Edible oil delivery system and edible oil delivery method

Abstract

To provide an edible oil delivery system and an edible oil delivery method that can reduce the frequency of replenishing edible oil in an accumulation tank.SOLUTION: An edible oil delivery system for delivering edible oil to an accumulation tank that supplies the edible oil for a flyer, comprises: a flow meter 14 for detecting the flow rate of edible oil from the accumulation tank to the flyer; a flow rate database 32 for storing flow rate data consisting of the flow rate detected by the flow meter 14 and the detection time; a refill timing prediction unit 43 for predicting the refill timing when replenishment of the accumulation tank 16 is required based on past flow rate data stored in the flow database 32; and a schedule creation unit 44 for creating a delivery schedule for edible oil based on the required refill timing predicted by the refill timing prediction unit 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking oil delivery system and a cooking oil delivery method. [Background technology]

[0002] A known cooking oil delivery system automatically orders cooking oil from a distribution center when a detector detects that the cooking oil level in a storage tank falls below a threshold. This cooking oil delivery system includes a detector attached to a storage tank (storage tank) that stores cooking oil and a communication device connected to the detector and controlling a mobile phone. The detector outputs a detection signal when the cooking oil level in the storage tank falls below a predetermined level. The communication device receives the detection signal and automatically sends an email to the distribution center containing a message that cooking oil is being ordered. In this cooking oil delivery system, when the cooking oil level in the storage tank is detected to be below a threshold, the communication device automatically orders cooking oil, indicating that the cooking oil needs to be replenished. In response, the distribution center delivers and replenishes the cooking oil to the storage tank. This eliminates the need for users to order and replenish cooking oil. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-114992 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional cooking oil delivery systems, in order to prevent the cooking oil from running out between the time the cooking oil is ordered and the time the delivery center replenishes the cooking oil, it is necessary to set a high threshold for the cooking oil remaining amount that indicates a need for replenishment.As a result, cooking oil replenishment work is often carried out when there is a large amount of cooking oil remaining in the storage tank, which causes the problem of cooking oil having to be replenished more frequently.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooking oil delivery system and a cooking oil delivery method that can reduce the frequency of refilling a storage tank with cooking oil. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a cooking oil delivery system that delivers cooking oil to a storage tank that supplies cooking oil to a cooking appliance, the cooking oil delivery system comprising: a flow rate detection unit that detects the flow rate of cooking oil from the storage tank to the cooking appliance; a flow rate memory unit that stores flow rate data consisting of the flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit and the detection time; a replenishment need prediction unit that predicts the time when the storage tank will need to be replenished based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit; and a schedule creation unit that creates a cooking oil delivery schedule based on the replenishment need prediction unit. Note that the "detection time" here does not refer to the duration of detection, but rather to the timing of detection, such as the year, month, date, time, and second at which detection was performed.

[0007] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a cooking oil delivery method for delivering cooking oil to a storage tank that supplies cooking oil to a cooking appliance, characterized in that an information processing device executes the following steps: a flow rate acquisition step for acquiring flow rate data consisting of the flow rate of cooking oil from the storage tank to the cooking appliance and its detection time from a flow rate detection unit; a replenishment time prediction step for predicting the time when the storage tank will need to be replenished based on the past flow rate data acquired by the flow rate acquisition step; and a schedule creation step for creating a cooking oil delivery schedule based on the replenishment time predicted by the replenishment time prediction step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The cooking oil delivery system and cooking oil delivery method according to the present invention can reduce the frequency of refilling cooking oil into the storage tank. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of an edible oil delivery system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a delivery management server. [Figure 3] 1A is a diagram showing a supply information database, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a flow rate database. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a schedule creation operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A cooking oil delivery system and cooking oil delivery method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This cooking oil delivery system creates a delivery schedule and delivers and replenishes cooking oil to a customer's storage tank based on the created delivery schedule. In particular, this cooking oil delivery system is configured to predict when the storage tank will need to be replenished based on past flow rate data obtained from a flow meter around the storage tank. In this embodiment, the cooking oil to be replenished in the storage tank is assumed to be animal or vegetable oils such as soybean oil, canola oil, palm oil, or sesame oil, and / or processed animal or vegetable oils. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the replenishment destinations for the cooking oil are assumed to be stores, such as deep-frying shops and restaurants, central kitchens, deep-frying factories, and other deep-frying facilities. Below, an example of a configuration in which cooking oil is supplied to multiple stores from a single storage tank (hereinafter referred to as a cooking oil supply configuration) will be described.

