408 , remaining amount of gas 409 , threshold 410 , and replacement days 411 .

The consumer identification number 401 is preset with a consumer identification number assigned to the target consumer. Similarly, the gas meter identification number 402 is preset with the gas meter identification number assigned to the target gas meter (installed in the consumer equipment). Incidentally, when the guideline value message sent by the NCU 3 includes a consumer identification number, the gas meter identification number 402 is not an essential data item of the consumer data table 400 . That is, the guideline value message includes information associated with the consumer, and the target consumer data record is obtained from the consumer data table 400 based on the information.

Name 403 and address 404 are preset with the target consumer's name and address, respectively. The consumer's address is used when the delivery person visits the consumer facility to deliver the gas canister.

In the guideline value 405, the guideline value included in the guideline value message is set in the process of step S303, which will be described later. That is, the guideline value 405 is set to a value indicating the latest gas usage amount of the consumer each time a guideline value message is received from the NCU 3 . The measurement date 406 is set with the date (date and time) when the guideline value was set in the guideline value 405 . In the gas container capacity 407, a value indicating the capacity of the gas container installed in the target consumer equipment is set in advance. The remaining amount of gas in the target gas container can be calculated from the guideline value (set as guideline value 405) and the gas container capacity (gas container capacity 407).

On exchange date 408, the delivery is performed in response to the delivery person delivering the gas container to the intended consumer facility, for example, the delivery person providing input through the client computer 2 indicating that the delivery is complete. date (time) is set. In the remaining amount of gas 409, the remaining amount of gas calculated based on the guideline value set as the guideline value 405 and the gas container capacity set as the gas container capacity 407 is set.

The threshold value 410 is preset with a reference value, such as N cubic meters (N is any positive number), for determining whether the gas container needs to be replaced. For example, when the remaining amount of gas set in the remaining amount of gas 409 falls below the value set in the threshold 410, it is determined that the gas container needs to be replaced several days later. It should be noted that the threshold 410 may be set for each consumer, for example, based on the target consumer's past gas usage, and for a certain group of consumers (eg, a certain regional group). It may be set, or may be set commonly for all consumers. Threshold 410 may also change values seasonally and/or monthly based on the target consumer's past gas usage.

The number of days required for replacement 411 is, for example, M days (M is an arbitrary positive integer). A period (days) until performing is set in advance. For example, when it is determined that the gas container needs to be replaced, the delivery person is instructed to deliver the gas container with any day within M days from that date as the delivery date. The number of days required for replacement 411 may be set for each consumer based on, for example, the target consumer's past gas usage, and for each certain group of consumers (for example, a certain regional group) It may be set, or may be set commonly for all consumers. Also, the number of days to replace 411 may change values seasonally and/or monthly based on the past gas usage of the target consumer.

The data items included in consumer data table 400 are only suggestions and need not necessarily include all of the data items shown in FIG. Consumer data table 400 may also include data items not shown in FIG.

Returning to the description of FIG. 3, the control device 11 controls the guideline value included in the guideline value message received in step S301 and the gas container capacity set in the gas container capacity 407 of the consumer data record acquired in step S302. to calculate the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container (step S303). That is, the counter (first counter) indicating the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container is decremented based on the guideline value and the gas container capacity. The gas container capacity set in the gas container capacity 407 is set as the initial value of the first counter, and the indicator value is subtracted each time this step is executed. That is, the first counter holds the latest value of the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container based on the gas container capacity set in the gas container capacity 407 .

Next, the control device 11 determines the consumer value obtained in step S302 based on the guideline value included in the guideline value message received in step S301, the date on which this step is executed, and the remaining amount of gas calculated in step S303. The data record is updated (step S304). By this process, the values set in the guideline value 405 (guideline value included in the guideline value message), the measurement date 406 (the date when this step was executed), and the remaining gas amount 409 of the consumer data table 400 are updated. . Specifically, the guideline value 405 is set to the guideline value included in the guideline value message, the date of execution of this step is set to the measurement date 406, and the remaining gas amount calculated in step S303 is set to the remaining gas amount 409. quantity is set.

