Fuel gas remaining amount management system

Abstract

A gas remaining amount management system is provided with: a flow rate measurement unit that measures gas flowing from a gas container provided for one or more demand residences to a gas facility; a remaining amount calculation unit that calculates the remaining amount of fuel gas in the fuel gas container on the basis of the measurement result of the flow rate measurement unit; a first calculation unit that calculates a replacement period, which is a period for replacing the gas container, by a first calculation method on the basis of the remaining amount of the gas; a second calculation unit that calculates a replacement time using a second calculation method different from the first calculation method on the basis of the remaining amount of fuel gas; and a notification unit that notifies the replacement time on the basis of either the calculation result of the first calculation unit or the calculation result of the second calculation unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas margin management system for managing the margin of gas in each demand residence. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a system for managing the margin of gas in a gas container. For example, in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a consumption prediction device including a margin prediction unit that predicts the margin of gas in a gas container using the daily gas consumption acquired by an acquisition unit and the future gas consumption corresponding to a set number of days predicted by a consumption prediction unit (i.e., the future gas consumption).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-020830 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the above prior art, the margin of gas is predicted using the daily gas consumption and the future gas consumption, that is, using the past data of gas consumption and the future predicted data of gas consumption. However, if there is no effective past data of gas consumption, it is difficult to predict the margin. That is, there is the following problem: It is difficult to manage the gas margin with high accuracy when there is not enough past data of gas consumption to obtain the consumption tendency of gas in the demand residence.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gas margin management system capable of managing the margin of gas in a gas container in a demand residence with high accuracy.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The gas margin management system of the present invention includes: a flow rate measurement unit that measures gas flowing from a gas container provided for one or more demand residences to a gas appliance; a margin calculation unit that calculates the margin of gas in the gas container based on the measurement result of the flow rate measurement unit; a first calculation unit that calculates the period for replacing the gas container, i.e., the replacement period, based on the margin of the gas by a first calculation method; a second calculation unit that calculates the replacement period based on the margin of the gas by a second calculation method different from the first calculation method; and a notification unit that notifies the replacement period based on either the calculation result of the first calculation unit or the calculation result of the second calculation unit.

[0011] According to the present invention, the first calculation method for calculating the replacement time by the first calculation unit is different from the second calculation method for calculating the replacement time by the second calculation unit. In addition, the notification unit notifies the replacement time based on either the calculation result of the first calculation unit or the calculation result of the second calculation unit. Thus, even when the specified information required for calculating the replacement time does not exist in either the first calculation method or the second calculation method, the replacement time can be calculated by the other of the first calculation method and the second calculation method. Thereby, it is possible to manage the remaining amount of gas in the gas container in the demand residence with high accuracy.

[0012] In the above invention, it may also be that the first calculation unit calculates the replacement time based on past data related to the gas consumption of the demand residence before calculating the replacement time in the first calculation method, and the second calculation unit does not calculate the replacement time based on the past data in the second calculation method.

[0013] According to the above structure, when the required past data exists, the first calculation unit can calculate the replacement time, and even when the required past data does not exist, the second calculation unit can calculate the replacement time. Therefore, the replacement time can be calculated regardless of the presence or absence of the required past data. In addition, when always using past data to calculate the replacement time, it causes a load on the CPU, memory, etc. and consumes calculation time. However, by not using past data to calculate the replacement time, it is possible to reduce the load on the CPU, memory, etc. and the calculation time, thereby enabling efficient management of the gas remaining amount.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gas remaining amount management system capable of managing the remaining amount of gas in a gas container in a demand residence with high accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a gas remaining amount management system according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 shows Figure 1 the structure of a demand residence and a central server in the gas remaining amount management system.

[0018] Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for predicting the gas remaining amount.

[0019] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the process in the gas remaining amount management system.

[0020] Figure 5It is a flowchart showing another example of the process in the gas remaining amount management system. Detailed implementation mode

[0021] Hereinafter, the gas remaining amount management system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The gas remaining amount management system to be described below is merely one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and addition, deletion, and modification can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0022] (First embodiment)

[0023] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the gas remaining amount management system 100 according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The block diagram of the detailed structure of the demand house 20 and the central server 10 in the gas remaining amount management system 100 of. Figure 3 It is a chart for explaining an example of the method for predicting the gas remaining amount.