[0011] Before describing the cooking oil delivery system 1, we will first explain how cooking oil is supplied at the delivery destination. As shown in FIG. 1, a storage tank 16 is installed at the delivery destination (e.g., a building). One or more fryers 17 are installed at each store at the delivery destination. Storage tank 16 stores cooking oil, is connected to each fryer 17 via piping 18, and supplies cooking oil to each fryer 17. In other words, a single storage tank 16 is shared by multiple stores in this cooking oil supply system. In cooking oil delivery system 1, cooking oil is delivered to and replenished by this storage tank 16. Note that fryer 17 is an example of cooking equipment.

[0012] (Configuration of cooking oil delivery system) The cooking oil delivery system 1 includes a delivery vehicle 11, a mobile terminal 12 carried by a delivery person on board the delivery vehicle 11, a delivery management server 13 connected to the mobile terminal 12 via a network NW and managing delivery operations by the delivery vehicle 11, and a plurality of flow meters 14 installed on each flyer 17 of each store or the like at the delivery destination. The delivery person is the person who operates the delivery vehicle 11. In this embodiment, a tank truck equipped with a storage section for storing cooking oil is used as the delivery vehicle 11. The flow meter 14 is an example of a flow rate detection section.

[0013] The plurality of flow meters 14 are disposed on the piping 18 between the storage tank 16 and each fryer 17, and detect the flow rate (supply amount) of cooking oil from the storage tank 16 to each fryer 17. More specifically, each flow meter 14 is disposed on a branch piping to which each fryer 17 is connected, and is configured to be able to individually detect the flow rate to each fryer 17. Each flow meter 14 is also connected to the delivery management server 13 via the network NW, and transmits flow rate data consisting of the detected flow rate and the time of detection (year, month, day, hour, minute, and second) to the delivery management server 13. As will be described in detail later, the flow rate data transmitted from each flow meter 14 to the delivery management server 13 is used to predict when the storage tank 16 needs to be replenished. In this embodiment, each flow meter 14 stores the flow rate data as a log, and upon receiving an information request signal from the delivery management server 13, transmits the stored flow rate data to the delivery management server 13.

[0014] 2, the delivery management server 13 is, for example, an information processing device including a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23. The communication unit 21 communicates with the mobile terminal 12 and a plurality of flow meters 14 via the network NW.

[0015] The storage unit 22 is configured, for example, with a hard disk or the like, and stores various data related to the management of delivery operations. In this embodiment, the storage unit 22 has a supply information database 31 and a flow rate database 32. The flow rate database 32 is an example of a flow rate storage unit.

[0016] 3(a), the replenishment information database 31 stores the most recent replenishment date and time for the storage tank 16 and the amount of oil stored immediately after the most recent replenishment. That is, the replenishment information database 31 stores the most recent replenishment date and time for the storage tank 16 and the amount of oil stored immediately after the most recent replenishment in association with the identification information of the storage tank 16. The most recent replenishment date and time and the amount of oil stored immediately after the most recent replenishment are recorded, for example, upon receiving a replenishment completion report from the mobile terminal 12.

[0017] 3(b), the flow rate database 32 is a database that stores flow rate data (flow rate and detection time) acquired from each flow meter 14. In detail, as shown in the figure, the flow rate database 32 stores the flow rate data acquired from each flow meter 14 in association with the identification information of the storage tank 16, fryer 17, and store corresponding to each flow meter 14.

[0018] The control unit 23 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and controls each part of the delivery management server 13. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 23 functions as a flow rate data acquisition unit 41, a remaining oil amount determination unit 42, a replenishment timing prediction unit 43, a schedule creation unit 44, and a cost billing unit 45 by executing a predetermined program.

[0019] The flow rate data acquiring unit 41 controls the communication unit 21 to acquire flow rate data from the flow meters 14. In this embodiment, the flow rate data acquiring unit 41 transmits an information request signal to the flow meters 14, receives the flow rate data transmitted from the flow meters 14 in response to the information request signal, and acquires the flow rate data. The flow rate data acquiring unit 41 also records the flow rate data acquired from each flow meter 14 in the flow rate database 32 in association with the identification information of the storage tank 16, fryer 17, and store corresponding to each flow meter 14.