In this embodiment, each time a guideline value message is received from the NCU 3, the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container is calculated and set in the consumer data record of the consumer data table 400. The remaining amount need not be set in the consumer data record. For example, the above-described first counter may be subtracted (calculating the remaining amount of gas), and the subtracted first counter may be stored in a predetermined area of the storage device 13 .

Next, the control device 11 determines whether or not the remaining amount of gas calculated in step S303 is below the value set as the threshold value 410 of the consumer data record acquired in step S302 (step S305). That is, it is determined whether or not the value of the first counter is below the threshold. If it is determined that the remaining amount of gas is below the threshold, subsequent processing is performed assuming that the gas container installed in the target consumer facility needs to be replaced (delivered).

The processes of steps S301 to S305 are repeated for each consumer at predetermined time intervals, such as daily, hourly, or after a predetermined number of days have elapsed since the gas container was replaced. be. Compared with the conventional technology, the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment periodically acquires the guideline value message from the NCU 3, so that the gas usage amount of the consumer can be grasped more frequently, resulting in a high It is possible to predict when to replace the gas with precision.

In step S<b>306 , the control device 11 inserts the target delivery data record into the delivery data table 500 . An example of the delivery data table 500 will be described with reference to FIG. The delivery data table 500 is a database table for managing the delivery of gas containers when it is determined in step S305 that it is necessary to deliver the gas containers, and is stored in the storage device 13 .

The delivery data table 500 stores delivery data records for each delivery to a consumer. As shown in FIG. 5, the delivery data table 500 includes delivery person identification number 501, consumer identification number 502, address 503, delivery date 504, and delivered flag 505 as data items.

A delivery member identification number 501 is set with a delivery member identification number assigned to the delivery member who delivers the gas container to the target consumer equipment. A gas supplier has multiple distributors and assigns each distributor a unique distributor identification number. On the day of the delivery work, the delivery staff loads multiple gas cylinders filled with gas from the filling station into the transport vehicle, visits multiple consumer facilities in a predetermined area, and replaces the gas cylinders. do. The allocation of which delivery personnel will visit the consumer facility is made by controller 11 based on predetermined criteria.

The consumer identification number 502 and the address 503 are respectively set with the consumer identification number and the address corresponding to the consumer determined to need to replace the gas container in step S305. The delivery completion flag 505 is set to, for example, "0: undelivered" as an initial value, and is set to "1: delivered" when the delivery member completes the delivery.

Delivery date 504 is set to the date that the delivery person will visit the target consumer facility and deliver the gas container. The date set in the delivery date 504 is any value within the value (number of days (delivery period required)) set in the number of days required for replacement 411 of the consumer data record acquired in step S302 from the date when step S305 was executed. Date is set. Considering the delivery efficiency of the delivery person, for example, based on the address set in the address 404 of the consumer data record acquired in step S302, it is possible to visit more consumers within a certain range on the same day. A delivery date will be determined.

The data items included in delivery data table 500 are only suggestions and need not necessarily include all of the data items shown in FIG. The delivery data table 500 may also include data items not shown in FIG.

In step S306, a delivery data record is inserted into the delivery data table 500 (that is, when the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container falls below the threshold), the delivery staff of the delivery data record inserted at this time Either or both of the identification number 501 and the delivery date 504 may not be set (that is, at this time, the delivery person who will replace the target gas container and the delivery date are undecided). In this case, the control device 11 determines the delivery person and the delivery date within the required delivery period.

When a delivery data record is added to the delivery data table 500, the server computer 1 can manage all consumer facilities that need to deliver gas containers within the required delivery period. In such a situation, subsequent processing will notify the delivery person's client computer 2 of the delivery of the gas container to the consumer facility, for example, on the same day as the delivery date.

In step S307, the controller 11 sets the delivery completion flag 505 to "0: undelivered" from the delivery data table 500 at predetermined time intervals such as every day, and sets the date on which step S307 is executed. Acquire all delivery data records whose delivery date 504 is set to the same date as . That is, in step S307, all the delivery data records whose delivery date is the date on which this step is executed are acquired.

