WO2020115850A1 - Portable gas fuel distribution management system and distribution management method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a portable gas fuel distribution management system and gas distribution management method for providing portable gas fuel such as LP gas to a gas user continuously without gas being depleted and without readings from gas meters. The gas pressure or weight of LP gas at a usage site for each user (user facility) is automatically measured, and measurement data is transmitted via Wi-Fi, the Internet, etc., to the management system either periodically or under a prescribed condition. At the management system, replacement periods for gas cylinders for each user facility are forecast, desired replacement dates are verified with users who are required to be present at the replacements, and the gas cylinders are replaced before the gas is depleted.

Description

Portable gas fuel delivery management system and delivery management method

The present invention relates to a portable gas fuel such as LP gas filled in a gas container such as a gas cylinder (in the present specification and claims, simply referred to as “portable gas fuel” simply as “LP gas” or “gas”). System) and a delivery method for delivering LP gas to consumers such as households, and particularly to a delivery system and delivery method for portable gas fuel that can continuously use LP gas without meter reading without interruption. ..

LP gas is an indispensable heat source for households and other consumers, living and restaurants, etc., in regions where city gas is not prevalent in countries such as Southeast Asia. In an environment in which LP gas is introduced, LP gas is often used for cooking at home and restaurants, and therefore it is strongly desired that it can be continuously used for one day without interruption.

Therefore, before the LP gas runs out, gas containers such as gas cylinders filled with LP gas are delivered to each home, restaurant, etc. As a method of delivering LP gas, various mechanisms for delivering from the delivery base to each home, restaurant, etc. have been proposed, and various methods have been constructed. When gas containers such as gas cylinders are equipped with a meter (hereinafter referred to as “gas meter”) that indicates the internal volume (remaining amount) of LP gas, as in Japan, the gas meter of the gas cylinder at each facility is a meter reader. It is common that the LP gas is delivered to each home or the like so that the LP gas is not interrupted by periodically reading the meter and notifying the headquarters or each delivery base (delivery agency or the like).

The meter reading data by the meter reader is recorded in the database of the gas supplier or each delivery site, and the remaining amount of LP gas in the gas container is calculated based on the past gas usage amount of each customer (consumer) and the delivery record. By making a prediction, a distribution list of gas containers whose scheduled delivery dates have been adjusted so that out of gas will not occur is created. Each delivery list is delivered to each delivery member, and each delivery member delivers the gas container filled with LP gas on the scheduled delivery date.

However, at the stage of creating the delivery list, if the delivery is delayed due to some circumstances such as traffic conditions, the delivery list may be created because it has not been delivered, and the delivery may be completed after the delivery list is completed. In this case, it becomes necessary to modify the delivery list and change the delivery destination and delivery order by the next day. Since such a correction is a work at a busy time before delivery, it is a troublesome correction work that is confusing and error-prone. In order to avoid such confusion, various delivery systems have been proposed.

▽For delivery of LP gas, it is desirable to replace it just before the remaining amount when the remaining gas amount is low. Therefore, the delivery list is created with the delivery date immediately before the remaining amount of LP gas normally runs out. In Patent Document 1, delivery that creates a delivery list with the next day as the delivery date based on the estimated remaining amount data α days (for example, two days) after the scheduled delivery date, not the estimated remaining amount data one day after the scheduled delivery date. A system is disclosed. When creating this delivery list, the delivery balance of the previous day, which was originally scheduled to be delivered on the previous day, is also added to this delivery list. As a result, the delivery date will be α-1 days earlier than before, but the last-minute adjustment of the delivery list is unnecessary.

On the other hand, if the delivery timing is set ahead in order to prevent out of gas, the delivery frequency will increase. Increasing the frequency of delivery increases the possibility of collecting gas containers with a large remaining amount, which increases the number of deliveries and shortens the delivery cycle, which makes the delivery cost more expensive, but it is still usable by consumers. There may be resistance to replacing (purchasing) the gas container. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, in order to further improve the delivery efficiency without causing out-of-gas, a safety factor, which is a risk factor of out-of-gas, is calculated, the date when out-of-gas occurs is predicted, and the scheduled delivery date is set. The distribution list is created based on the calculation.

Patent No. 5756157 Japanese Patent No. 5802225

The above prior arts are premised on gas meter readings in all cases. However, since gas meters are relatively expensive, most gas cylinders used in countries such as Southeast Asia where city gas is not widespread do not have gas meters. Therefore, in these countries, at the time when the amount of remaining LP gas became so small that it could not be used (when the gas was exhausted), a delivery of a gas container filled with LP gas was requested by telephone or the like. Requests after running out of gas are highly urgent, and if they are not delivered immediately, users will request gas cylinders from other gas providers, so if delivery is delayed, existing gas providers will lose customers. Higher risk.

Therefore, for the benefit of both users and providers, it is desirable to build a delivery system that accurately predicts the out-of-gas condition of LP gas and replaces the gas container (gas cylinder) before the out-of-gas condition occurs. However, in countries and regions where gas containers without a gas meter are prevalent, it is difficult to replace all the gas containers with expensive gas containers with a gas meter, and each time a meter reading is performed, costs are incurred. Therefore, it will be more difficult to introduce a delivery system using meter reading, which is premised on a gas meter.

The technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are based on the premise of gas meters, and it is not possible to immediately adopt these prior art techniques in countries or regions where the above-mentioned containers with gas meters are not widely used. difficult. In addition, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are those in which a meter reader regularly performs meter reading, and the problem that the labor cost of the meter reader increases by adding to the cost of LP gas, and the error of the meter reader Trouble may occur due to meter reading or forgetting to read the meter.

Furthermore, LP gas is mainly used for cooking in the kitchen, for example, in areas where city gas is not widespread, such as Vietnam. Therefore, the gas cylinder is often installed in an indoor kitchen, and in that case, it is necessary to enter the house to replace the gas cylinder. Since it is necessary for the user to be present or consent in order to enter indoors, it is necessary to coordinate with the user in advance to determine the replacement date (delivery date) of the gas container. Therefore, the delivery date cannot be determined only by predicting the out-of-gas date as in the technique of Patent Document 1 or 2.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and effectively utilizes a communication network such as a mobile phone or the Internet, which is widely used in Southeast Asian countries, and Wi-Fi equipment to perform meter reading. An object of the present invention is to provide a gas delivery management system and a gas delivery management method with a simple configuration that can provide a portable gas fuel such as LP gas without interruption to a consumer (user) without interruption.