[0024] As Figure 1 shown, the gas remaining amount management system 100 includes a central server 10 and a plurality of demand houses 20. In addition, Figure 1 Four demand houses 20 are illustrated, but in the gas remaining amount management system 100, the number of demand houses 20 may be three or less, or may be five or more.

[0025] As Figure 2 shown, two gas containers 11, a switch 12, a gas meter 13, and two gas appliances 14 are provided in each demand house 20. The gas meter 13 corresponds to the flow rate measurement unit. Examples of the demand house 20 include hospitals, schools, local government facilities, nursing facilities, ordinary households, and commercial facilities, etc., but are not limited to these, as long as it is a building that can use gas.

[0026] The gas container 11 is also called a gas storage tank, and gas such as LP gas (liquefied petroleum gas) is filled inside the gas container 11. Hereinafter, LP gas will be abbreviated as gas. The switch 12 is used to switch the gas supply path so that the gas in one of the two gas containers 11 is supplied to the demand house 20. Thus, even if the gas in one of the two gas containers 11 runs out, the gas in the other gas container 11 can be supplied to the gas appliance 14.

[0027] Gas exhaustion can be defined as follows. In this embodiment, if the gas container 11 to be used is switched by the switch 12, it means that the gas container 11 originally used before the switch is in a state of gas exhaustion. In this case, the switch 12 detects a change in the pressure applied to the inside of the gas container 11 to switch the gas container 11. Specifically, pressure is applied to the inside of the gas container 11 to fill the gas, and if the gas is exhausted, the above pressure drops. The switch 12 detects the change in the above pressure and switches the gas container 11 when the pressure drops to a specified value. Therefore, it is possible to regard the gas as exhausted according to the pressure detected by the switch 12 dropping to the specified value. In addition, gas exhaustion also includes the following situation: when the gas equipment 14 can no longer be used due to a pressure drop, the gas container 11 is manually switched. And gas exhaustion not only includes the case of pressure drop, but also includes, for example, the case where the margin obtained by subtracting the used gas flow rate from the assumed gas capacity becomes 0 or a value near 0. These definitions apply to the gas exhaustion of both gas containers 11.

[0028] The gas meter 13 measures the flow rate of the gas flowing from the gas container 11 provided to the demand house 20 to the gas equipment 14. The gas meter 13 can also execute measures such as cutting off the gas supply path through the cut-off part when detecting certain abnormalities.

[0029] The gas meter 13 has a communication part 13a. The communication part 13a has the function of communicating with the communication part 5 in the central server 10 wirelessly. As the wireless communication method between the communication part 13a and the communication part 5 of the central server 10, for example, communication networks such as the Internet, LAN, or LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) can be used. The communication part 13a regularly (for example, once a day) sends the information on the gas usage amount in the demand house 20, the date information related to the use or non-use (that is, the usage amount is zero), the ID for identifying the demand house 20, and the location area information of the demand house 20 to the communication part 5 of the central server 10.

[0030] The gas equipment 14 is, for example, a gas stove, a gas water heater, or a gas heater, etc. However, the gas container 14 is not limited to the above equipment, as long as it is a device that consumes gas.

[0031] The central server 10 includes a margin calculation unit 1, a first calculation unit 2, a second calculation unit 3, a notification unit 4, a communication unit 5, and a storage unit 6. Among the above components of the central server 10, the margin calculation unit 1, the first calculation unit 2, the second calculation unit 3, and the notification unit 4 implement their functions through a microcontroller including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory)) storing programs, or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. As the storage unit 6, various memories or hard disks, etc. are exemplified. In addition, the central server 10 can also be configured by a cloud system. In this case, the cloud system can also be configured separately from the terminal having the function of the above notification unit 4.