Next, the control device 11 generates a notification message based on the delivery data record acquired in step S307 (step S308). The notification message includes at least the values set in the consumer identification number 502, address 503, and delivery date 504 of the delivery data record acquired in step S307 (that is, the consumer identification number and address of the consumer to be delivered on that day). , and delivery date).

Next, the communication device 14 of the server computer 1 transmits the notification message generated in step S308 to the delivery person's client computer 2 (step S309). The notification message is sent to the address corresponding to the number set in the delivery person identification number 501 of the delivery data record acquired in step S307. Note that the notification messages may be grouped together as one notification message for each delivery person who performs delivery work on the delivery day. In this way, the delivery person knows to which consumer facility he or she should deliver the gas container on the day of delivery.

The delivery person, notified of the delivery through the client computer 2, visits all consumer installations assigned to him and replaces the gas containers. When the delivery member replaces the gas container and, for example, inputs through the client computer 2 that the replacement of the gas container has been completed, an exchange completion message containing the delivery member identification number and the consumer identification number is sent to the server computer 1. be done. When the replacement completion message is transmitted, the server computer 1 can grasp that the target gas container has been replaced.

Next, in response to receiving the exchange completion message, the control device 11 of the server computer 1 updates the target delivery data record based on the delivery person identification number and the consumer identification number included in the exchange completion message. (step S310). By this processing, the delivery completion flag 505 of the target delivery data record is set to "1: delivered". That is, in the delivery data table 500, it is possible to manage that the target gas container has been replaced.

Further, the control device 11 updates the target consumer data record based on the consumer identification number included in the exchange completion message (step S311). By this processing, the guideline value 405 of the target delivery data record is set to zero, the date when step S311 was executed (latest gas container replacement date) is set to the replacement date 408, and the remaining gas amount 409 is set to the initial value. (that is, the same value as the gas container capacity 407) is set. That is, the first counter described above is set to the initial value.

By the processing shown in FIG. 3, the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment calculates the remaining amount of gas in the target gas cylinder based on the guideline value message periodically acquired from the NCU 3, and informs the delivery person of the gas cylinder. Indicate the delivery date of In this way, the consumer's gas usage can be grasped more frequently than in the prior art, and the time to replace the gas can be predicted with high accuracy.

Note that the pre-update value set in the remaining amount of gas 409 is saved in a predetermined storage area such as the storage device 13 . The remaining amount of gas before this update indicates the amount of remaining gas in the container immediately before the gas container installed in the target consumer equipment is replaced. In addition, the date before update set in the replacement date 408 is also saved in a predetermined storage area. This value indicates the date on which the gas container was replaced before the delivery person replaced the gas container in the process shown in FIG.

Further, based on the latest date set in the replacement date 408 in step S311 and the pre-update date stored in the storage area, the control device 11 determines the number of days since the target gas container was last replaced (first time point). A period until the most recent exchange (second point in time) may be calculated (exchange period). The calculated replacement period is saved in a predetermined storage area such as the storage device 13 .

Next, the control device 11 inserts the target residual gas data record into the residual gas data table 600 for the consumer corresponding to the consumer data record updated in step S311 (step S312). An example of the remaining amount of gas data table 600 will be described with reference to FIG. The gas remaining amount data table 600 is a database table for managing the period during which the target consumer uses up the gas in the gas container, and is stored in the storage device 13 .

The remaining amount of gas data table 600 stores a remaining amount of gas data record for each completion of replacement of the gas container to the consumer. As shown in FIG. 6, the remaining gas data table 600 includes data items such as a consumer identification number 601, a gas meter identification number 602, a remaining gas amount 603, a replacement date 604, and a gas consumption date 605. FIG.

The consumer identification number 601 and gas meter identification number 602 are respectively set with the consumer identification number and gas meter identification number corresponding to the consumer data record updated in step S311. The remaining amount of gas 603 and the date of replacement 604 are set with the remaining amount of gas and the date of replacement (point of time) stored in the above-described storage area, respectively. A value is not set in the gas consumption date 605 when the process of step S312 is executed, but the date when it is determined that the gas in the target gas container has been used up is set by the process described later.

