JP7101069B2 - LP gas delivery management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an LP gas delivery management system that efficiently performs delivery (replacement) work of an LP gas container.

LP gas containers such as gas cylinders and gas cylinders filled with LP gas are installed in gas consumption areas such as houses and stores that use LP gas. The amount of LP gas used is measured by a gas meter, and the meter reading result of the gas meter is periodically collected by a management computer on the side of the gas management company, for example, via a communication device. Based on the meter reading result, gas remaining amount management and gas charge billing processing are performed. When the remaining amount of gas in the LP gas container is below a certain level and the gas is about to run out (out of gas), a gas delivery person performs a gas delivery operation in which the LP gas container is replaced by a gas delivery vehicle.

In gas delivery work, for example, the day when the gas will run out is predicted from the monthly gas meter reading result, the delivery time is specified in consideration of the predetermined safety factor, and the gas delivery staff is instructed to deliver at the specified delivery time. ing. The gas delivery staff receives, for example, a delivery slip for a week's worth of LP gas containers from the management side of a gas management company, etc., and before and after including the specified delivery date to the gas delivery destination specified in the delivery slip. Perform gas delivery work during the delivery period of several days. Generally, a gas delivery person determines a delivery route (delivery order) that goes around a gas delivery destination based on intuition, experience, operating time, and the like.

Patent Document 1 aims to improve delivery efficiency by adjusting the number of delivery personnel according to the delivery load on the delivery base and the delivery person while avoiding unexpected situations such as out of gas at the gas delivery destination. A gas container exchange system has been proposed. In this system, the gas container replacement date at each gas consuming area is calculated according to the amount of gas used or the remaining amount of gas at each gas consuming area. In addition, based on the information of the delivery staff who can be in charge of the gas container replacement day, the delivery section information, the required time for each delivery section, etc., the delivery person and the required number of delivery staff on the gas container replacement day are determined and the delivery is performed. We are trying to improve efficiency.

Japanese Patent No. 6298917

In order to improve the efficiency of gas delivery work, LP gas containers are delivered to as many gas consuming areas as possible with one gas delivery vehicle on the premise that gas will never run out in each gas consuming area. It is desirable to be able to do this, and for that purpose, it is desirable to correct the difference in delivery frequency between winter and summer and to equalize the delivery workload (working time).

Here, the amount of gas used in each gas consuming area varies greatly, and the amount of gas used varies greatly depending on the season. Regarding gas consumption, in general, 70% or more of gas consumption areas are small gas consumption areas where the monthly average value of gas consumption is less than 5 m ³ / month, and the remaining 30% or less gas consumption areas use gas. It is a mass gas consuming area with a monthly average of ^5m3 / month or more, and a small part of the mass gas consuming area is the most important delivery destination where daily delivery or alternate day delivery is performed. Regarding seasonal fluctuations, the winter season when gas heating equipment is used is the gas demand period, and the amount of gas used in each gas consumption area increases, and the delivery frequency (replacement frequency) of LP gas containers accordingly. Will also be higher. On the contrary, summer is a gas non-demand period, and the frequency of delivery of LP gas containers is extremely low.

Until now, gas delivery management has detected the amount of gas used and the amount of gas remaining in each gas consuming area, predicted the time of gas outage based on these, and for each gas consuming area before the gas outage occurred. Complete the gas delivery work. We are trying to optimize the delivery route and the optimal distribution of delivery staff and delivery vehicles so that the generated gas delivery work can be performed efficiently.

However, in the past gas delivery management, the amount of gas used between each gas consumption area and the variation in gas delivery frequency based on seasonal fluctuations in gas consumption are positively considered, and gas is based on these factors. It does not actively try to improve the efficiency of delivery work. For example, the frequency of gas delivery is not leveled throughout the year, and the workload and working hours of gas delivery staff are not positively leveled.

An object of the present invention is to provide an LP gas delivery management system that focuses on the gas consumption frequency in each gas consumption area and the gas delivery frequency distribution based on the seasonal fluctuation of the gas consumption, and efficiently performs the gas delivery work based on these. To do.

In order to solve the above problems, the LP gas delivery management system for managing the gas delivery work of delivering LP gas to a plurality of gas consumption areas according to the present invention includes a gas delivery management server, a gas consumption area, and gas delivery. It has a database in which information about personnel and gas delivery vehicles is registered. The gas delivery frequency distribution obtained by totaling the number of deliveries of LP gas containers to each of the gas consuming areas at regular intervals throughout the year is registered in the database or can be input to the gas delivery management server. In addition, the database shows the delivery frequency of LP gas cylinders per year based on the average gas usage for each fixed period and the capacity of the LP gas container installed in the gas consumption area. A gas consuming area that requires only one or two times is registered as a small amount gas consuming area. The gas delivery management server sets the first gas delivery time for performing gas delivery work to a small amount of gas consumption area to the time including the period when the delivery frequency is the lowest in the gas delivery frequency distribution, or the average frequency in the gas delivery frequency distribution. It is equipped with a first gas delivery time calculation function that sets the time within the period of low delivery frequency.