[0020] The remaining oil amount determination unit 42 determines the remaining oil amount relative to the oil amount that is set in the storage tank 16 for a state in which replenishment is required (hereinafter referred to as the lower limit oil amount) based on the stored oil amount stored in the replenishment information database 31. The remaining oil amount here refers to the amount of oil that can be used before the lower limit oil amount is reached. In other words, the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 calculates the remaining oil amount by subtracting the lower limit oil amount from the stored oil amount. In this embodiment, the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 determines the remaining oil amount immediately after the most recent replenishment based on the stored oil amount immediately after the most recent replenishment stored in the replenishment information database 31.

[0021] The replenishment time prediction unit 43 predicts the time when replenishment of the storage tank 16 is required, based on the remaining oil amount determined by the remaining oil amount determination unit 42, the replenishment date and time stored in the replenishment information database 31, and the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32. For example, first, the average consumption for each time period of the day is calculated based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32. That is, the amount of cooking oil consumed from the storage tank 16 can be calculated by adding up the flow rates detected by the multiple flow meters 14, so the calculated consumption amounts are averaged for each time period to calculate the average consumption for each time period. Then, the average consumption for each time period is integrated in chronological order from the date and time when the storage tank 16 is replenished, and the time when the integrated value reaches the remaining oil amount in the storage tank 16 is predicted as the time when replenishment of the storage tank 16 is required. In predicting when replenishment is required, it is preferable to use flow rate data from the last few months (for example, the last three months) or flow rate data from the same period last year, and it is preferable to use the average value from the last few months or the same period last year as the average consumption for each time period. In addition, as will be described in detail later, the average consumption and replenishment time may be corrected based on monthly or seasonal consumption trends of cooking oil, store business information, etc.

[0022] The schedule creation unit 44 creates a delivery schedule for the cooking oil based on the time when the storage tank 16 needs to be replenished predicted by the replenishment time prediction unit 43. For example, taking into consideration a prediction error, a delivery schedule is created in which the delivery date and time to the storage tank 16 is set 24 hours before the time when the storage tank 16 needs to be replenished.

[0023] The expense billing unit 45 calculates the expense to be billed for each store based on the flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32, and bills each store for the expense. In this embodiment, the consumption amount for each store is calculated from the flow rate data of each flow meter 14 corresponding to the store, and the expense to be billed is calculated by multiplying the consumption amount by the unit price of cooking oil. Note that since one business may own multiple stores, the consumption amount for each business may be calculated, and the expense to be billed for each business may be calculated and billed.

[0024] Next, the schedule creation operation by the delivery management server 13 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The schedule creation operation is to create a delivery schedule for cooking oil in order to fulfill the contract to replenish cooking oil in the storage tank 16 so that the cooking oil in the storage tank 16 does not run out. The schedule creation operation is an example of a cooking oil delivery method for delivering cooking oil to the storage tank 16.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, in the schedule creation operation, first, the delivery management server 13 acquires flow rate data related to the storage tanks 16 from the flow meters 14 using the flow rate data acquisition unit 41 (S1) (flow rate acquisition step). For example, the delivery management server 13 transmits an information request signal to each flow meter 14, and in response receives and acquires the flow rate data transmitted from each flow meter 14. After acquiring the flow rate data, the acquired flow rate data is recorded in the flow rate database 32 in association with the identification information of the storage tanks 16, fryers 17, and stores (S2).

[0026] After the flow rate data is recorded in the flow rate database 32, the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 determines the remaining oil amount in the storage tank 16 based on the stored oil amount stored in the refill information database 31 (S3). That is, the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 determines the remaining oil amount in the storage tank 16 by subtracting the lower limit oil amount of the storage tank 16 from the stored oil amount in the storage tank 16.

[0027] After determining the remaining oil amount, the replenishment time prediction unit 43 predicts the time when the storage tank 16 will need to be replenished based on the determined remaining oil amount, the replenishment date and time stored in the replenishment information database 31, and the flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32 (S4) (replenishment time prediction step). That is, the average consumption for each time period is calculated from the past flow rate data. After that, the average consumption for each time period is accumulated in chronological order from the replenishment date and time of the storage tank 16, and the date and time when the accumulated value reaches the remaining oil amount in the storage tank 16 is determined to be the time when the storage tank 16 will need to be replenished.