In this state, the server computer 1 executes the processes of steps S301 to S305 at the above-described predetermined time intervals. , the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is executed at the same time intervals as steps S301 to S305. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the process of calculating the gas consumption period for the gas container replaced in the process shown in FIG. 3 by the server computer 1 .

First, the communication device 14 of the server computer 1 receives the guideline value message from the NCU 3 (step S701). Next, the control device 11 acquires the target remaining gas data record from the remaining gas data table 600 based on the gas meter identification number included in the guideline value message (step S702).

Next, the control device 11 calculates the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container based on the guideline value included in the guideline value message received in step S701 and the remaining amount of gas before updating stored in a predetermined storage area. Calculate (step S703). That is, the counter (second counter) indicating the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container is decremented based on the guideline value and the remaining amount of gas before updating. The value of the remaining gas amount before updating is set as the initial value of the second counter, and the guideline value is subtracted each time this step is executed. That is, the second counter holds the latest value of the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container based on the value of the remaining amount of gas before updating.

Next, the control device 11 updates the remaining amount of gas data record acquired in step S702 based on the remaining amount of gas calculated in step S703 (step S704). By this processing, the value set in the remaining gas amount 603 of the gas remaining amount data table 600 is updated. Specifically, the remaining amount of gas calculated in step S703 is set in the remaining amount of gas 603 .

In this embodiment, each time a guideline value message is received from the NCU 3, the remaining amount of gas in the target gas container is calculated and set in the consumer data record of the remaining amount of gas data table 600. The remaining gas level need not be set in the remaining gas data record. For example, the above-described second counter may be subtracted (the remaining amount of gas may be calculated), and the added second counter may be stored in a predetermined area of the storage device 13 .

Next, the control device 11 determines whether or not the remaining amount of gas set in the remaining amount of gas 603 of the remaining amount of gas data record in step S704 is zero (step S705). That is, it is determined whether or not the value of the second counter becomes zero. The processing from step S701 to step S705 is repeated until the remaining amount of gas becomes zero. If it is determined that the remaining amount of gas has become zero, the target remaining amount of gas data record is updated based on the date when step S705 was executed (step S706). By this process, the date when step S705 was executed is set in the gas consumption date 605 of the target gas remaining amount data record as the date when the gas in the target gas container is used up.

In addition, based on the date set in the replacement date 604 and the date set in the gas consumption date 605 of the target gas remaining amount data record, the control device 11 determines since the most recent replacement of the target gas container (the first Time point 2) The period until the gas in the gas container is consumed (third time point) may be calculated (post-exchange gas consumption period). By adding the replacement period described above to the gas consumption period after replacement, the gas consumption period of the target gas container can be calculated.

By the processing shown in FIG. 7, the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment allows the consumer to actually use the gas in the target gas container based on the guideline value message periodically acquired from the NCU 3 and the replacement date of the gas container. is used up. As described above, when the remaining amount of gas in the gas container falls below the threshold, the delivery person replaces the gas container within the required delivery period (i.e., The gas container is replaced with gas remaining in the gas container). The number of days is set based on the consumer's past gas usage, but not based on the number of days the consumer actually used up the gas in the gas bottle, so the There may be a discrepancy with the number of days the internal gas is used up.

In this embodiment, even after the gas container is replaced and the consumer data record of the target consumer is updated (that is, the guideline value 405 of the consumer data record is set to zero, the remaining gas amount 409 (the first counter), and by subtracting the guideline value from the second counter, the date (time) when the consumer runs out of gas is determined from the remaining amount of gas immediately before replacement and the replacement date of the gas container. do. That is, the first counter is used to calculate the remaining amount of gas that serves as a reference for determining the date for replacing the target gas container, and the second counter is used to calculate the amount of gas remaining in the target gas container when the consumer It is used to calculate the remaining amount of gas that serves as a reference for judging the day when the gas will be used up.