In the present invention, for example, a gas consuming area having an average gas consumption of less than 5 m ³ / month is extracted as a small amount gas consuming area. An LP gas container installed in a small amount gas consumption area is, for example, a 50 kg gas cylinder. In addition, the first gas delivery time is set to, for example, the summer period from June to September.

In general residential areas, more than 70% of gas consuming areas are small amount gas consuming areas represented by general houses whose monthly average gas consumption is less than 5 m ³ / month. In areas where small amounts of gas are consumed, a large amount of gas is used in winter, which is the gas demand season when heating appliances are used, and it is rarely used in summer. Gas containers are replaced once a year, at most twice, in areas where small amounts of gas are consumed, and the replacement period tends to be concentrated in winter when gas demand is high.

According to the present invention, the delivery work (replacement work) of the LP gas container to the small gas consumption area is performed in the summer when the gas demand is low. In other words, in winter when gas demand is high, gas delivery work to the remaining 30% or less of large gas consumption areas should be concentrated. As a result, of the gas delivery work that was concentrated in winter when gas demand is high, it is possible to shift to summer for areas that consume small amounts of gas, and it is possible to achieve leveling of gas delivery frequency throughout the year. Conventionally, a modified working hour system has been adopted in which the daily working hours of gas delivery staff are lengthened in winter and shortened in summer to cope with increasing or decreasing gas delivery work. According to the present invention, working hours can be made almost constant throughout the year. In addition, when formulating a delivery route for LP gas containers, it is sufficient to focus on areas that consume a large amount of gas of less than 30%. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently and easily formulate a delivery route.

Generally, in each of the gas consuming areas, a gas meter and a gas consuming area communication device for bidirectional communication with the gas delivery management server are arranged. Alternatively, the gas meter is designed as an IoT device that communicates with a gas delivery management server. The gas delivery management server includes a gas remaining amount calculation unit, a period average gas usage amount calculation unit, a second gas delivery time calculation unit, and a gas delivery time determination unit. The gas remaining amount calculation unit calculates the gas remaining amount of the LP gas container in each of the gas consuming areas at a fixed cycle based on the gas meter reading value of each gas meter in the gas consuming area. The period average gas usage calculation unit calculates the period average gas usage for each fixed period in each of the gas consuming areas based on the gas meter reading value at a fixed cycle. In the database, gas consuming areas other than small amount gas consuming areas are registered as large amount gas consuming areas, and among the large amount of gas consuming areas, gas consuming areas where gas delivery work is performed every day or every other day are registered as the highest priority delivery destination. Will be done. The second gas delivery time calculation unit calculates the second gas delivery time for performing the gas delivery work to the gas consumption area based on the remaining amount of gas and the period average gas usage amount in each gas consumption area.

Then, the gas delivery timing determination unit creates a gas delivery slip so that the gas delivery work is performed every day or every other day for the gas consumption area registered as the highest priority delivery destination. For gas consuming areas registered as mass gas consuming areas other than the highest priority delivery destination, a gas delivery slip is created in which the gas delivery work time is set to the second gas delivery time. For gas consuming areas registered as small-quantity gas consuming areas, the time of gas delivery work is earlier than the first gas delivery time, which is uniformly specified, and the second gas delivery time, which is calculated based on the remaining amount of gas. Set the time of the person and create a gas delivery slip.

In this way, the gas delivery time for each gas consumption area is determined, and the gas delivery slip created based on this is handed over to the gas delivery staff in charge. The gas delivery slip is transmitted as electronic data to, for example, a gas delivery staff communication device mounted on a gas delivery vehicle, and is displayed on the display screen thereof. As for the display form of the gas delivery destination screen, it is desirable that the gas worker can see the state of each gas consuming area at a glance from the screen display. For that purpose, for example, a map of the gas delivery destination area is displayed on the display screen, and a delivery destination mark indicating each gas consumption area classified according to the remaining amount of gas and the gas delivery time is displayed on the displayed map. Display the classification in a visible form.