[0028] Once the time when the storage tank 16 will need to be replenished has been predicted, a delivery schedule for the cooking oil is created based on the predicted time when it will need to be replenished (S5) (schedule creation process). For example, a delivery schedule is created in which the delivery date and time to the storage tank 16 is set 24 hours before the time when the storage tank 16 will need to be replenished. The created delivery schedule is sent to the mobile terminal 12, and the delivery person delivers and replenishes the cooking oil to the storage tank 16 in accordance with the received delivery schedule. This allows the cooking oil to be delivered to and replenished at the optimal time.

[0029] (Actions and Effects of the Embodiments) As described above, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, the time when the storage tank 16 needs to be replenished is predicted based on past flow rate data obtained from the flow meter 14, so that cooking oil can be delivered to the storage tank 16 at the optimal timing. This reduces the frequency with which cooking oil needs to be replenished to the storage tank 16. This reduces fuel and electricity consumption related to the delivery of cooking oil, thereby contributing to environmental conservation.

[0030] In addition, by providing multiple flow meters 14 corresponding to the number of fryers 17 connected to the storage tank 16 and each flow meter 14 individually detecting the flow rate of cooking oil from the storage tank 16 to each fryer 17, the accuracy of predicting when replenishment is required can be improved.

[0031] In addition, the delivery management server 13 predicts when the storage tank 16 needs to be replenished, and deliveries are made on a date and time based on that replenishment time, so the customer does not need to order cooking oil, which saves the customer the trouble of ordering.

[0032] In addition, by adopting a cooking oil supply system in which cooking oil is supplied to fryers 17 of multiple stores at the delivery destination from a single storage tank 16 installed at the delivery destination, there is no need to replenish cooking oil in the storage tank 16 for each store, which further reduces the frequency of replenishment of cooking oil.

[0033] In addition, by adopting a cooking oil supply system in which cooking oil is supplied from a storage tank 16 connected directly to the fryer 17 by piping 18, the burden of the supply work can be reduced and labor-saving compared to using a container such as a metal can to supply cooking oil to the fryer 17.

[0034] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the invention according to the claims is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. The present invention can be implemented by modifying it as appropriate within the scope of its spirit.

[0035] For example, in the above embodiment, the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 is configured to determine the amount of oil remaining in the storage tank 16 based on the amount of oil stored in the storage tank 16, but it may also be configured to determine the amount of oil remaining in the storage tank 16 based on the amount of oil replenished (delivered amount) to the storage tank 16. That is, since refueling with cooking oil is basically performed when the storage tank 16 is close to a state requiring refueling, the amount of oil replenished to the storage tank 16 is close to the amount of oil that can be used before the lower limit oil amount is reached. Therefore, the amount of oil replenished to the storage tank 16 may be configured to be the amount of oil remaining in the storage tank 16 as is.

[0036] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 determines the remaining oil amount immediately after the most recent replenishment, and the replenishment requirement time prediction unit 43 predicts the time when the storage tank 16 needs to be replenished based on the date and time of the most recent replenishment and the remaining oil amount immediately after the most recent replenishment, but the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 may determine the current remaining oil amount, and the replenishment requirement time prediction unit 43 may predict the time when the storage tank 16 needs to be replenished based on the current remaining oil amount. The method of determining the current remaining oil amount by the remaining oil amount determination unit 42 may be, for example, a configuration in which an oil amount sensor is installed in the storage tank 16 and the current remaining oil amount is determined from the detection result of the oil amount sensor (current storage amount), or a configuration in which the current remaining oil amount is determined based on the date and time of the most recent replenishment, the remaining oil amount immediately after the most recent replenishment, and flow rate data from the date and time of the most recent replenishment to the present.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the replenishment time prediction unit 43 may be configured to predict the time when replenishment is required for the storage tank 16, taking into account the monthly or seasonal consumption trend of the edible oil. That is, the delivery management server 13 may further include a consumption trend determination unit that determines the monthly or seasonal consumption trend of the edible oil in the fryer 17 based on past flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32, and the replenishment time prediction unit 43 may be configured to predict the time when replenishment is required for the storage tank 16, based on the monthly or seasonal consumption trend determined by the consumption trend determination unit in addition to the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32. For example, the average consumption amount for each time period and the time when replenishment is required may be corrected based on the monthly or seasonal consumption trend. Note that, in determining the monthly or seasonal consumption trend of the edible oil, it is preferable to use flow rate data from the past several years (e.g., the past five years).