A delivery management system for a portable gas fuel according to a first aspect of the present invention continuously supplies a user facility that uses a portable gas fuel such as LP gas (hereinafter referred to as “LP gas”) and LP gas. A delivery management system for a portable gas fuel, comprising a computer-based management system that performs delivery management for providing,
The user equipment includes a gas container filled with LP gas, a measuring device that measures the gas pressure of the LP gas output from the gas container or the weight of the LP gas and outputs measurement data, and a communication network via a communication network. A communication device for transmitting the measurement data,
The management system, a communication means for acquiring the measurement data via the communication network,
Means for storing the received measurement data in association with each of the user equipment,
A delivery management unit that manages delivery of a gas container filled with LP gas to each user facility before the LP gas runs out, based on the measurement data.
Further, the delivery management means calculates a future gas remaining amount of each of the user equipments based on the measurement data, and predicts that the remaining amount of the gas container will reach a replacement threshold indicating a replacement level of the gas container. A prediction unit for predicting a day and a few days before the replacement prediction date predicted by the prediction unit, the predicted replacement date is set as the scheduled delivery date of the user facility, and it is necessary to attend to replace the gas container. And a delivery management unit that inquires the desired delivery date of the user equipment and determines the delivery date.

With the portable gas fuel delivery system of this aspect, it is possible to automatically monitor the remaining amount of gas even in a gas container without a gas meter, and to predict the replacement timing of the gas container. Further, even if the user equipment needs to be present and consent for the replacement of the gas container, it is possible to adjust the scheduled delivery date and deliver and replace the gas container filled with LP gas or the like. .. Therefore, LP gas is delivered so that it can be used continuously without running out of gas even in areas where city gas in Southeast Asia is not widespread and gas containers with gas meters (gas cylinders) are not used. It becomes possible to do.

Another aspect of the delivery management system for portable gas fuel according to the present invention is to change the scheduled delivery date to the desired delivery date, and the delivery management means is different from the original expected delivery date as the desired delivery date. When a day is designated, the designated desired delivery date is changed to the scheduled delivery date of the user equipment.

Yet another aspect of the transport management system for portable gas fuel according to the present invention is to determine a scheduled delivery date, wherein the delivery management means sets the scheduled delivery date to at least one day before. The delivery date designated as the user equipment is confirmed as the actual delivery date, and a delivery list describing the delivery destinations on the same delivery date as the confirmed delivery date is output at least by the day before the delivery date. Characterize.

Another aspect of the delivery management system for portable gas fuel according to the present invention relates to processing when a desired delivery date has not been entered by the delivery confirmation date, and the delivery management means inquires about the desired delivery date. From the user equipment, the user equipment that does not have the desired delivery date entered by the date when the delivery date is confirmed is added to the delivery list, or the user equipment that does not have the desired delivery date entered A delivery list excluded from the delivery list is created.

Another aspect of the delivery management system for portable gas fuel according to the present invention relates to another aspect relating to processing when a desired delivery date has not been input by the delivery confirmation date, and the delivery management means provides the delivery. For the user equipment for which the desired delivery date has not been input by the user equipment that inquired about the desired date until the day when the delivery date is confirmed, the next day of the scheduled delivery date set for that user equipment. Is changed to the scheduled delivery date, and the user equipment is excluded from the delivery list of the original scheduled delivery date.

Another aspect of the portable gas fuel delivery management system according to the present invention relates to creation of a delivery schedule list, wherein the delivery management means describes the user equipment on the same scheduled delivery date. A delivery schedule list is created for each scheduled date, and the delivery schedule list is updated when the desired delivery date is input from the user equipment inquiring the desired delivery date in the delivery schedule list, The delivery list is created based on the updated delivery schedule list.

Another aspect of the portable gas fuel delivery management system according to the present invention relates to delivery route output, wherein the delivery management means outputs a delivery route indicating the delivery list and the order of delivery destinations. And For the delivery route search, a well-known and well-known technique regarding route search for efficiently delivering to a plurality of delivery destinations by one moving means can be used.

Another aspect of the portable gas fuel delivery management system according to the present invention is a delivery management system having a gas leak detection function, wherein the user equipment further includes a gas leak detector having a gas leak sensor, When a leak occurs, the user equipment is informed of the gas leak, and a gas leak signal is transmitted from the communication device to the management system via the communication network. In still another aspect, the gas leak detector includes a Wi-Fi router, and in place of the communication device, the Wi-Fi router transmits various data including measurement data and various signals to the management system. Characterize. Further, it is also possible to adopt a mode in which a gas cutoff mechanism is added when a gas leak occurs, whereby the user equipment can cut off the gas supply when a gas leak is detected.

According to the delivery management system of the present invention, it is automatically managed so as not to run out of gas, so that the user of the user equipment has less opportunity to be involved in the gas container as compared with the conventional case. Therefore, there is a high possibility that even if a pipe, a hose, or the like that delivers gas to a rat or the like is aged, it will not be noticed. In order to reduce such a risk as much as possible, a gas leak detection function is added.

A delivery management method of a portable gas fuel according to a first aspect of the present invention is a gas container filled with a portable gas fuel such as LP gas (hereinafter, referred to as “LP gas”), and is output from the gas container. A measuring device for measuring the gas pressure of the LP gas or the weight of a gas container containing the LP gas and outputting the measured data, and a communication device for transmitting the measured data measured by the measuring device via a communication network. Delivery management of a portable gas fuel for delivering a gas container filled with LP gas to a user by using a user equipment equipped with In the system,
The user equipment is
(A1) The gas pressure of the gas container or the weight of the gas container is automatically measured by the measuring device, and the measured data is automatically transmitted through a communication network at a predetermined timing. Data transmission step to
The management system is
(B1) a recording step of receiving the measurement data via the communication network and recording the received measurement data for each of the user equipments;
(B2) calculating a predicted replacement date when the remaining amount of the gas becomes a replacement threshold for replacing the gas container based on the measurement data, and setting a scheduled delivery date;
(B3) a step of confirming a desired delivery date with respect to the user equipment that needs to be present to replace the gas container among the user equipment for which the scheduled delivery date is set,
(B4) determining the scheduled delivery date based on the input desired delivery date,
(B5) confirming the planned delivery date and creating a delivery list at least one day before the planned delivery date;
(B6) outputting the delivery list.

By the portable gas fuel delivery method of this aspect, city gas is not widely used in Southeast Asia and the like, and even in an area where a gas container with a gas meter (gas cylinder) is not used, it is continuously used without running out of gas. It becomes possible to provide to deliver the LP gas so that it can.

Another aspect of the delivery management method of the portable gas fuel according to the present invention relates to handling when the desired delivery date is not input, and in the step (b4), the delivery is performed by the day before the scheduled delivery date. For the user equipment without input of a desired date, the scheduled delivery date set in step (b2) is determined as the delivery date of the user equipment. Further, as another handling when the desired delivery date is not input, in the step (b4), for the user equipment for which the desired delivery date has not been input by the day before the scheduled delivery date, the step (b2) is performed. It is also possible to change the scheduled delivery date set in () to the scheduled delivery date of the user facility.

Another mode of the delivery management method of the portable gas fuel according to the present invention is to output a delivery route in addition to the delivery list in the management system, and further correspond to the delivery list in the step (b6). It is characterized by outputting the delivery route information of the delivery destination. For the delivery route search, a well-known and well-known technique regarding route search for efficiently delivering to a plurality of delivery destinations by one moving means can be used.