In this way, it is possible to grasp the actual gas consumption period of the consumer. As for the replacement work, the interval between the previous replacement work and the next replacement work can be shortened, so that the delivery staff can replace the gas container more efficiently.

In addition, by executing the process shown in FIG. 7 each time the gas container installed in the target consumer equipment is replaced, the period until gas is used up for the same consumer, for example, for each season (month) (Number of days) can be calculated (monthly gas consumption period can be calculated based on the value set in the gas consumption date 605 of the gas remaining amount data table and the calculated gas consumption period). Therefore, by setting a value based on the gas consumption period for each season in the required number of replacement days 411 of the consumer data table 400, the interval between the previous replacement work and the next replacement work can be further shortened.

In this embodiment, the first counter holds the latest value of the remaining amount of gas, and when the gas container is replaced, the value held by the first counter is set in the second counter. but is not limited to such formats. For example, the second counter may always have the same value as the first counter (eg, the gas canister volume set in gas canister volume 407 of the consumer data record is set as the initial value and the first indicator value is decremented at the same timing as the counter of ). In this case, only the first counter is updated to the initial value when the gas container is replaced. That is, the second counter is stored in the storage device so as to hold the same value as the first counter at least when the gas container is replaced (when the server computer 1 receives the replacement completion message). be done.

The first embodiment has been described above. As described above, in order to prevent the gas in the gas container from running out, when the remaining amount of gas in the gas container falls below the threshold, the delivery person is instructed to replace the gas container within the required delivery period. For this reason, the gas container may be replaced while gas remains in the gas container, making it impossible to accurately calculate the gas consumption period. In this embodiment, even after gas replacement, the gas consumption date can be calculated based on the remaining amount of gas and the guideline value immediately before the gas replacement, and thus the gas consumption period can be calculated.

<Second embodiment>
Next, an example of processing executed by the information processing system 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. In the second embodiment, the server computer 1 collects the guideline value messages collected from the NCU 3, determines the usage tendency of the consumer to consume gas based on the guideline values included in the guideline value messages, Determine delivery dates based on trends.

The information processing system 100 according to the second embodiment employs a configuration similar to that of the information processing system 100 described in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, the server computer 1 is, for example, road traffic It receives road traffic information from a computer system that manages road traffic information, such as an information communication system (VICS) (registered trademark). By receiving the road traffic information, the server computer 1 can grasp the traffic congestion situation in the traffic network in which the carrier drives the delivery vehicle when delivering the gas container to the consumer facility.

Also in this embodiment, an example of receiving a guideline value message for only a specific consumer A will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the process by which server computer 1 determines a target consumer's tendency to use gas in a gas container installed at a consumer facility.

Steps S801 through S804 and steps S808 through S815 shown in FIG. 8 are the same as steps S301 through S304 and steps S305 through S312 shown in FIG.

In step S805, the control device 11 acquires the target gas usage trend data record from the gas usage trend data table 900 based on the gas meter identification number included in the guideline value message. An example of a gas usage trend data table 900 will be described with reference to FIG. The gas usage trend data table 900 is a database table for managing gas usage trends of consumers supplied with gas from the gas supplier, and is stored in the storage device 13 .

Gas usage trend data table 900 stores consumer data records for each consumer. As shown in FIG. 9, the consumer data table 400 includes consumer identification number 901, gas meter identification number 902, and gas usage amount 903 as data items.

The consumer identification number 901 is preset with a consumer identification number assigned to the target consumer. Similarly, the gas meter identification number 902 is preset with the gas meter identification number assigned to the target gas meter (installed in the consumer equipment). Incidentally, when the guideline value message sent by the NCU 3 includes a consumer identification number, the gas meter identification number 902 is not an essential data item of the gas usage trend data table 900 . That is, the guideline value message includes information associated with the consumer, and the target gas usage trend data record is acquired from the gas usage trend data table 900 based on that information.

In the gas usage amount 903, the gas usage amount for each day of the week of the target consumer is set. In this embodiment, the gas usage amount 903 holds the gas usage amount for each day of the week, but the gas usage amount is not limited to the gas usage amount for each day of the week. gas usage by afternoon, night, etc.) may be kept. That is, the gas usage may be calculated for each predefined time unit.