[0032] The margin calculation unit 1 periodically (for example, once a day) receives the measurement results of the gas usage amount sent via the communication unit 5 from the communication unit 13a of the gas meter 13 of each demand residence 20. The margin calculation unit 1 calculates the margin of the gas in the gas container 11 at a frequency of, for example, once a day based on the gas container setting information assigned to each demand residence 20 and according to the above measurement results. The information on the calculated gas margin is stored in the storage unit 6. The above gas container setting information is the information required when calculating the gas margin based on the measurement results of the gas usage amount obtained by the gas meter 13, and is the information indicating the number of households of the demand residence 20 corresponding to one gas container 11. In Figure 2 it, the number of households of the demand residence 20 corresponding to one gas container 11 is 1, so the gas container setting information is 1. On the other hand, in the case of a concentrated residence where multiple demand residences 20 are concentrated, gas meters 13 are set for each demand residence 20 and the gas containers 11 are aggregated in one place. That is, there is one gas container 11 corresponding to multiple demand residences 20. Therefore, when there are, for example, four demand residences 20, the above gas container setting information is 4. In addition, the gas container setting information can also include the number of gas containers 11 on the upstream side of the switch 12 provided in the demand residence 20. In addition, the margin calculation unit 1 can also have an artificial intelligence 1a for calculating the margin of the gas in the gas container 11.

[0033] The remaining amount calculation unit 1 may also use the gas production rate when calculating the remaining amount of gas. In this case, the remaining amount calculation unit 1 uses the gas production rate corresponding to the area where the demand house 20 is located, which corresponds to the gas meter 13 that sends the measurement result, and the gas production rate corresponding to the date when the measurement result of the gas meter 13 is obtained, to calculate the remaining amount of gas. Thereby, the reliability of the remaining amount information of the gas obtained by the calculation can be further improved.

[0034] The first calculation unit 2 calculates the period for replacing the gas container 11, that is, the replacement period, by the first calculation method. Specifically, in the first calculation method, the first calculation unit 2 calculates the replacement period based on past data related to the gas consumption of the demand house 20 in a certain period (such as seven days ago or one month ago, etc.) or a certain period before calculating the above replacement period.

[0035] The first calculation unit 2 obtains from the storage unit 6 the information on the current remaining amount of gas calculated by the remaining amount calculation unit 1 for each demand house 20 and the remaining amount of gas seven days ago, for example. Then, the first calculation unit 2 obtains a straight line Kg related to the slope showing the decreasing tendency of the remaining amount of gas as shown in Figure 3 . The future remaining amount of gas based on the current situation can be predicted according to this straight line Kg. In the present embodiment, the first calculation unit 2 calculates the time when the remaining amount of gas (predicted value) after a specified number of days (such as seven days later) based on the current situation is lower than a specified second threshold Th2 as the above replacement period. In addition, the above specified number of days can be set according to the number of days required for the service provider to replace the gas container 11, etc.

[0036] The second calculation unit 3 calculates the above replacement period by a second calculation method different from the first calculation method. Specifically, in the second calculation method, the second calculation unit 3 does not calculate the replacement period based on past data related to the gas consumption of the demand house 20 in a specified period before calculating the above replacement period. The second calculation method of the second calculation unit 3 is useful when there is no past data in the past data for a certain period (such as seven days ago or one month ago, etc.) before calculating the replacement period. However, it does not exclude the second calculation unit 3 from calculating the replacement period by the second calculation method even when there is past data for a certain period before calculating the replacement period in the past data.

[0037] As a second calculation method, the second calculation unit 3 calculates the replacement timing using a prescribed first threshold Th1. The second calculation unit 3 calculates the replacement timing based on a comparison between the gas remaining amount stored in the storage unit 6 and the first threshold Th1. In the present embodiment, the second calculation unit 3 calculates the time when the above-mentioned gas remaining amount becomes equal to or less than the first threshold Th1 as the above-mentioned replacement timing, and when the above-mentioned gas remaining amount exceeds the first threshold Th1, it is regarded that the replacement timing has not been reached. In addition, although not shown in the drawings, the first calculation unit 2 and the second calculation unit 3 may also have artificial intelligence for realizing these above-mentioned functions. Further, the first threshold Th1 and the second threshold Th2 may each be a value when the gas remaining amount in the gas container 11 is, for example, 50% of the volume of the gas container 11. In addition, the said 50% may be 50% of the total volume of the gas containers 11 provided for each demand house 20 (that is, the sum of the volumes of the respective gas containers 11), or may also be 50% of the volume of any one of the plurality of gas containers 11.