Another mode of the delivery management method of the portable gas fuel according to the present invention relates to creation of a delivery schedule list, and in the user equipment for which the delivery date is further set in the step (b3), A delivery schedule list having the same scheduled delivery date is created, the delivery schedule list is updated based on the input desired delivery date in step (b4), and the delivery is performed in step (b5). At least one day before the scheduled date, the delivery schedule list is finalized and used as the delivery list. Further, another aspect is characterized in that, in the step (b6), the delivery list is further transmitted to the delivery site. As a result, each delivery site can quickly obtain the delivery list and prepare for delivery.

Another aspect of the delivery management method of a portable gas fuel according to the present invention is to further detect and respond to a gas leak, and the user equipment includes, in addition to the step (a1),
(A2) a step of monitoring the gas leak by the gas leak detector, notifying the gas leak when the gas leak is detected, and transmitting a gas leak signal to the monitoring system,
The management system further includes
(B7) when receiving the gas leak signal, prioritizing the other steps (b1) to (b6), and outputting a command for activating the gas leak countermeasure. A delivery management method according to yet another aspect is provided with a gas shutoff function, and in another aspect of the present invention, the user facility further comprises:
(A3) A gas shut-off step of shutting off the gas supply by the gas breaker when the gas leak is detected.

According to the portable gas fuel delivery management system or the portable gas fuel delivery management method of the present invention, in the user equipment, the gas pressure of the gas cylinder in use or the weight of the gas cylinder is measured, and the measurement data is periodically measured. Alternatively, it is automatically transmitted to the management system under predetermined conditions. The management system monitors the remaining gas amount of the gas container in use based on the measurement data. The management system calculates a predicted replacement date for replacing the gas container from the gas consumption amount and the remaining gas amount, and sets a scheduled delivery date of the gas container based on the predicted replacement date. Since the gas container appropriately filled with LP gas is delivered on the basis of the scheduled delivery date, it becomes possible to continuously use the portable gas fuel without causing gas shortage.

Therefore, even if the gas container does not have a gas meter, the remaining gas amount can be automatically monitored and the replacement timing of the gas container can be predicted. Further, even if the user equipment needs to be present and consent for the replacement of the gas container, it is possible to adjust the scheduled delivery date and deliver and replace the gas container filled with LP gas or the like. .. The portable gas fuel delivery management system or portable gas fuel delivery management method is particularly useful in areas where city gas in Southeast Asia is not widespread and gas containers with gas meters (gas cylinders) are not used. It becomes possible to deliver the LP gas so that it can be continuously used without causing a break.

In addition, the gas provider and the delivery company of the gas delivery base can provide high-quality delivery service without interruption to each user's equipment, so not only reduce the risk of losing existing customers, but also acquire new customers. The chances of being able to do it also increase.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the basic structural example of the gas supply system of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the component of the user equipment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the other structural example of the user equipment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram showing an example of composition of user equipment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the management system of this invention. It is a time series display which shows as an example the relationship of the predicted date of the gas exhaustion or the replacement threshold of the user equipment of the present invention, the scheduled delivery date, and the delivery date. It is a flow chart which shows an example of a processing procedure of basic operation of user equipment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows an example of a processing procedure of basic operation of a management system of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the basic processing procedure which processes the reception data from the user equipment in the management system of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the measurement data, delivery management data, etc. for every user equipment recorded on the management system of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the delivery schedule list of this invention. It is a flow chart which shows an example of a processing procedure of user equipment of the present invention which has a gas leak detection function. It is a figure which shows the example of the delivery route information created in this invention.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually showing a basic configuration example of a gas supply system of the present invention. 10(a1) to 10(an) are user facilities, which are facilities of users a1 to an that use LP gas or the like as fuel. A provider system 20 arranges delivery of a gas container filled with LP gas in order to continuously provide LP gas and the like. The provider system 20 is composed of a management system 21 and a service center 22. Based on an instruction from the provider system 20, the delivery points b1 to bn continuously provide LP to each user facility 10. A gas container (gas cylinder) filled with gas or the like is delivered.

The user equipment 10 and the management system 21 are connected via a communication network 91 such as the Internet. The delivery points b1 to bn are provided according to the size of the delivery range and the number of user facilities 10. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the delivery points b1 to bn also includes a delivery point system 30b1-30bn including a computer or a communication device connected to the communication network 91, and receives instructions from the management system 21, a delivery list, and delivery route information. It is preferable to be able to acquire it appropriately.

In FIG. 1, each user a1-an is expressed as user equipment 10(a1)-10(an), and each distribution base b1-bn is expressed as a distribution base system 30(b1)-30(bn). is doing. In the present specification, unless otherwise particularly required, the user facilities 10(a1) to 10(an) are collectively referred to as the user facility 10, and the delivery sites b1 to bn are collectively referred to as the delivery site 30. Called. The user a1-an is treated as one user for each user facility 10, whether it is an individual, a group, or an organization. Further, the delivery bases b1 to bn may be bases operated by a person who provides LP gas or the like, or may be a delivery company that has a consignment contract. In the present application, the communication network 91 is a concept that includes wired wireless communication, public communication network, local communication network, private communication network, wireless communication station, and relay station.

The user equipment 10 includes a measuring device 11 for measuring the remaining amount of LP gas and a communication device 12 such as a Wi-Fi router connected to a communication network. In some cases, a repeater may be provided between the measuring device 11 and the communication device 12. The measuring device 11 preferably has, for example, the function of a Wi-Fi slave device, and transmits the measurement data to the communication device (Wi-Fi router) 12 according to a predetermined condition. The communication device 12 transmits the measurement data to the management system 21 via the communication network 91.

The management system 21 records the measurement data received from the user equipment 10 for each user equipment 10, analyzes the gas consumption tendency in each user equipment based on the received measurement data, and determines the LP of the gas container. Predict the date and time when the remaining amount of gas becomes zero or the date when a predetermined replacement threshold is reached. For example, the consumption rate is calculated from the received measurement data, and the day when the remaining amount of LP gas becomes zero from the current remaining amount, or the predicted replacement date when the remaining amount becomes the predetermined replacement threshold value is calculated. When the estimated replacement date is known, a gas container (gas cylinder) filled with LP gas can be delivered to each user facility in cooperation with the service center 22 and the delivery point before the remaining amount of the user facility runs out. Create a delivery list and delivery route information if necessary.

In Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, for example, LP gas is mainly used as a heat source for cooking at home, etc., so the gas container is often installed in a room such as a kitchen (under a sink). Therefore, the replacement of the gas container may require the presence or consent of the user. In the user equipment that requires such attendance, when the management system 21 finds that the LP gas is nearly exhausted by predicting the replacement threshold, the user confirms the convenient delivery date (desired delivery date), It is desirable to set the scheduled delivery date according to the desired delivery date. The scheduled delivery date determined based on the desired delivery date remains the delivery date without change. For example, the management system 21 creates a delivery schedule list based on the scheduled delivery date, confirms the desired exchange date for user equipment that needs to be present, and confirms the expected delivery date by inputting the desired exchange date. To do. It is also possible to specify a desired date of exchange.