Returning to the description of FIG. 8, the control device 11 calculates the gas usage amount of the target consumer for each day of the week based on the guideline value included in the guideline value message received in step S801 and the date on which this step is executed. Calculate (step S806).

Next, the control device 11 updates the gas usage trend data record acquired in step S805 based on the gas usage amount for each day of the week calculated in step S806 (step S807). Through this processing, the value set in the gas usage amount 903 of the gas usage trend data table 900 is updated.

The process of steps S801 through S808 is repeated for each consumer at predetermined time intervals, such as daily, hourly, or after a predetermined number of days have elapsed since the gas container was replaced. be. Through this processing, the amount of gas used by the consumer for each day of the week can be calculated. For example, if the target consumer is a restaurant and Sunday is a regular holiday, the amount of gas used on Sunday will be zero. From this, the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment can grasp the consumer's gas usage tendency.

In such a state, for example, when the remaining amount of gas in the target gas cylinder falls below the threshold (for example, when inserting the delivery data record into the delivery data table 500 in step S809), , the date (delivery date (point of time)) for replacing the gas container installed in the consumer facility is determined. This delivery date is determined based on consumer gas usage trends.

For example, when determining the delivery date, the control device 11 acquires the gas usage trend data record corresponding to the target gas container from the gas usage trend data table 900, and determines the consumer's gas usage trend (gas usage amount 903). The control device 11 also obtains the consumer data record corresponding to the target consumer from the consumer data table 400 and determines the consumer's address (from the value set in the address 404). Further, based on the address of the target consumer, the control device 11 acquires traffic information (construction information, etc.) for each day of the week within the number of days set in the replacement required days 411 (for example, road traffic information acquired from VICS). based on information).

For example, as an example of exchanging the gas container installed at consumer A, assume that the required delivery period is from November 19, 2021 (Friday) to November 22, 2021 (Monday). Consumer A does not use gas on Saturdays and Sundays (determined from the determined gas usage trend). Under such a premise, the control device 11, for example, when traffic congestion is predicted on November 20, 2021 and November 21, 2021 at the waypoint where the delivery person visits the facility of the consumer A ( determined from the acquired traffic information), November 22, 2021 is determined as the delivery date. That is, in order to avoid traffic congestion, the delivery date is determined so that the gas container is not delivered during the period when traffic congestion is expected (the delivery date is excluded from the period when traffic congestion is expected).

As mentioned above, Consumer A does not use gas on Saturday and Sunday, so he will not run out of gas in his gas container at least on either Nov. 20, 2021 or Nov. 21, 2021, It is sufficient to replace the gas container on the next day, November 22, 2021. Therefore, the delivery staff can avoid November 20, 2021 and November 21, 2021, when traffic congestion is expected, and replace the gas container without running out of gas in the gas container.

Instead of the above example, for example, it is assumed that the consumer A is a restaurant, and the facilities of the consumer A are located in a downtown area where many restaurants are lined up. It is also assumed that consumer A uses more gas on weekends than on weekdays (determined from the determined gas usage trend).

Under this premise, the control device 11 determines, for example, the gas containers of the consumer A and the consumer, who is a nearby restaurant, as Friday within the delivery required period. In other words, to avoid starvation of the gas in the gas container, determine the delivery date to deliver the gas container before the day when the gas usage is high (more than the period when the gas usage is expected to be high). change the delivery date even before). By doing this, consumers who need to replace their gas cylinders at the same time and who have a similar usage pattern (who use a lot of gas on weekends) can have their gas replaced all at once on Friday, the day before the weekend. Therefore, the gas can be delivered efficiently without starving the gas in the container.

Information (ie, attribute information) that the consumer is a restaurant may hold such an attribute in the consumer data table 400, for example. By doing so, based on consumer attributes and addresses, consumers with certain related (e.g., identical) attributes, similar usage trends, and consumer equipment within a certain range You can decide the delivery date so that you can deliver all together.