In this case, the gas delivery staff communication device uses the gas delivery management server to provide map information of the gas delivery destination area and a gas delivery slip (small gas consumption area and large gas consumption area which are attribute information of each gas consumption area of the gas delivery destination). , Top priority delivery destination, gas remaining amount, gas delivery time, number / capacity of installed LP gas containers, other information) and the communication unit that receives information, and based on the received information, on the display screen On the map of the displayed gas delivery destination area, it has a display control function that displays the delivery destination mark indicating each gas consumption area and the base mark indicating the delivery base that is the start point and end point of the gas delivery route on the display screen. .. As the delivery destination mark, a mark indicating whether the delivery destination is a small amount gas consumption area, a large amount gas consumption area, or a priority delivery destination, and the remaining amount of gas and the gas delivery time are used in a visible form.

In this case, when the delivery destination mark is selected on the display screen, the attribute information of the gas consumption area indicated by the selected delivery destination mark (number of installed LP gas containers , number of replacements, gas). It is convenient for gas delivery personnel to be able to display the container installation position and other information.

Further, it is convenient for the gas delivery staff to be able to determine, for example, the gas delivery destination and the gas delivery route on the day on the display screen. Therefore, when the gas delivery staff selects all or part of the delivery destination marks with the same gas delivery time on the display screen, the delivery route via the selected delivery destination mark is set according to a preset algorithm. It should be formulated and displayed.

For example, when multiple delivery destination marks displayed on the display screen are selected, the delivery route creation display function of the delivery staff communication device always goes through the highest priority delivery destination and is indicated by each selected delivery destination mark. Create one delivery route candidate or multiple delivery route candidates via the gas consumption area, and select each of the created delivery route candidates on the display screen with the base mark as the starting point and ending point. Displayed by a line segment connecting the delivery address marks.

In this case, the delivery route creation display function can create a candidate for the optimum delivery route so that the travel time is shorter and the travel distance is shorter, based on the following parameters.
Load capacity of LP gas container delivery vehicle Number of gas containers that can be loaded determined by the type of LP gas container and its combination Operating time of gas delivery staff Travel time between the gas consumption areas that are gas delivery destinations Traffic conditions, weather, roads Delay time due to the environment of the delivery route including the condition Time required for replacement of LP gas container at the gas delivery destination Time required for delivery work including break of gas delivery staff

Next, in the present invention, in the database, a gas consumption area located in a remote area where the travel distance or travel time of the gas delivery vehicle from the distribution base, which is the delivery starting point of the LP gas container , is longer than a predetermined value, is set as a remote gas consumption area. When issuing a gas delivery slip to a remote gas consuming area, it is desirable that the gas delivery management server instruct the replacement of the entire amount of the LP gas container. By exchanging the entire amount to the remote gas consuming area, the frequency of gas delivery to the remote gas consuming area can be minimized, and the efficiency of the gas delivery work can be improved as a whole.

It is an overall block diagram which shows the LP gas delivery management system which applied the delivery method of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the main part in the system of FIG. It is a graph which shows the example of a gas delivery frequency distribution. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the delivery destination mark displayed on the screen, and is the explanatory diagram which shows an example of the gas delivery destination screen.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an LP gas delivery management system to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an LP gas delivery management system 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “system 1”) according to the present embodiment. The system 1 can be constructed as a general centralized gas monitoring system. The system 1 includes a gas delivery management server 3 installed on the side of the gas management company (gas delivery management company) 2 and gas consumption areas 4 (4-1,) such as individual houses, apartment houses, stores, companies, and factories. Replacement or bulk of LP gas containers such as LP gas cylinders and LP gas cylinders in each of the gas supply equipment 5 installed in each of 4-2, 4-3, ... 4-n) and the gas consumption area 4. It is composed of a gas delivery staff communication device 7 which is an in-vehicle communication device mounted on a gas delivery vehicle 6 for delivering gas for filling a storage tank with LP gas, and a communication network A connecting each of these parts. ..

The gas supply facility 5 of each gas consumption area 4 includes a gas supply source 8 in which an LP gas container or a bulk storage tank is installed, a gas meter 9 for measuring the gas flow rate supplied from the gas supply source 8, and a gas consumption area communication. It is equipped with a device 10. For example, a plurality of LP gas containers 11 and 12 are installed in the gas supply source 8, or two LP gas containers 11 and 12 in the illustrated example. The gas is supplied from these LP gas containers 11 and 12 to the gas appliances 14a, 14b, 14c ... Through the automatic switching regulator 13 and the gas meter 9. The automatic switching regulator 13 automatically switches the supply source to the other LP gas container when the remaining amount of one LP gas container becomes zero. When the automatic switching operation is performed, an automatic switching notification indicating the automatic switching operation is transmitted to the gas delivery management server 3 via the gas meter 9 and the gas consumption area communication device 10. Further, the meter reading report including the meter reading value by the gas meter 9 is supplied to the gas delivery management server 3 via the gas consumption area communication device 10 periodically or in response to a request from the gas delivery management server 3 side. To. For example, it is supplied to the gas delivery management server 3 by LPWA communication.