[0038] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, replenishment time prediction unit 43 may be configured to predict the time when storage tank 16 will need to be replenished, taking into account store business information (information on regular holidays, business hours, events, etc.). In other words, replenishment time prediction unit 43 may be configured to predict the time when storage tank 16 will need to be replenished, based on the business information of the store in which fryer 17 is installed, in addition to past flow rate data stored in flow rate database 32. For example, the average consumption amount for each time period and the time when replenishment will need to be performed may be corrected based on information on regular holidays.

[0039] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the replenishment time prediction unit 43 may be configured to predict the time when replenishment is required for the storage tank 16 by taking into account holiday information (weekends, holidays, etc.) and meteorological information (weather and temperature). In other words, the replenishment time prediction unit 43 may be configured to predict the time when replenishment is required for the storage tank 16 based on holiday information and meteorological information in addition to past flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32. For example, the average consumption amount for each time period and the time when replenishment is required may be corrected based on holiday information and meteorological information.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, cooking oil is supplied to multiple stores from a single storage tank 16, but cooking oil may be supplied to only one store or only one fryer 17 from a single storage tank 16. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, cooking oil is supplied to multiple fryers 17 from a single storage tank 16, but cooking oil may be supplied to only one fryer 17 from a single storage tank 16. In other words, the cooking oil delivery system 1 and cooking oil delivery method of the present invention can be applied to storage tanks 16 with these cooking oil supply configurations.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the piping 18 is configured to branch between the storage tank 16 and the flow meter 14 to supply cooking oil to a plurality of fryers 17, but the piping 18 may be configured to branch between the flow meter 14 and the fryers 17 to supply cooking oil to a plurality of fryers 17, and one specific flow meter 14 may detect the amount (flow rate) of cooking oil supplied from the storage tank 16 to a plurality of fryers 17. For example, the configuration may be such that a flow meter 14 is installed in each store that has a plurality of fryers 17.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, cooking oil is supplied from storage tank 16 to fryer 17, but cooking oil may be supplied from storage tank 16 to other cooking appliances.

[0043] In addition, in the above embodiment, cooking oil is supplied from the storage tank 16 to cooking equipment in a store, but the storage tank 16 may also be configured to supply cooking oil to cooking equipment in a factory such as a central kitchen or a fried food manufacturing factory.

[0044] In addition, in the above embodiment, the oil amount (lower limit oil amount) for the replenishment state set in the storage tank 16 is used, but the system may also be configured to further include a replenishment state oil amount setting unit that sets the oil amount for the replenishment state, and to set or reset the oil amount for the replenishment state based on past flow rate data stored in the flow rate database 32, the past amount of edible oil replenished to the storage tank 16, or the amount of edible oil replenished to the storage tank 16.

[0045] (Summary of the embodiment) Next, the technical concepts grasped from the above-described embodiments will be described using the reference numerals and the like in the embodiments. However, the reference numerals and the like in the following description do not limit the components in the claims to the members and the like specifically shown in the embodiments.