[0038] The notification unit 4 notifies the above-mentioned replacement timing based on either the calculation result of the first calculation unit 2 or the calculation result of the second calculation unit 3. The notification unit 4 controls a display unit, a sound device, etc. to notify a warning, and when the gas remaining amount in the demand house 20 becomes lower than the first threshold Th1 or the second threshold Th2, it gives a warning to a business operator who replaces the gas container 11 to urge the replacement of the gas container 11. The method of this warning may also include sending an email to the business operator. In addition, the notification may also be performed by the following method: making a list related to the demand house 20 in which the gas remaining amount is lower than the first threshold Th1 or the second threshold Th2, and sending the list to the business operator, for example, at a frequency of once a day.

[0039] The storage unit 6 stores the information on the gas usage amount in the demand house 20 received via the communication unit 5 from the communication unit 13a together with the date information related to the use or non-use (that is, the usage amount is zero), the ID for identifying the demand house 20, and the location information of the demand house 20. In addition, the storage unit 6 stores the above-mentioned first threshold Th1, second threshold Th2, and the information on the gas remaining amount calculated by the remaining amount calculation unit 1, etc.

[0040] Next, the flow of a series of processes in the gas remaining amount management system 100 will be described. Figure 4 FIG. is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processes in the gas remaining amount management system 100.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4 FIG., first, the remaining amount calculation unit 1 counts the number of pieces of information on the gas usage amount in the demand house 20 stored in the storage unit 6 (step S1). In this case, if the said number of pieces of information is, for example, seven, then the information on the gas usage amount for seven days is stored in the storage unit 6.

[0042] Next, the remaining amount calculation unit 1 calculates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container 11 of the demand house 20 based on the above information on the gas usage amount (step S2).

[0043] Next, the remaining amount calculation unit 1 determines whether there is an amount corresponding to the number of days required to predict the remaining amount of gas among the above-mentioned stored numbers obtained by counting (step S3). The amount corresponding to the number of days required to predict the remaining amount of gas can be variously set according to the prediction method of the remaining amount of gas. For example, an amount for seven days can be cited. When the above-mentioned stored number is less than the amount corresponding to the number of days required to predict the remaining amount of gas (yes in step S3), the second calculation unit 3 compares the remaining amount of gas calculated by the remaining amount calculation unit 1 with the first threshold Th1 (step S4).

[0044] When it is determined by the second calculation unit 3 that the remaining amount of gas exceeds the first threshold Th1 (yes in step S4), the remaining amount calculation unit 1 returns to the process of step S1 above and repeats the subsequent processes. In contrast, when it is determined by the second calculation unit 3 that the remaining amount of gas is equal to or less than the first threshold Th1, that is, the replacement period has been reached (no in step S4), the notification unit 4 issues a notification (step S7).

[0045] On the other hand, when the above-mentioned stored number is equal to or greater than the amount corresponding to the number of days required to predict the remaining amount of gas (no in step S3), the first calculation unit 2 acquires the above-mentioned straight line Kg to perform the remaining amount prediction (step S5). Then, the first calculation unit 2 compares the predicted remaining amount after a specified number of days (for example, seven days later) based on the straight line Kg with the second threshold Th2 (step S6).

[0046] When it is determined by the first calculation unit 2 that the above-mentioned predicted remaining amount exceeds the second threshold Th2 (yes in step S6), the remaining amount calculation unit 1 returns to the process of step S1 above and repeats the subsequent processes. In contrast, when it is determined by the first calculation unit 2 that the above-mentioned predicted remaining amount is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, that is, the replacement period has been reached (no in step S6), the notification unit 4 issues a notification (step S7).

[0047] As described above, in the gas remaining amount management system 100 according to the present embodiment, the first calculation method for calculating the replacement timing by the first calculation unit 2 is different from the second calculation method for calculating the replacement timing by the second calculation unit 3. In addition, the notification unit 4 notifies the replacement timing based on either the calculation result of the first calculation unit 2 or the calculation result of the second calculation unit 3. Thus, even when the specified information (the above past data in the present embodiment) required for calculating the replacement timing does not exist in either the first calculation method or the second calculation method, the replacement timing can be calculated by the other of the first calculation method and the second calculation method. Thereby, the remaining amount of gas in the gas container 11 in the demand house 20 can be managed with high accuracy.