When the user's desired exchange date is confirmed, a delivery list matching the user's desired exchange date is created and the delivery base is notified. The number of gas container deliveries in each region is set appropriately according to the delivery region and the number of user facilities, and can be freely set such as once every few days, once per day, multiple times per day, etc. Can be set. When creating the delivery list, in order to deliver efficiently, it is desirable to provide a delivery route indicating the order and position of the user equipments 10(a1) to 10(an) for delivery. The person in charge of delivery at the delivery site sequentially delivers the gas container filled with LP gas to each of the user equipments 10(a1) to 10(an) based on the delivery list and the delivery route. When no delivery route is provided, each delivery site determines a delivery route based on the delivery list and delivers it.

The gas provider can arbitrarily define the delivery area (conveyance area) that the delivery locations b1 to bn are in charge of, and even if the delivery areas are divided and designated for each delivery location, the delivery areas partially overlap. The management system may be configured to appropriately specify the delivery points b1 to bn based on the delivery list. It is also possible to configure the delivery area to be redivided by determining the delivery area for each delivery person in the delivery area that each delivery site is in charge of. Further, the management system 21 may create a delivery list for each delivery site, or a delivery list for each divided area obtained by dividing each delivery site into several transport areas.

Figure 2 shows an example of user equipment. The user equipment of FIG. 1 is equipped with two gas cylinders as a gas container. A configuration example 10-1 of the user equipment 10 in which the pressure of one gas is measured and transmitted as measurement data is shown. Two gas cylinders are used one by one, and when one gas cylinder is emptied, LP gas is supplied by switching to the other gas cylinder by a manual or automatic switching regulator. If the gas cylinder 14a is used now, the LP gas supplied from the gas cylinder 14a is supplied to the gas stove or the like through the gas pressure regulator (regulator) 15 and consumed. Since the gas pressure of the gas cylinder is high, it is usually reduced to a predetermined pressure by a regulator and supplied to a gas stove or the like. The adjuster 15 is preferably an automatic switching adjuster. In addition to the gas pressure adjusting function, the automatic switching regulator has a function of automatically switching to the other gas cylinder when the gas cylinder becomes empty.

A gas pressure measuring device 11a is provided inside or in the front of the regulator 15 such as an automatic switching regulator to measure the gas pressure of the gas cylinder 14a. The measured gas pressure is sent from the gas pressure measuring device 11a to the communication device 12 by wireless communication, and is transmitted to the management system 21 via the communication network 91. When one gas cylinder 14a becomes empty, the other gas cylinder 14b is switched to and the LP gas is supplied. Even when the gas cylinder 14a is emptied automatically by the automatic switching regulator having the automatic switching function, the user manually switches the gas cylinder 14a (the piping connection to the regulator is manually performed. It may be configured to reconnect).

In the user equipment 10-1 including the two gas cylinders 14a and 14b as shown in FIG. 2, even if one gas cylinder becomes empty, the LP gas is not interrupted until the next gas cylinder becomes empty. Therefore, the urgency of replacing the gas cylinder is low. Therefore, when two or more gas cylinders are provided, even if one gas cylinder becomes empty, efficient delivery is achieved by simultaneously delivering when the gas cylinders of other nearby user equipment 10 become empty. Is possible. Such delivery is possible by managing delivery route management and out-of-gas management in combination.

Next, the user equipment 10-2 that measures the weight and transmits the measurement data will be described with reference to FIG. Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which one gas cylinder is set as the user equipment, two or more gas cylinders may be installed. In that case, it is possible to collectively measure the total weight of a plurality of cylinders and transmit the total weight data, but in order to accurately manage the remaining amount of gas, the weight of each gas cylinder is measured one by one, It is desirable to be configured to transmit the measurement data of each gas cylinder.

In the user equipment 10-2 for measuring the weight, the gas cylinder 14a is placed on the weight measuring instrument 11b capable of measuring the weight and transmitting the measurement data. As the weight measuring device 11b, for example, the measurement data measured by a digital weighing scale may be configured to be transmitted to the communication device 12 by a transmitter such as a Wi-Fi slave device. The transmission timing can be defined by combining conditions such as when the weight (remaining amount) becomes less than or equal to a predetermined value or when a predetermined time has elapsed.

Regardless of whether the measurement data is gas pressure or weight, the transmission timing of the measurement data can be controlled by the micro CPU and control program. The measurement data is controlled so as to be transmitted when the above-mentioned predetermined conditions are met. The data measured by the gas pressure measuring instrument 11a or the weight measuring instrument 11b is transmitted to the communication device 12, and the measurement data and various data of the user equipment are transmitted from the communication device 12 to the management system 21 via the communication network 91. To be done. When the LP gas is consumed, the gas pressure becomes weaker or the weight gradually becomes lighter according to the consumption amount. Therefore, by subtracting the weight of the gas container when the remaining gas amount is zero from the measured data, The remaining amount can be predicted by calculation.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the user equipment 10 as a functional block diagram. In the figure, the block indicated by the solid line shows an example of the basic configuration of the measuring instrument 11. The part indicated by the chain double-dashed line corresponds to the measuring instrument 11. The configuration including the broken-line block exemplifies another embodiment of the user equipment 10, and will be described later.
The gas pressure or weight of the gas cylinder 14 is measured by the measuring unit 16 and transmitted from the equipment control unit 17 to the communication device 12 through the transmitting unit 19. The communication device 12 transmits the measurement data to the management system 21 via the communication network 91 such as the Internet. The measurement data may be transmitted from the transmission unit 19 to the communication device 12 by wire, but it is preferable to use a Wi-Fi slave device as the transmission unit 19 and use a Wi-Fi router or the like as the communication device. The transmission timing of the measurement data is usually controlled by the equipment control unit 17 of the measuring instrument 11, but the transmission timing may be controlled by the communication device 12. A relay device may be provided between the transmission/reception unit 19 and the communication device 12.
Further, by using the transmission unit 19 as a transmission/reception unit, the user equipment 10 is controlled based on the control data from the management system 21 and other data of the user equipment is transmitted to the management system 21. You can also do it.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example in which the switching control unit 18 and the switching device 13 are provided, and the switching device 13 automatically switches the gas cylinder when the gas cylinder 14 becomes empty. The switching control unit 18 is provided in the case of including two or more gas cylinders. When the measurement data of gas pressure or weight reaches the replacement threshold value where the remaining amount of gas is close to zero, the equipment control unit 17 outputs a drive signal from the switching control unit 18 to drive the switching device 13. The output of the LP gas is switched to another gas cylinder (not shown in FIG. 4). Although FIG. 4 shows an example of switching the gas cylinder using the switching control unit 18, the switching control unit 18 becomes unnecessary by using the automatic switching regulator. The automatic switching regulator automatically switches the output of LP gas to another gas cylinder according to the gas pressure released from the container. As described above, the connection of the gas cylinder may be manually switched without providing the switching control unit 18, the switching device 13, and the automatic switching adjuster.