A cylinder reset switch 15 is arranged on the gas meter 9. The cylinder reset switch 15 is operated to restart the gas supply after the work is completed by the delivery person who replaces the LP gas containers 11 and 12 or fills the bulk storage tank with the LP gas. When the cylinder reset switch 15 is operated, the gas consumption area communication device 10 is supplied with a notification of the end of the gas delivery work to the gas delivery management server 3. By this notification, the gas delivery management server 3 can confirm the completion of the gas delivery work.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of the gas delivery management function in the system 1. The gas delivery management server 3 performs bidirectional communication with each gas consumption area communication device 10 via the management side communication device 31, and bidirectional communication with each gas delivery staff communication device 7. Communicate. An input device 32, an output device such as a display device 33, and a database 34 are connected to the gas delivery management server 3. The gas delivery management server 3 is supplied with the gas meter reading value of the gas consuming area 4, the automatic switching notification, the reset notification, and the like from the gas consuming area communication device 10 side via the management side communication device 31. The control unit of the gas delivery management server 3 executes the installed gas delivery management program to determine the gas remaining amount calculation unit 35, the period average gas usage amount calculation unit 36, the gas delivery time calculation unit 37, and the gas delivery time. It functions as a unit 38, a gas delivery slip creation unit 39, and the like.

The gas remaining amount calculation unit 35 calculates the gas remaining amount of each gas consumption area 4 based on the gas meter reading value. The period average gas usage calculation unit 36 calculates the average gas usage for each fixed period in each gas consumption area 4, for example, the monthly average gas usage, based on the gas meter reading value. The gas delivery time calculation unit 37 predicts the gas out time of each gas consumption area 4 from the calculated remaining amount of gas and the average gas usage amount during the period, and based on this, adds a predetermined safety factor and delivers the gas. Calculate the time. In addition, as will be described later, for areas that consume a small amount of gas, the summer period when gas delivery frequency is low is set as the gas delivery time. The gas delivery time determination unit 38 determines the gas delivery time to be adopted based on the calculated gas delivery time. The gas delivery slip creation unit 39 creates a gas delivery slip based on the determined gas delivery time. For example, a gas delivery slip is created on a 7-day basis (weekly basis). The electronic data of the gas delivery slip is transmitted to the gas delivery staff communication device 7 of the gas delivery staff in charge.

Various information required for gas delivery management is registered in the database 34 of the gas delivery management server 3. Registration information includes gas consumption area information (address, name, number / capacity of LP gas containers , gas usage history, gas delivery history, etc.), map information including road information (delivery route information), gas delivery staff information ( Gas delivery history, work history, assigned gas delivery vehicle information, etc.), gas delivery vehicle information (loading weight, gas delivery history, gas delivery staff information, etc.) are included. In addition, as will be described later, the gas consuming area information includes information indicating whether the gas consuming area is a small amount gas consuming area, a large amount of gas consuming area, or the highest priority delivery destination that is the barrier of the delivery route. ing.

The in-vehicle gas delivery staff communication device 7 mounted on each LP gas delivery vehicle 6 has a GPS function, a VICS (registered trademark) reception function, a car navigation function, and the like, and communicates with the gas delivery management server 3 by LPWA communication. Two-way communication is performed with. The gas delivery staff communication device 7 includes a communication unit 71, a control unit 72, a storage unit 73, an input unit 74, and a display unit 75. The control unit 72 has functions such as a gas delivery destination area map creation / display function 76 and a delivery route creation / display function 77. The gas delivery destination area map creation display function 76 is on the map displayed on the display screen of the display unit 75 based on the map information of the gas delivery destination area and the gas delivery slip received from the gas delivery management server 3 via the communication unit 71. Displays each gas consumption area that is the gas delivery destination. The delivery route creation display function 77 creates a delivery route connecting each gas consumption area, which is the displayed gas delivery destination, on the display screen. These will be described later.

(Preset information)
When gas delivery management is performed using the system 1, various types of information are initially registered in the database 34 in advance. For example, each gas consumption area 4 is classified into a small amount gas consumption area 4A, a large amount gas consumption area 4B, and a highest priority delivery destination 4C based on the gas usage history, the gas delivery history, and the like in each gas consumption area 4. The small amount gas consumption area 4A is a gas consumption area where the amount of gas used at regular intervals is less than the set amount. For example, a gas consuming area 4 having an average monthly gas consumption of less than 5 m ³ / month is registered as a small amount gas consuming area 4A, and a gas consuming area 4 having an average monthly gas consumption of 5 m ³ / month or more is consumed in large quantities. Register as ground 4B. Further, among the mass gas consuming areas 4B, the gas consuming areas where daily delivery or alternate day delivery is performed based on the gas delivery history are registered as the highest priority delivery destination 4C. In addition, the gas delivery frequency distribution throughout the year is calculated and registered based on the gas delivery history and the like in each gas consumption area 4. Further, a gas consuming area located in a remote area located in an area where the moving distance or moving time of the gas delivery vehicle from the delivery base, which is the delivery starting point of the LP gas container, is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, is registered as the remote gas consuming area 4D. In this example, the remote gas consuming area 4D is registered to exchange the entire amount of the LP gas cylinder.