[0048] (Second Embodiment)

[0049] Next, another example of the processing in the gas remaining amount management system 100 will be described. Figure 5 FIG. is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow in the gas remaining amount management system 100. In the present embodiment, the gas meter 13 has the following functions: determining whether the range of the gas usage flow rate and usage time (that is, the usage pattern) in the demand house 20 conforms to a specific flow rate section. The specific flow rate sections include, for example, a specific flow rate section assuming the use of a water heater, a specific flow rate section assuming the use of a stove, and a specific flow rate section assuming the use of a heater. In addition, the specific flow rate section may include a specific flow rate section assuming that the gas appliance 14 is an appliance other than the above appliances and the use of that appliance. By predicting the future gas usage amount based on such specific flow rate sections, the remaining amount of gas can be predicted with higher accuracy. The gas meter 13 transmits the information related to the specific flow rate section detected based on the gas usage flow rate and usage time in the demand house 20 to the central server 10 via the communication unit 13a.

[0050] As Figure 5 shown, first, the remaining amount calculation unit 1 counts the number of stored pieces of information on the gas usage amount in the demand house 20 stored in the storage unit 6 (step S11).

[0051] Next, the remaining amount calculation unit 1 calculates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container 11 of the demand house 20 based on the above information on gas usage (step S12). Next, the remaining amount calculation unit 1 determines whether the range of the gas usage flow rate and usage time in the demand house 20 conforms to a specific flow rate zone (step S13). When the range of the gas usage flow rate and usage time in the demand house 20 conforms to the specific flow rate zone (Yes in step S13), the first calculation unit 2 obtains the above straight line Kg to perform remaining amount prediction based on past data (step S14). Then, the first calculation unit 2 compares the predicted remaining amount after a specified number of days (for example, seven days later) based on the current time with the third threshold Th3 (step S15). In addition, as an alternative to the process of step S13, the gas meter 13 may also perform the determination of whether it conforms to the specific flow rate zone. In this case, the central server 10 may also access the gas meter 13 to obtain information indicating conformity to the specific flow rate zone.

[0052] When it is determined by the first calculation unit 2 that the above predicted remaining amount exceeds the third threshold Th3 (Yes in step S15), the remaining amount calculation unit 1 returns to the process of step S11 above and repeats the subsequent processes. In contrast, when it is determined by the first calculation unit 2 that the above predicted remaining amount is equal to or less than the third threshold Th3, that is, the replacement period has been reached (No in step S15), the notification unit 4 issues a notification (step S16).

[0053] On the other hand, when the range of the gas usage flow rate and usage time in the demand house 20 does not conform to the specific flow rate zone (No in step S13), the second calculation unit 3 compares the remaining amount of gas calculated by the remaining amount calculation unit 1 with the fourth threshold Th4 (step S17).

[0054] When it is determined by the second calculation unit 3 that the remaining amount of gas exceeds the fourth threshold Th4 (Yes in step S17), the remaining amount calculation unit 1 returns to the process of step S1 above and repeats the subsequent processes. In contrast, when it is determined by the second calculation unit 3 that the remaining amount of gas is equal to or less than the fourth threshold Th4, that is, the replacement period has been reached (No in step S17), the notification unit 4 issues a notification (step S16).

[0055] (Other Embodiments)

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, as follows.

[0057] In other embodiments, the gas meter 13 may also have an appliance identification function of identifying which gas appliance the gas device 14 in the demand residence 20 conforms to. In the case where the gas meter 13 identifies that the gas device 14 is a heater, the first calculation unit 2 performs margin management based on past data. On the other hand, in the case where the gas meter 13 does not identify that the gas device 14 is a heater, the second calculation unit 3 performs margin management.

[0058] In addition, in other embodiments, it may also be that when the gas margin is lower than a specified threshold based on the capacity of the gas container 11, the first calculation unit 2 performs margin management based on past data, and when the gas margin is above the specified threshold, it is determined that the gas margin is sufficiently remaining with respect to the capacity of the gas container 11.

[0059] In addition, in other embodiments, it may also be that when the gas container 11 has remaining gas that can be obtained based on the above-mentioned straight line Kg for predicting the future gas margin and is expected to be consumed by the demand residence 20 within a specified period (for example, two weeks) from the current time, margin management without using past data is performed. On the other hand, it may also be that when the gas container 11 does not have remaining gas that is expected to be consumed by the demand residence 20 within a specified period (for example, two weeks) from the current time, margin management using past data is performed.