Further, as illustrated by a broken line in FIG. 4, the user facility can be provided with a gas leak sensor 51, a gas shutoff control unit 52, and a gas circuit breaker 53. As the gas leak sensor 51 and the gas circuit breaker 53, commercially available products can be used. When a gas leak is detected by the gas leak sensor 51, the gas shutoff control unit 52 drives the gas circuit breaker 53 to shut off the gas, thereby preventing a serious accident such as a gas explosion.

Further, as shown by a chain double-dashed line block in FIG. 4, a gas leak sensor 54 and a Wi-Fi router are integrally configured as a gas leak detector 54, and the Wi-Fi router of the gas leak detector 54 is a communication device 12. It can also be configured to be used as. By using the gas leak detector 54 in which the functions of the gas leak sensor 51 and the communication device 12 are integrated, the Wi-Fi of the gas leak detector can be monitored while monitoring the gas leak of the user equipment by the gas leak sensor. The function of the router is used as the communication device 12, and the measurement data and the like are transmitted to the management system. Accordingly, when a gas leak is detected, the gas leak signal can be automatically transmitted to the management system without passing through the control unit.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the management system 21. The management system 21 is a computer system that includes a CPU, a memory, an input/output unit, a storage device, and the like, and performs a desired operation based on a control program and an application program stored in the memory or the storage device. Functionally, it includes a communication interface 31, a reception unit 23, a data recording control unit 24, a data storage unit (disk or the like) 26 or 26 ′, a prediction unit 27, a delivery management unit 28, an input/output unit 29, and the like. The operation of each of these units is controlled by the management control unit 25. The data storage unit 26 is a storage unit in the management system, the data storage unit 26' indicates an external storage unit, and the external data storage unit 26' indicates that the data may be stored in the external storage unit. Therefore, it is indicated by a broken line.

The communication interface 31 is connected to the communication network 91, and the reception unit 23 receives the measurement data received from the user equipment 10 via the communication interface 31 and transmits it to the data recording control unit 24. The data recording control unit 24 records the received measurement data in the data storage unit 26 (disk or the like) together with the reception time for each user facility, or reads the recorded data in response to a request from the management control unit 25. The prediction unit 27 calculates the remaining amount and consumption rate of the gas cylinder in use from the time-series measurement data for each user facility, and predicts the day when the gas cylinder in use becomes empty or the day when a predetermined replacement threshold is reached. To do.

The function of the delivery management unit 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 6 is a time-series display showing, as an example, the relationship between the predicted date of the gas exhaustion or the replacement threshold of the user equipment, the scheduled delivery date, and the delivery date.
The delivery management unit 28 sets a scheduled delivery date in order to set a delivery date that is one or more days before the date when the gas cylinder in use is predicted to become empty (hereinafter referred to as “gas outage prediction date”). .. The scheduled delivery date is preferably two to three days before the scheduled out of gas date.
As mentioned above, in countries such as Southeast Asia, LP gas is often placed indoors such as in the kitchen, and it may be necessary to witness the user to replace the gas cylinder. It is necessary to confirm the desired delivery date with the user.

In the case of user equipment that requires witnessing, the scheduled delivery date is set a few days (for example, one week) before the predicted gas shortage date in order to confirm the desired delivery date for witnessing. When the scheduled delivery date is set, a scheduled delivery list having the scheduled delivery date as the delivery date is generated. At the same time, the management system 21 or the service center 22 informs the user's mobile phone or smartphone of the user equipment 10 of the out-of-gas forecast date and the scheduled delivery date from the delivery management unit 28, and inputs the desired delivery date. Request. In this case, the requested delivery date should be set to the planned delivery date as much as possible, and only when it is not convenient, it is possible to specify a day before or after the planned delivery date within a few days. Preferably. When the desired delivery date is entered, the delivery schedule list is updated. Whether the desired delivery date is several days before and after the planned delivery date or several days before the planned delivery date depends on how many days before the estimated out of gas date is set. it can.

Although not shown in FIG. 6, the period from when the request for confirming the desired date is received to the day before the scheduled delivery date is the period during which the desired delivery date can be entered. From the viewpoint of reducing the remaining amount of gas in the gas cylinder to be replaced as much as possible, it is preferable to limit the desired delivery date and time to a range of several days before and after the scheduled delivery date (changeable date in FIG. 6). When a date different from the scheduled delivery date is designated as the desired delivery date, the scheduled delivery date of the user facility 10 is different from the original scheduled delivery date, and the desired delivery date of the user facility 10 is designated. It will be added to the delivery schedule list of another day. For such user equipment that requires witness at the time of delivery, a flag (hereinafter referred to as "confirmation flag") indicating whether or not there is a need to attend is managed in the record data for each user equipment. preferable.

For user equipment that requires witnessing to replace the gas cylinder without notifying the user's smartphone, etc. of the estimated out-of-gas date and the expected delivery date from the management system 21, the service center or delivery point will notify the user. You can also check the desired delivery date and time.
In that case, a delivery schedule list of delivery dates is created and output and notified from the input/output unit 29 such as a printer or a display device, or via the communication interface 31 and the communication network 91, the service center 22 and/or each You may make it transmit to the delivery base 30. When the desired delivery date from the user equipment 10 is input, the delivery schedule list is updated.

The delivery schedule list is confirmed as a delivery list with the delivery date as the delivery date, at least one day before the delivery date. If there is no input of the desired date from the user equipment 10 that needs to witness the delivery schedule list by the date of confirming the delivery list, even if the user equipment 10 is confirmed as a delivery list excluding the use, The facility 10 may be confirmed as a delivery list added to the delivery list. If you add a user equipment without a desired date to the delivery list, you may not be able to replace the gas cylinder due to the absence of a user, but there is a possibility that you can deliver it.

The delivery list with the fixed delivery date is transmitted or distributed to each delivery site system 30(b1) to 30(bn) at least one day before the delivery date. At this time, it is preferable to present a delivery route according to the delivery area and the number of user facilities to be delivered. Each delivery site delivers a gas container (gas cylinder) filled with LP gas to each user facility based on the delivery list. At each delivery site, the delivery areas of the delivery list may be further divided as necessary, and a plurality of efficient delivery routes may be created for delivery.

An example of a basic processing procedure for transmitting measurement data to the management system 21 in the user equipment 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The gas cylinder filled with the LP gas is provided to the user equipment 10 and the supply of the LP gas is started (step S1). When the supply of LP gas is started and a predetermined condition is satisfied (step S2), measurement data (gas pressure or weight) is transmitted to the management system 21 via the communication device 12 and the communication network 91 (step S3). Here, the predetermined condition is a condition for transmitting the measurement data to the management system, and can be set arbitrarily. For example, a predetermined time period in which the measurement data is transmitted to the management system 21 each time the measurement data reaches a predetermined value (for example, when the measurement data reaches a value corresponding to the remaining amount of 50% or 25%). It is possible to transmit the measurement data for each interval, or to transmit both in combination.