The second embodiment has been described above. As mentioned above, if the remaining amount of gas in the gas cylinder exceeds the threshold, the gas cylinder will be replaced within the required delivery period. delivery personnel may not be able to deliver gas containers efficiently. In this embodiment, since the optimal delivery date is determined based on the consumer's gas usage tendency, it is possible to avoid delivery staff delivering gas containers on days when traffic conditions such as those described above are expected. can.

Note that the hardware components described in the above embodiments are exemplary only, and that other configurations are possible. Also, the order of the processes described in the above embodiment does not necessarily have to be executed in the order described, and may be executed in any order. Furthermore, additional steps may be newly added without departing from the basic concept of this embodiment.

Further, the information processing system 100 according to one embodiment is implemented by a computer program executed by the server computer 1, but the computer program may be stored in a non-temporary storage medium. A computer program executed by the client computer 2 is similar. Examples of non-transitory storage media include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disk devices, magneto-optical media, and Including optical media such as CD-ROM discs and Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs).

1 server computer 2 client computer 3a NCU
3b NCU
3n NCU
100 information processing system

Claims (11)

An information processing device comprising a control device and a communication device,
The communication device receives a guideline value message from the NCU at predetermined time intervals, the guideline value message includes a guideline value read from a gas meter connected to the gas container,
The control device is
subtracting the guideline value from a first counter indicating the remaining amount of gas in the gas container, the first counter being set as an initial value to the gas container capacity of the gas container;
determining when to replace the gas container based on the subtracted first counter value;
When the gas container is replaced, a second counter that holds the same value as the first counter and indicates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container is stored in a storage device, and the first counter is stored in the storage device. setting the initial value in the counter;
subtracting the guideline value from the second counter;
calculating a gas consumption period in which the consumer uses up the gas in the gas container based on the subtracted second counter value;
An information processing device characterized by: The control device is
determining whether the second counter becomes zero;
calculating the gas consumption period based on when the second counter reaches zero;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by: storing in a memory device a first point in time when the gas container was previously replaced;
storing a time point at which the gas container is replaced as a second time point in the storage device;
storing the time point when the second counter becomes zero as a third time point in the storage device;
calculating the gas consumption period based on the first time point, the second time point, and the third time point;
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by: The control device is
Determining whether the subtracted first counter value is below the threshold;
determining when to replace the gas container within any of a preset time period if the value of the first counter is below the threshold;
the preset period of time is based on the calculated gas consumption period;
4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by: 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein said control device calculates said gas consumption period for each season. The control device is
calculating gas consumption of the consumer for each predefined time unit based on the guideline value;
Determining the consumer's gas usage tendency based on the calculated gas usage amount,
determining when to replace the gas container further based on the gas usage trend;
6. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by: The communication device receives road traffic information,
the controller determines when to replace the gas container further based on the received traffic information;
7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized by: The control device is
determining that the consumer does not consume gas within a specified period of time based on the gas usage trend;
If the received road traffic information predicts traffic congestion at a transit point to the consumer equipment of the consumer, excluding the time to replace the gas container from the specific period.
8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized by: The control device is
determining that the consumer consumes a lot of gas within a specific period based on the gas usage trend;
determining when to replace the gas container any time prior to the specified time period;
9. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by: A method performed by a computing device, comprising:
receiving a guideline value message from an NCU at predetermined time intervals, said guideline value message including a guideline value read from a gas meter connected to said gas container;
a step of subtracting the guideline value from a first counter that indicates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container, wherein the first counter is set as an initial value to the gas container capacity of the gas container; ,
determining when to replace the gas container based on the subtracted first counter value;
When the gas container is replaced, a second counter that holds the same value as the first counter and indicates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container is stored in a storage device, and the first counter is stored in the storage device. setting the initial value in a counter;
subtracting the guideline value from the second counter;
calculating a gas consumption period for a consumer to use up the gas in the gas container based on the subtracted second counter value;
A method comprising: A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, said computer-executable instructions, when executed by a computing device, causing said computing device to perform the method of claim 10.

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