[0060] In addition, in other embodiments, the number of days for consuming all the gas in the gas container 11 may also be calculated based on the past gas consumption in the demand residence 20. In this case, when the calculated number of consumption days is less than the number of days of past data required for prediction, margin management without using past data is performed, and when the calculated number of consumption days is equal to or more than the number of days of past data required for prediction, margin management using past data is performed.

[0061] In addition, in other embodiments, it may also be that when there is past data for a specified period (for example, one year), margin management using past data is performed, and when there is no past data for the specified period, margin management without using past data is performed.

[0062] In addition, in other embodiments, it may also be that within a specified period (for example, fourteen days) after the replacement of the gas container 11, margin management without using past data is performed, and after the expiration of the specified period after the replacement of the gas container 11, margin management using past data is performed.

[0063] In addition, in other embodiments, the margin management may also be performed based on the reduction rate of the gas margin in the demand residence 20. In this case, for example, it may also be that when the reduction rate of the gas margin is positive, the margin management using past data is performed, and when the reduction rate of the gas margin is negative, the margin management without using past data is performed.

[0064] In addition, in the above embodiment, the gas margin management system 100 is described as a technical concept including the gas meter 13 and the central server 10, but it is not limited thereto. The gas margin management system 100 can also be a system in which the gas meter 13 is provided separately.

[0065] In addition, in the above embodiment, the margin calculation unit 1, the first calculation unit 2, the second calculation unit 3, and the notification unit 4 are provided in the central server 10, but it is not limited thereto. The following method can also be adopted: the margin calculation unit 1, the first calculation unit 2, the second calculation unit 3, and the notification unit 4 are provided in the gas meter 13, and the central server 10 has a function of outputting the notification content.

[0066] In addition, in the above embodiment, for each demand residence 20, two gas containers 11 and two gas devices 14 are illustrated, but it is not limited thereto. The number of gas containers 11 can also be three or more or one, and the number of gas devices 14 can also be three or more or one.

[0067] In addition, in other embodiments, it may also be that when the remaining gas in the gas container 11 is calculated by the artificial intelligence 1a, when the range of the gas usage flow rate and usage time in the demand residence 20 conforms to a specific flow rate zone, the margin management using past data is performed. On the other hand, when it does not conform to the specific flow rate zone, the margin management using a specified threshold without using past data is performed.

[0068] In addition, in the above embodiment, after determining "Yes" in step S15, it is determined again whether the range of the gas usage flow rate and usage time in the demand residence 20 conforms to a specific flow rate zone, but it is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, it may also be that once it is determined that the range of the gas usage flow rate and usage time in the demand residence 20 conforms to a specific flow rate zone, the margin prediction process in step S14 is continuously performed until a notification is made.

[0069] And, in the above embodiment, LP gas (liquefied petroleum gas), which is an example of gas, is filled in the gas container 11, but it is not limited thereto. Other gases such as oxygen can also be filled in the gas container 11.

[0070] Description of reference numerals

[0071] 1: Remaining quantity calculation unit; 2: First calculation unit; 3: Second calculation unit; 4: Notification unit; 10: Central server; 11: Gas container; 13: Gas meter; 14: Gas equipment; 20: Demanding residence; 100: Gas remaining quantity management system.

Claims

1. A gas remaining amount management system, comprising: A flow rate measurement unit that measures gas flowing from a gas container provided for one or more demand houses to a gas appliance; A remaining amount calculation unit that calculates the remaining amount of gas in the gas container based on the measurement result of the flow rate measurement unit; A first calculation unit that calculates the replacement period of the gas container, i.e., the replacement period, based on the remaining amount of the gas by a first calculation method; A second calculation unit that calculates the replacement period based on the remaining amount of the gas by a second calculation method different from the first calculation method; And A notification unit that notifies the replacement period based on either the calculation result of the first calculation unit or the calculation result of the second calculation unit.

2. The gas remaining amount management system according to claim 1, wherein The first calculation unit calculates the replacement period based on past data related to the gas consumption of the demand houses before calculating the replacement period in the first calculation method, The second calculation unit does not calculate the replacement period based on the past data in the second calculation method.

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