In general, more than 70% of the gas consuming areas 4 are small gas consuming areas 4A with an average monthly gas consumption of less than 5 m ³ / month, and the remaining 30% are large gas consuming areas 4B every day. Alternatively, there are very few top priority delivery destinations 4C where delivery is performed every other day. As for the gas delivery frequency distribution throughout the year, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line C1 in FIG. 3, the gas delivery frequency is high in the winter, which is the gas demand season, and the gas delivery frequency is low in the summer, which is the gas non-demand season. For this reason, the current situation is that gas delivery staff adopt a modified working hour system that increases working hours in winter and decreases them in summer to cope with the busy season in winter.

The present inventor paid attention to such a gas usage situation and a gas delivery situation. In the small amount gas consumption area 4A, which is the majority, if the capacity of the 50 kg gas cylinder is 25 m ³ , it takes 5 months to run out of gas, and the average monthly gas consumption in the small amount gas consumption area 4A is 2. Assuming 5m ³ / month, it takes 10 months to run out of gas. If two 50 kg gas cylinders are installed in the small gas consumption area 4A, only one gas delivery (gas container replacement) is required per year. Since it is only necessary to deliver once a year, by setting the gas delivery time to the summer when the gas is not in demand and the gas delivery frequency is the lowest, the gas delivery frequency distribution can be leveled throughout the year. In addition, the formulation of a gas delivery route can be simplified because it can be done mainly in the mass gas consumption area 4B, which is less than 30%. In addition to this, by setting the highest priority delivery destination 4C for daily delivery or alternate-day delivery as a barrier that must be passed when formulating a gas delivery route, it is possible to formulate a gas delivery route more easily and efficiently. Become.

(Gas delivery management in small gas consumption areas)
In the gas delivery management by the system 1 of this example, based on the above-mentioned knowledge and ideas by the present inventor, the gas delivery time to the small amount gas consumption area 4A is first set as follows.

The gas delivery time calculation unit 37 of the gas delivery management server 3 extracts the small amount gas consumption area 4A based on the registration information of the database 34. Of course, a small amount of gas consumption area 4A may be set by an external input. The gas delivery time to the small amount gas consumption area 4A is set to the summer period, for example, the first gas delivery time for four months from June to September. When the gas delivery slip is created on a 7-day basis, the gas delivery time is assigned to each of the small-quantity gas consumption areas 4A on a 7-day basis for 4 months. For the allocation, for example, a random number generator randomly sets a gas delivery time for each of the small amount gas consuming areas 4A. Based on the set first gas delivery time, the gas delivery slip creation unit 39 creates a gas delivery slip for each small amount gas consumption area 4A. The set first gas delivery time is registered in the database 34 in a form associated with each small amount gas consumption area 4A.

For each small amount gas consumption area 4A, the gas delivery time is set in the summer as described above, and the gas remaining amount calculation unit 35 and the average gas usage amount calculation unit 36 periodically set the gas remaining amount and the gas remaining amount. The average gas consumption is calculated, the gas delivery time calculation unit 37 predicts the gas out time, and the second gas delivery time before the gas out is calculated in consideration of the safety factor. In the gas delivery time determination unit 38, when the calculated second gas delivery time is earlier than the first gas delivery time set in the summer, the gas delivery time is calculated as the second gas delivery time. It is switched to to ensure that the outage of gas can be prevented.

(Gas delivery management in mass gas consumption areas)
On the other hand, for the large amount of gas consumption area 4B, the gas remaining amount and the period average gas usage amount are periodically calculated by the gas remaining amount calculation unit 35 and the average gas usage amount calculation unit 36 of the gas delivery management server 3. The gas delivery time calculation unit 37 predicts the gas out time and sets the second gas delivery time before the gas out in consideration of the safety factor. The gas delivery slip creation unit 39 creates a gas delivery slip based on the calculated second gas delivery time, for example, on a 7-day basis.

In this way, for the small gas consumption area 4A of more than 70%, the gas delivery time is basically set in the summer when the gas is not in demand, and for the large gas consumption area 4B, the gas out time is based on the gas meter reading result. Is predicted, and the gas delivery time is set based on this. The frequency of gas delivery based on actual gas demand is high in winter, which is the gas demand season, and low in summer, which is the gas non-demand season. Therefore, as shown by the two-dot chain line C1 in FIG. 3, the gas delivery frequency distribution when the gas delivery work is performed at the gas delivery time calculated based on the actual gas demand is high in winter and low in summer.