When the measurement data becomes less than or equal to a predetermined replacement threshold value indicating that the remaining amount of the gas cylinder is low (step S4), a replacement signal is transmitted to the management system 21 (step S5). At the same time, in the case of the user equipment 10 having two or more gas cylinders, the gas cylinder is automatically or manually switched to another gas cylinder (step S5). Here, when the number of gas cylinders of the user equipment 10 is one, the warning threshold value in step S4 is in a state in which there is some margin in the remaining gas amount (for example, a state in which about five days remain calculated from the average consumption amount). Is set as the warning threshold value, and in the case of the user equipment 10 provided with two or more gas cylinders, it is preferable to set the value of the measurement data for which the remaining gas amount is zero as the replacement threshold value.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic processing procedure of the management system 21. The management system 21 calculates, based on the measurement data of each user equipment 10, a predicted gas shortage date of each user equipment 10 or a date when a predetermined replacement threshold is reached, and a new gas cylinder is supplied before the LP gas is completely consumed. Performs various processes for delivering

When the management system 21 receives the measurement data or the exchange signal from each user equipment 10 via the communication network 91 such as the Internet (step S11; Yes), the measurement data of each user equipment 10 is measured for each user equipment 10. The remaining amount of gas is calculated by recording the remaining amount of gas in the gas cylinder in use, the consumption rate, the predicted date when the gas cylinder in use will run out of gas, or the date when a predetermined replacement threshold will be reached. Monitoring is performed (step S30). Recording of measurement data and monitoring of the remaining amount for each user facility 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

When the measurement data or the exchange signal has not been received (step S11: No), the user who performs the overall management such as the remaining amount check of each user equipment, and the scheduled delivery date is set by the process of step 30 If there is the facility 10 and the delivery schedule list for the scheduled delivery date has not yet been created, a delivery schedule list with the planned delivery date as a provisional delivery date is created (step S12). If the delivery schedule list for the scheduled delivery date has already been created, the user equipment is added to the delivery schedule list (step S12). Next, it is confirmed whether or not each of the delivery schedule lists already created satisfies a predetermined condition (step S13), and if the condition is not satisfied (step S13; No), similar receiving processing of measurement data and the like is performed. Return to confirmation. When the delivery schedule list satisfies the confirmation requirement (step S13; Yes), the delivery schedule list is confirmed as a delivery list having the delivery date as the delivery date and transmitted to each delivery site (step S14). Each delivery site delivers a gas cylinder to each user facility and replaces it with an empty gas cylinder based on the delivery list. At that time, it is desirable to simultaneously send the delivery route information to the user equipment described in the delivery list.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of step S30 of the management system 21 shown in FIG. With reference to FIG. 9, the delivery management of gas cylinders in units of the user equipment 10 in the management system 21 will be described below. When the measurement data or the exchange threshold signal is received from any of the user equipment 10 or the data of the desired delivery date is input (step S11; Yes), the measurement data or the like is recorded in the corresponding user equipment 10. Then, the delivery management process (step 30) for monitoring the remaining amount of LP gas is started.

First, it is confirmed whether the received data or the input data is the desired delivery date, and if it is not the desired delivery date (step S31; No), then it is confirmed whether it is a gas cylinder replacement threshold signal ( Step S32). If it is not the exchange threshold signal (step S32; No), it is determined that the received data is the measurement data, and the data of the corresponding user equipment is updated (S33). The case of having a gas leak detection function will be described later.

When the measurement data is received and the measurement data of the user facility 10 is updated (step S33), the remaining amount of gas, which is the data for determining the scheduled delivery date, the consumption trend prediction, the gas exhaustion prediction date, and the gas cylinder A date (threshold prediction date) or the like that reaches the threshold serving as a guide for replacement is calculated, and these pieces of information are updated (step S34). Further, it is confirmed whether or not the scheduled delivery date of the user equipment 10 needs to be set based on the updated out-of-gas forecast date, the replacement threshold forecast date, and the like (step S35). If it is not necessary to set it yet (step S35: No), the process returns to step 11 and the same processing is repeated. The scheduled delivery date is preferably set several days before the replacement threshold prediction date (for example, about 3 days to 1 week before).

When it is necessary to set the scheduled delivery date of the user equipment 10 (step S35: Yes), the scheduled delivery date of the user equipment is set and the user equipment 10 that needs to be present to replace the gas container is also set. In this case, the user equipment confirms the desired delivery date (step S36). It is preferable to confirm the desired delivery date to the user equipment 10 automatically from the management system to the smartphone or other contact information of the registered user equipment and request the reply input of the desired delivery date. You can also inquire from the service center.

When the input data is the desired delivery date from the user equipment 10 (step 31: Yes), the desired delivery date and time are confirmed, and if the desired delivery date is the same as the originally scheduled delivery date, delivery is performed. A desired time is input as the delivery time of the user equipment to the schedule list (step S37). When a date different from the original scheduled delivery date is designated as the desired delivery date and time, the scheduled delivery date for the user equipment is changed. Therefore, the user equipment 10 is excluded from the initial delivery schedule list, the user equipment 10 is added to the delivery schedule list on the day corresponding to the desired delivery date designated by the user equipment 10, and the desired time is set. If it has been input, the desired delivery time is entered (step S37).

When the exchange threshold signal indicating that the measurement data of the gas container has reached the predetermined exchange threshold is received from the user equipment 10 (step S32; Yes), the exchange threshold signal is received from the user equipment 10. Is recorded (step S38). Receiving the replacement threshold signal means that the amount of remaining gas is already low and that the condition for arranging replacement of the gas cylinder has been reached. In a normal case, a day that becomes the exchange threshold is predicted from the measured data, and a date that reaches the exchange threshold several days before the predicted date is set as the scheduled delivery date. Therefore, in a normal case, when the exchange threshold signal is received from the user equipment 10, the scheduled delivery date has already been set, and the scheduled delivery list has also been created. However, if the gas consumption suddenly increases due to an unscheduled event or other unforeseen circumstances, it is necessary to accelerate the scheduled delivery date, or if the scheduled delivery date is not set when the exchange threshold signal is received. There is also a possibility.

Therefore, when the exchange threshold signal is received from the user equipment 10, whether or not the scheduled delivery date of the user equipment 10 is set and whether or not there is a need to change the set scheduled delivery date. Etc. are confirmed (step S39). If the planned delivery date is too late, or if the planned delivery date is not set (step S39; Yes), the planned delivery date is changed to be advanced or the planned delivery date is set (step S40). When the scheduled delivery date is advanced or when the scheduled delivery date is set, if the user needs to be present, the user is contacted to confirm the desired delivery date and time (S40). In particular, if it is not necessary to change the scheduled delivery date (step S39; No), the process returns to step S11, and normal processing such as reception of input of the desired delivery date from the user equipment 10 is continued.