[0046] <1> A cooking oil delivery system (1) that delivers cooking oil to a storage tank (16) that supplies cooking oil to a cooking appliance (17), comprising: a flow rate detection unit (14) that detects the flow rate of cooking oil from the storage tank (16) to the cooking appliance (17); a flow rate memory unit (32) that stores flow rate data consisting of the flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit (14) and the detection time; a replenishment time prediction unit (43) that predicts the time when the storage tank (16) will need to be replenished based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit (32); and a schedule creation unit (44) that creates a cooking oil delivery schedule based on the replenishment time predicted by the replenishment time prediction unit (43). <2> The cooking oil delivery system (1) described in <1> further comprises a remaining oil amount determination unit (42) that determines the amount of oil remaining in the storage tank (16) relative to the amount of oil that needs to be replenished, and the replenishment time prediction unit (43) predicts the time when replenishment is needed based on the remaining oil amount determined by the remaining oil amount determination unit (42) and the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit (32). <3> The cooking oil delivery system (1) described in <1> or <2>, wherein the replenishment time prediction unit (43) predicts the replenishment time based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit (32) as well as business information of the store where the cooking appliance (17) is installed. <4> The cooking oil delivery system (1) described in any one of <1> to <3>, further comprising a consumption tendency determination unit that determines the monthly or seasonal consumption tendency of cooking oil in the cooking appliance (17) based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit (32), and the replenishment time prediction unit (43) predicts the replenishment time based on the monthly or seasonal consumption tendency determined by the consumption tendency determination unit in addition to the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit (32). <5> The cooking oil delivery system (1) described in any one of <1> to <4> is characterized in that the flow rate detection unit (14) is provided in plurality according to the number of cooking appliances (17) or stores connected to the storage tank (16), and each flow rate detection unit (14) individually detects the flow rate from the storage tank (16) to each cooking appliance (17). <6> The cooking oil delivery system (1) described in any one of <2> to <5>, further comprising a replenishment state oil quantity setting unit that sets the oil quantity in the storage tank (16) that requires replenishment, and the replenishment state oil quantity setting unit sets the oil quantity that requires replenishment based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit and the past amount of cooking oil replenished to the storage tank. (7) A cooking oil delivery method for delivering cooking oil to a storage tank (16) that supplies cooking oil to a cooking appliance (17), characterized in that an information processing device (13) executes the following steps: a flow rate acquisition step (S1) for acquiring flow rate data consisting of the flow rate of cooking oil from the storage tank (16) to the cooking appliance (17) and its detection time from a flow rate detection unit (14); a replenishment time prediction step (S4) for predicting the time when the storage tank (16) needs to be replenished based on the past flow rate data acquired by the flow rate acquisition step (S1); and a schedule creation step (S5) for creating a cooking oil delivery schedule based on the replenishment time predicted by the replenishment time prediction step (S4). [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1: Cooking oil delivery system, 13: Delivery management server, 14: Flow meter, 16: Storage tank, 17: Fryer, 18: Piping, 32: Flow rate database, 42: Remaining oil amount determination unit, 43: Replenishment time prediction unit, 44: Schedule creation unit

Claims

1. A cooking oil delivery system that delivers cooking oil to a storage tank that supplies cooking oil to a cooking appliance, a flow rate detection unit that detects the flow rate of the cooking oil from the storage tank to the cooking appliance; a flow rate storage unit that stores flow rate data consisting of the flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit and the detection time thereof; a replenishment time prediction unit that predicts a time when the storage tank needs to be replenished based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate storage unit; a schedule creation unit that creates a delivery schedule for the cooking oil based on the replenishment time predicted by the replenishment time prediction unit, Cooking oil delivery system.

2. Further provided is a remaining oil amount determination unit that determines the remaining oil amount in the storage tank relative to the oil amount in a state requiring replenishment, The replenishment time prediction unit predicts the replenishment time based on the remaining oil amount determined by the remaining oil amount determination unit and the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate storage unit.

10. The cooking oil delivery system of claim 1.

3. The replenishment time prediction unit predicts the replenishment time based on business information of a store in which the cooking appliance is installed, in addition to the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate storage unit.

3. The cooking oil delivery system of claim 1 or 2.

4. a consumption tendency determination unit that determines a monthly or seasonal consumption tendency of the cooking oil in the cooking appliance based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate storage unit, The replenishment time prediction unit predicts the replenishment time based on the monthly or seasonal consumption tendency determined by the consumption tendency determination unit in addition to the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate storage unit.

3. The cooking oil delivery system of claim 1 or 2.

5. a plurality of flow rate detection units are provided in accordance with the number of the cooking appliances or the number of stores connected to the storage tank; Each of the flow rate detection units individually detects the flow rate from the storage tank to each of the cooking appliances.

3. The cooking oil delivery system of claim 1 or 2.

6. Further provided is a replenishment state oil amount setting unit that sets the amount of oil in the storage tank that needs to be replenished, The replenishment-required oil amount setting unit sets the oil amount in the replenishment-required state based on the past flow rate data stored in the flow rate memory unit and the past amount of replenishment of cooking oil to the storage tank.

3. The cooking oil delivery system of claim 2.

7. A cooking oil delivery method for delivering cooking oil to a storage tank that supplies cooking oil to a cooking appliance, comprising: The information processing device a flow rate acquisition step of acquiring flow rate data from a flow rate detection unit, the flow rate data including the flow rate of the cooking oil from the storage tank to the cooking appliance and the detection time thereof; a replenishment time prediction step of predicting a time when the storage tank needs to be replenished based on the past flow rate data acquired in the flow rate acquisition step; a schedule creation step of creating a delivery schedule for the edible oil based on the replenishment time predicted by the replenishment time prediction step, Edible oil delivery method.

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