On the other hand, according to the gas delivery management by the system 1 of this example, gas delivery (gas container replacement) is performed in the small amount gas consumption area 4A in the summer, and the actual gas is used in the large amount gas consumption area 4B. The gas delivery time is set based on. For example, in FIG. 3, as shown by the solid line C2, the frequency of gas delivery in summer increases, and the frequency of gas delivery in winter decreases accordingly. Therefore, it is possible to equalize the gas delivery frequency throughout the year. As a result, it is no longer necessary to adopt the conventional modified working hours system for gas delivery staff, and the working environment for gas delivery staff is also improved.

Further, in this example, since the total amount of the remote gas consuming area 4D is exchanged in principle, the number of gas deliveries to the remote gas consuming area 4D can be halved. This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of delivery work.

(Formulation of delivery route)
The electronic information of the gas delivery slip created as described above is provided from the gas delivery management server 3 to the gas delivery staff communication device 7 of the gas delivery staff in charge via the management side communication device 31. From the gas delivery management server 3, the map information of the gas delivery destination area and the gas delivery slip (small amount gas consumption area, large amount gas consumption area, top priority delivery destination, which are attribute information of each gas consumption area of the gas delivery destination, Information including the remaining amount of gas, the timing of gas delivery, the number and capacity of installed LP gas containers, and other information) is provided. The control unit 72 of the gas delivery staff communication device 7 stores and holds the received information in the storage unit 73. When the gas delivery destination area map creation display function 76 receives the delivery destination area display request via the input unit 74, for example, the gas delivery destination screen showing each gas delivery destination described in the 7-day-based gas delivery slip is displayed. It is displayed on the display screen 75a of the display unit 75.

As the display form of the gas delivery destination screen, it is desirable that the gas worker can understand the state of each gas consumption area 4 at a glance from the screen display. For this purpose, for example, a map of the gas delivery destination area is displayed on the display screen 75a, and a delivery destination mark indicating each gas consumption area classified according to the remaining amount of gas and the gas delivery time is displayed on the displayed map. , It is desirable to display each category in a visually recognizable form.

FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing the type of the displayed delivery destination mark, and FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the gas delivery screen displayed on the display screen 75a. The gas delivery destination area map creation display function 76 displays a delivery destination mark indicating the position of each gas consumption area 4 which is a gas delivery destination on the area map 51 displayed on the display screen 75a. In addition, there are nine types of delivery destination marks, and the types can be easily known visually.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in this example, the gas consuming area 4 having a gas remaining amount of less than 20% is indicated by a triangular delivery destination mark, and the gas consuming area 4 having a gas remaining amount of less than 20% to 60% is a quadrangle. It is indicated by a delivery address mark, and 60% or more of the gas consumption area 4 is indicated by a circular delivery address mark. In addition, the gas consumption area 4 with a remaining amount of 7 days or less (out of gas within 7 days) is indicated by a black-painted triangle, square, or circular delivery destination mark, and the remaining amount is 7 to 20 days (out of gas is 7). Gas consuming areas 4 (within 20 days) are indicated by diagonal triangles, squares, and circular delivery destination marks, and gas consuming areas 4 with a remaining amount of more than 20 days (after 20 days have passed) are white. Indicated by a triangular, square, or circular shipping mark. In this way, the gas delivery destination is indicated by nine types of delivery destination marks. Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the delivery destination mark of the highest priority delivery destination 4C (daily delivery destination, alternate day delivery destination) is indicated by a double circle.

The gas delivery staff will deliver gas on a 7-day basis at the points of the delivery destination mark displayed in black triangles, squares, and circles included in the gas delivery destination area map 51 displayed on the display screen 75a. It can be visually confirmed that it is ahead. For example, from the gas delivery destination, select a plurality of points where gas is delivered on the same day. By configuring the display screen 75a from the touch panel, the gas delivery person can select the gas consumption area 4 indicated by the delivery destination mark as the delivery destination on the day by touching the displayed delivery destination mark. Further, when each delivery destination mark is selected, the attribute information of the gas consumption area 4 may be displayed on the screen. For example, display information such as whether or not the entire quantity is replaced and the installation location information of the LP gas container .

After the gas worker selects a plurality of delivery destination marks as the delivery destinations of the day, for example, when a confirmation instruction is input via the input unit 74, the delivery route creation display function 77 of the control unit 72 consumes the selected gas. Create a delivery route connecting locations and display the best delivery route candidates on the screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, a line segment representing the delivery route 53 via the selected delivery destination mark with the delivery base 52 as the starting point and the ending point is displayed.