The measurement data received from the user equipment 10 is recorded in the data storage unit 26, 26' for each user equipment 10. The measurement data is recorded together with the date of reception. How to record the measurement data and how to record the data can be freely set if the purpose of managing the remaining amount of gas and delivering the gas container without running out of gas can be achieved. Based on the recording of the measurement data, the gas consumption rate, the prediction of the day when the replacement threshold is reached, the predicted gas exhaustion date, etc. are predicted.

FIG. 10 shows an example of recording delivery management data of each user equipment 10. FIG. 10 shows an example in which the date of measurement data is recorded from the user equipment 10 when the remaining gas amount becomes 50%, 25%, and the value corresponding to the threshold signal. The relationship between the measurement data and the gas remaining amount, that is, the gas pressure or the weight corresponding to the gas remaining amount of 50% and 25% is determined by the conversion table that is measured in advance and registered in the equipment control unit 17 of the user equipment 10. To be done. As a result, the measurement data is transmitted from the user equipment 10 to the user equipment 10 when the remaining gas amount becomes 50%, 25%, or the replacement threshold value. The gas remaining amount data also describes the date of the replacement threshold prediction date predicted to reach the replacement threshold. This is a prediction of the date and time at which the threshold value, which is the replacement timing of the gas cylinder, is reached from the consumption rate and consumption tendency of the measurement data.

For example, the user equipment 10a1 receives the measurement data with the remaining gas amount of 50% on April 1, and the measurement data with the remaining gas amount of 25% on May 15, and the replacement threshold signal is Since it has not been received yet, it is blank. In the user equipment 10a1, the consumption rate is calculated based on the day when the remaining gas amount becomes 50% and 25%, and the day when the remaining gas amount reaches the threshold value for replacement is June 21st. I am predicting. In addition, June 22, the day after the replacement threshold prediction date, is set as the scheduled delivery date.

If it is necessary to witness delivery, it is necessary to confirm the desired delivery date and time with the user. Therefore, it is desirable to set the scheduled delivery date 3 days or more before the scheduled delivery date, and inquire the user of the desired delivery date and time. For example, in the case of the user equipment 10a1 of FIG. 10, the scheduled delivery date is June 22, so it is decided to set the scheduled delivery date to June 22 before June 19, and the scheduled delivery is set. It is preferable to inquire the user of the user equipment 10a1 about the desired delivery date and time as soon as the date is determined.

In the example of the user equipment 10a1 in FIG. 10, it is input that the user's desired delivery time is 10:00. The address of the user equipment is necessary for delivery of the gas cylinder, and the user's address is recorded in association with the identification information of the user equipment, and the address is read during delivery. used. In FIG. 10, the positional information of the user equipment is further displayed by the symbols such as A, B, and C. For the code of this position information, for example, the area in charge of delivery is divided into areas within a radius of 2 km, the codes are given in the order of ABC, and the address of each user equipment is represented by this division code. As a result, by collecting the user equipment having the same scheduled delivery date and sorting the position information codes in descending or ascending order, an efficient delivery route can be set.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the delivery schedule list. The delivery schedule list shown in FIG. 11 is a list in which the scheduled delivery dates are confirmed from the record data of FIG. 10 are collected for each scheduled delivery date and are sorted based on the user position information.
In this example, three user equipments 10a1, 10a5, 10a3 are listed as the user equipment whose scheduled delivery date is June 22 and the scheduled delivery date is set to June 27. Two places (user facilities 10a6, 10a2) are listed as personal facilities.
These delivery schedule lists are finalized on June 22, which is the scheduled delivery date, or June 21, which is the day before June 27, or June 26, and become delivery lists. Until the delivery schedule list is finalized, other user equipment whose provisional delivery date is June 22 or June 27 may be sequentially added.
Note that, in FIG. 11, a plurality of scheduled delivery dates are described in one scheduled delivery list, but it is preferable to divide each scheduled delivery date and each delivery base into separate lists.

An LP gas delivery management system or a gas cylinder delivery method according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 12.
In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown by a broken line block in FIGS. 4 and 5, a gas leak sensor 51 and a gas shutoff control unit 52 are provided in the user equipment 10, and the management system 21 includes: A gas leak control unit 55 is provided. Alternatively, a gas leak detector 54 including the gas leak sensor 51 and the communication device 12 may be provided. The gas leak sensor 52, the gas circuit breaker 53, and the gas leak detector 54 are not essential, and are provided as needed.
Description will be given according to the processing flow of FIG. The processing procedure of FIG. 12 is that the detection of the gas leakage abnormality and the corresponding processing (steps S51 to S54) are inserted between steps S1 and S2 of the processing procedure described in FIG.

When the supply of gas from the gas cylinder is started (step S1), it is confirmed whether or not gas leakage has occurred (step S51). When the gas leak sensor 51 (see FIG. 4) of the user equipment 10 detects a gas leak (step S51; Yes), an alarm sound or the like is output (step S52), and management is performed via the transmitter 19 and the communication device 12. A gas leak signal is transmitted to the system 21 (step S53). When the user equipment 10 includes a gas circuit breaker, the equipment control unit 17 simultaneously activates the gas cutoff control unit 52 to drive the gas circuit breaker 53 to cut off the supply of gas (step S54).
When the management system 21 receives the gas leak signal, the management system 21 investigates the cause of the gas leak, performs a coping process such as a repair, in order to deal with the gas leak.

When the delivery date and the delivery list are fixed, the management system 21 or each delivery site searches for a delivery route for efficiently delivering (delivering) the gas cylinder to each user facility described in the delivery list on the delivery date. It is desirable to present it. FIG. 13 shows an example of delivery bases, their delivery ranges (territories), and delivery routes. In FIG. 13, the part surrounded by the broken line and the solid line shows each delivery area of each delivery point b1 to b4, the ◯ mark is the user equipment for which the scheduled delivery date is currently set, and the □ mark is each delivery point b1. The positions of b2 are shown. Now, assuming that the delivery list for a certain delivery date of the delivery point b1 has been determined, for example, delivery in the order of 1 to 7 enables efficient delivery. It is desirable to create and output such an efficient delivery route for each base or for each payer. The delivery route can be output using a publicly known or well-known delivery route search algorithm as appropriate. At that time, it is desirable to search for and provide the optimum delivery route from the two viewpoints of the desired delivery time and the delivery position.