The delivery route 53 is created so as to always pass through the double circle delivery destination mark set in the highest priority delivery destination 4C. In addition, the delivery route is created based on the following parameters (conditions). These parameters are provided in advance from the gas delivery management server 3 side. Alternatively, the gas delivery worker may input and set.
Load capacity of LP gas cylinder delivery vehicles Number of gas cylinders that can be loaded depending on the type and combination of LP gas cylinders Operating time of delivery staff per day Travel time between gas consumption areas, which are delivery points, including traffic conditions, weather conditions, and road conditions Delay time due to the environment of the delivery route Time required for replacement of LP gas cylinders at the delivery destination Time required for delivery work including breaks for delivery staff

Based on these parameters, candidates for optimal delivery routes with less travel time and shorter travel distance are created and displayed. The attribute information of the optimum delivery route (travel time, travel distance, number and weight of loaded LP gas containers , etc.) is also displayed on the screen. The gas delivery person can easily change the delivery route by adding or deleting the selected delivery destination mark on the display screen 75a.

In the above example, the gas delivery person can select the gas delivery destination of the day on the display screen 75a and set the delivery route. Instead, the 7-day gas delivery slip is subdivided into 1-day bases to create a daily gas delivery slip, and based on this, the gas delivery destination for the day is automatically determined and the optimum gas delivery route is automatically determined. It may be generated and displayed.

In the gas delivery work, gas is delivered via each gas consumption area 4 according to the set delivery route, but in some cases, road conditions on the day (temporary closure due to a traffic accident, etc.) and other sudden events may occur. Depending on the circumstances, you may have to change the delivery route. In this case, the set delivery route may be changed on the display screen 75a. When an impassable route is selected on the display screen 75a, a delivery route that does not pass through that route may be automatically generated. Alternatively, if one gas consumption area of the delivery destination is selected and deleted, a new delivery route that does not go through the gas consumption area may be automatically created and displayed.

In the above example, the gas delivery destination area map creation / display function 76 and the delivery route creation / display function 77 of the gas delivery staff communication device 7 have been described. These functions are provided as software for gas delivery management, for example, from the side of the gas delivery management server 3, and are installed and used in the gas delivery staff communication device 7. Alternatively, these functions may be used by accessing the side of the gas delivery management server 3. Needless to say, these functions are also provided on the gas delivery management server 3 side.

1 LP gas delivery management system (system)
2 Gas management company (gas delivery management company)
3 Gas delivery management server 4 Gas consumption area 4A Small amount gas consumption area 4B Mass gas consumption area 4C Top priority delivery destination 4D Remote gas consumption area 5 Gas supply equipment 6 Gas delivery vehicle 7 Gas delivery staff communication device 8 Gas supply source 9 Gas meter 10 Gas consumption area communication device 11, 12 LP gas container
13 Automatic switching regulator 14a, 14b, 14c Gas appliance 15 Cylinder reset switch 31 Management side communication device 32 Input device 33 Display device 34 Database 35 Gas remaining amount calculation unit 36 Period average gas usage calculation unit 37 Gas delivery time calculation unit 38 Gas delivery time determination unit 39 Gas delivery slip creation unit 51 Gas delivery destination area map 52 Delivery base 53 Delivery route 71 Communication unit 72 Control unit 73 Storage unit 74 Input unit 75 Display unit 75a Display screen 76 Gas delivery destination area map creation display function 77 Delivery Route creation display function

Claims (8)