10, 10 (a1) to 10 (an), 10-1, 10-2 User equipment 11 Measuring instrument 11a Gas pressure measuring instrument 11b Weight measuring instrument 12 Communication device 13 Switching device 14, 14a, 14b Gas cylinder 15 Gas pressure adjustment Instrument 16 Measuring unit 17 Equipment control unit 18 Switching control unit 19 Transmission (reception) reception unit 20 Provider system 21 Management system 22 Service center 23 Reception unit 24 Data recording control unit 25 Management control unit 26, 26' Data storage unit (disk etc)
27 prediction unit 28 delivery management unit 29 input/output unit 30 delivery base (general term)
30 (b1) to 30 (bn) Delivery base system 31 Communication interface 51 Gas leak sensor 52 Gas cutoff control unit 53 Gas breaker 54 Gas leak detector (with Wi-Fi router function)
55 Gas leak control section a1-an User b1-bn Individual delivery point

Claims (18)

1. Portable gas including user equipment that uses a portable gas fuel such as LP gas (hereinafter referred to as "LP gas"), and a computer-based management system that performs delivery management for continuously providing LP gas A fuel delivery management system,
   The user equipment is
   A gas container filled with LP gas, a measuring device that measures the gas pressure of LP gas or the weight of LP gas output from the gas container and outputs measurement data, and transmits the measurement data via a communication network. Equipped with a communication device,
   The management system is
   Communication means for acquiring the measurement data via the communication network,
   Means for storing the received measurement data in association with each of the user equipment,
   A delivery management unit that manages delivery of a gas container filled with LP gas to each user facility before the LP gas runs out, based on the measurement data.
   Further, the delivery management means calculates a future gas remaining amount of each of the user equipments based on the measurement data, and predicts that the remaining amount of the gas container will reach a replacement threshold indicating a replacement level of the gas container. A prediction unit for predicting a day and a few days before the predicted replacement date predicted by the prediction unit, the predicted replacement date is set as the scheduled delivery date of the user facility, and it is necessary to attend the replacement of the gas container. A portable gas fuel delivery management system, comprising: a delivery management unit that inquires of a user facility about a desired delivery date and determines the delivery date.
2. The delivery management means, when a day different from the original planned delivery date is designated as the desired delivery date, changes the designated desired delivery date to the planned delivery date of the user facility. The portable fuel delivery management system according to claim 1.
3. The delivery management means determines the delivery scheduled date designated as the user facility as an actual delivery date on at least one day before the delivery scheduled date, and at least by the day before the delivery date. The portable gas fuel delivery management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a delivery list that describes delivery destinations on the same confirmed delivery date is output.
4. The delivery management means adds to the delivery list even the user equipment that has inquired about the desired delivery date, and the user equipment for which the desired delivery date has not been entered by the date when the delivery date is confirmed, or 4. The portable gas fuel delivery management system according to claim 3, wherein a delivery list that is excluded from the delivery list is created for user equipment for which a desired delivery date has not been input.
5. The delivery management means sets, for the user equipment for which the desired delivery date is not entered by the user equipment that has inquired about the desired delivery date, until the date when the delivery date is confirmed. The delivery of the portable gas fuel according to claim 3, wherein the next day of the scheduled delivery date is changed to the scheduled delivery date, and the user equipment is excluded from the delivery list of the original scheduled delivery date. Management system.
6. The delivery management means creates a delivery schedule list for each scheduled delivery date that describes the user facilities on the same scheduled delivery date, and inquires the desired delivery date from the scheduled delivery list. 6. The delivery schedule list is updated when the desired delivery date is input from equipment, and the delivery list is created based on the updated delivery schedule list. Item 1. A portable gas fuel delivery management system according to item 1.
7. The portable gas fuel delivery management system according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the delivery management means outputs a delivery route indicating the order of the delivery list and the delivery destination.
8. The user equipment further includes a gas leak detector having a gas leak sensor, and when a gas leak occurs, the user equipment is notified of the gas leak, and the communication device transmits the gas leak through the communication network. The portable gas fuel delivery management system according to claim 1, wherein a gas leak signal is transmitted to the management system.
9. The gas leak gas leak detector further includes a Wi-Fi router in place of the communication device, and the Wi-Fi router causes the management system to transmit the measurement data and the measurement data to the management system via the communication network. 9. The portable gas fuel delivery management system according to claim 8, wherein a gas leak detection signal and other data or signals are transmitted.
10. The portable gas fuel delivery management system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the user equipment further includes a shutoff mechanism that shuts off the gas supply when a gas leak is detected.
11. The weight of a gas container filled with a portable gas fuel such as LP gas (hereinafter referred to as “LP gas”) and the gas pressure of the LP gas output from the gas container or the weight of the gas container containing the LP gas User equipment including a measuring device that measures and outputs measurement data, and a communication device that transmits the measurement data measured by the measuring device via a communication network, and the gas pressure data from the user equipment In a portable gas fuel delivery management system for delivering a gas container filled with LP gas to a user by using a computer-based management system for receiving
    The user equipment is
    (A1) The gas pressure of the gas container or the weight of the gas container is automatically measured by the measuring device, and the measured data is automatically transmitted through a communication network at a predetermined timing. Data transmission step to
    The management system is
    (B1) a recording step of receiving the measurement data via the communication network and recording the received measurement data for each of the user equipments;
    (B2) calculating a predicted replacement date when the remaining amount of the gas becomes a replacement threshold for replacing the gas container based on the measurement data, and setting a scheduled delivery date;
    (B3) a step of confirming a desired delivery date with respect to the user equipment that needs to be present to replace the gas container among the user equipment for which the scheduled delivery date is set,
    (B4) determining the scheduled delivery date based on the input desired delivery date,
    (B5) confirming the planned delivery date and creating a delivery list at least one day before the planned delivery date;
    (B6) a step of outputting the delivery list, the delivery management method of the portable gas fuel.
12. In the step (b4), for the user equipment for which the desired delivery date has not been input by the day before the scheduled delivery date, the scheduled delivery date set in the step (b2) is the delivery date of the user equipment. The delivery management method of the portable gas fuel according to claim 11, wherein
13. In the step (b4), for the user equipment for which the desired delivery date has not been input by the day before the scheduled delivery date, the user equipment is set to the day after the scheduled delivery date set in the step (b2). The delivery management method for a portable gas fuel according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the delivery date is changed.
14. The portable gas fuel delivery management method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein in the step (b6), delivery route information of delivery destinations corresponding to the delivery list is further output.
15. In the step (b3), a delivery schedule list of the user facilities for which the scheduled delivery date is set and the scheduled delivery date is the same is created, and the delivery request input in the step (b4). The delivery schedule list is updated based on a day, and in step (b5), the delivery schedule list is finalized to be the delivery list by at least one day before the scheduled delivery date. Item 15. The delivery management method of the portable gas fuel according to any one of Items 11 to 14.
16. The portable gas fuel delivery management method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising transmitting the delivery list to the delivery site in the step (b6).
17. In addition to the step (a1), the user equipment is
    (A2) a step of monitoring the gas leak by the gas leak detector, notifying the gas leak when the gas leak is detected, and transmitting a gas leak signal to the monitoring system,
    The management system further includes
    (B7) when the gas leak signal is received, the step of outputting an activation command for gas leak countermeasure is prioritized over the other steps (b1) to (b6). 17. The delivery management method for portable gas fuel according to any one of 1 to 16.
18. The user equipment is further
    18. The portable gas fuel delivery management system according to claim 17, further comprising: (a3) a gas shut-off step of shutting off gas supply by a gas breaker when the gas leak is detected.

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