It is an LP gas delivery management system that manages gas delivery work that delivers LP gas containers to multiple gas consumption areas.
It has a gas delivery management server and a database in which information about the gas consuming area, gas delivery staff, and gas delivery vehicle is registered.
The gas delivery frequency distribution obtained by totaling the number of deliveries of LP gas containers to each of the gas consumption areas at regular intervals throughout the year is registered in the database or can be input to the gas delivery management server. can be,
In the database, the delivery frequency of LP gas containers per year is based on the average gas usage for each fixed period and the capacity of LP gas containers installed in the gas consumption areas. A gas consuming area that requires only one or two times is registered as a small amount gas consuming area.
The gas delivery management server is provided with a first gas delivery time calculation unit.
The first gas delivery time calculation unit includes the time when the first gas delivery operation for performing the gas delivery work to the small amount gas consumption area includes the period when the delivery frequency is the lowest in the gas delivery frequency distribution, or the gas. An LP gas delivery management system that is set within a period of delivery frequency that is lower than the average frequency in the delivery frequency distribution. In claim 1,
The period average gas usage is the monthly average gas usage,
The gas consuming area having an average monthly gas consumption of less than 5 m ³ / month is registered in the database as the small amount gas consuming area.
The LP gas container installed in the small amount gas consumption area has two gas cylinders having a capacity of 50 kg.
The first gas delivery time calculation unit is an LP gas delivery management system that sets the first gas delivery time to a time including the summer season from June to September. In claim 1 or 2,
A gas meter and a gas consumption area communication device that performs bidirectional communication with the gas delivery management server are arranged in each of the gas consumption areas.
The gas delivery management server includes a gas remaining amount calculation unit, a period average gas usage amount calculation unit, a second gas delivery timing calculation unit, and a gas delivery timing determination unit.
The gas remaining amount calculation unit calculates the gas remaining amount of the LP gas container in each of the gas consuming areas at a fixed cycle based on the meter reading value of the gas meter in each of the gas consuming areas.
The period average gas usage calculation unit calculates the period average gas usage for each fixed period in each of the gas consuming areas based on the meter reading value in a fixed cycle.
In the database, the gas consuming areas other than the small amount gas consuming areas are registered as mass gas consuming areas, and among the large amount gas consuming areas, the gas consuming areas where the gas delivery work is performed every day or every other day are included. It is registered as the highest priority delivery destination and
The second gas delivery time calculation unit performs the gas delivery work to the gas consumption area based on the gas exhaustion time predicted from the gas remaining amount and the period average gas usage amount in each gas consumption area. Calculate the delivery time,
The gas delivery time determination unit
For the gas consuming area registered as the highest priority delivery destination, a gas delivery slip set to perform the gas delivery work every day or every other day is created.
For the gas consuming area registered as the mass gas consuming area other than the highest priority delivery destination, a gas delivery slip in which the time of the gas delivery work is set to the second gas delivery time is created.
For the gas consuming area registered as the small amount gas consuming area, the time of the gas delivery work was set to the earlier of the first gas delivery time and the second gas delivery time. LP gas delivery management system that creates gas delivery slips. In claim 3,
It is equipped with a gas delivery staff communication device that performs two-way communication with the gas delivery management server.
The gas delivery person communication device includes a communication unit, a control unit, and a display unit.
The communication unit performs bidirectional communication with the gas delivery management server, receives map information of the gas delivery destination area and information including the gas delivery slip, and receives information.
In the gas delivery slip, as attribute information of each gas consumption area of the gas delivery destination, the address, the name or the name, the small amount gas consumption area / the large amount gas consumption area / the highest priority delivery destination, the remaining amount of gas, and the gas delivery time , The number and capacity of LP gas containers installed are included,
The control unit has a display control function for displaying a gas delivery destination screen on the display screen of the display unit.
A map of the gas delivery destination area is displayed on the gas delivery destination screen.
On the map, a delivery destination mark indicating each gas consumption area and a base mark indicating a delivery base as a starting point and an ending point of the gas delivery route are displayed.
The delivery destination mark is a mark indicating the distinction between the small amount gas consuming area, the large amount gas consuming area, and the highest priority delivery destination, and the remaining amount of gas and the gas delivery time in a visually identifiable form. LP gas delivery management system. In claim 4,
When the delivery destination mark displayed on the display screen is selected, the control unit has a function of displaying the attribute information of the gas consuming area indicated by the selected delivery destination mark. Delivery management system. In claim 4 or 5,
The control unit of the gas delivery staff communication device has a delivery route creation display function.
The delivery route creation display function is
When a plurality of the delivery destination marks displayed on the display screen are selected, one delivery via the highest priority delivery destination and via the gas consumption area indicated by each selected delivery destination mark. Create route candidates or multiple delivery route candidates,
An LP gas delivery management system that displays a candidate for a delivery route as a line segment connecting the delivery destination marks with the base mark as a starting point and an ending point on the display screen. In claim 6,
The delivery route creation display function is
Load capacity of LP gas container delivery vehicle,
The number of gas containers loaded, which is determined by the type of LP gas container and its combination,
Working hours of gas delivery staff,
Travel time between the gas consuming areas, which are the gas delivery destinations,
Delay times due to the environment of the delivery route, including traffic conditions, weather and road conditions,
LP gas container replacement work time at the gas delivery destination, and
Based on the time required for delivery work, including breaks for gas delivery personnel
An LP gas delivery management system that creates candidates for the optimal delivery route selected so that the travel time is shorter and the travel distance is shorter. In any one of claims 1 to 7,
In the database, the gas consumption area located in an area where the travel distance or travel time of the gas delivery vehicle from the distribution base which is the delivery starting point of the LP gas container is equal to or longer than a predetermined value is registered as a remote gas consumption area.
The gas delivery management server is an LP gas delivery management system that instructs the replacement of the entire amount of the LP gas container as the gas delivery work to the remote gas consumption area.

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