Fuel supply station management system

Abstract

To enable efficient management in a fuel supply station by allowing an attendant to easily and accurately obtain information on utilization situations of plural fuel supply areas.SOLUTION: Display control means 10 can display, on a monitor 8 of a communication terminal 7 in a changeover manner, a list screen that displays utilization situations of respective fuel supply areas corresponding to plural oil supply machines 21 to 28 or a detail screen that displays detailed information of one among the plural fuel supply areas, the information including a determination result of the one fuel supply area determined by abnormal determination means 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fuel supply station management system applied to a fuel supply station that supplies fuel.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel supply station management device including a plurality of fuel dispensers that supply fuel to fuel supply targets, a management machine that has a display device and manages fuel supply by each of the fuel dispensers, and a monitoring camera that photographs the situation of a fuel supply area corresponding to each of the fuel dispensers. In this fuel supply station management device, the operating statuses of a plurality of fuel supply areas are displayed on the display device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, in Patent Document 1, since the operating statuses of a plurality of fuel supply areas are displayed on the display device, in order to check the details of the operating status of a specific fuel supply area, it is necessary to move to the site, which places a burden on the staff.

[0005] Therefore, it is conceivable to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality in the operating status of each fuel supply area based on the analysis of the image captured by the monitoring camera and display this determination result on the display device. In such a case, information regarding a plurality of fuel supply areas and information determined by image analysis are displayed on the display device. Therefore, a large amount of information will be displayed on the display device, and there is a risk that the staff may overlook or misread the information to be confirmed.

[0006] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply station management system that enables an operator to easily and accurately obtain information on the operating status of a plurality of fuel supply areas, thereby efficiently managing the fuel supply station. **Means for Solving the Problems**

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of fuel dispensers that supply fuel to fuel supply targets, a management device that has display means and manages the supply of fuel by each of the fuel dispensers, detection means for detecting the status of a fuel supply area corresponding to each of the fuel dispensers, abnormality determination means for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality in each of the fuel supply areas based on the information detected by the detection means, a list screen for displaying the operating status of each of the plurality of fuel supply areas, and a detailed screen for displaying detailed information on the one fuel supply area including the determination result of the one fuel supply area determined by the abnormality determination means, and display control means for switching and displaying on the display means. **Effects of the Invention**

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an operator can easily and accurately obtain information on the operating status of a plurality of fuel supply areas, and can efficiently manage the fuel supply station. **Brief Description of the Drawings**

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, as a representative example of the fuel supply station management system according to the embodiment of the present invention, a fueling station management system for managing a fueling station that supplies liquid fuel such as gasoline will be taken as an example, and it will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0011] FIG. 1 schematically shows a fueling station 1 implementing a fueling station management system as a fuel supply station management system. In FIG. 1, for example, eight fuel dispensers 21 to 28 are installed outdoors at the fueling station 1. The fuel dispensers 21 to 28 supply liquid fuel such as gasoline to vehicles to be refueled. The fuel dispensers 21 to 28 are provided with, for example, two fuel supply systems. Note that the fuel dispenser may be provided with a single fuel supply system or three or more fuel supply systems.

[0012] Also, at the fueling station 1, a plurality of surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n are provided. The plurality of surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n constitute detection means for detecting the situation of the fueling area as a fuel supply area corresponding to the plurality of fuel dispensers 21 to 28. The surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n take pictures of the entire fueling station 1 in order to monitor the operating status of the plurality of fuel dispensers 21 to 28, for example, the state of the fueling lane, the operating state of the fuel dispensers 21 to 28 by the fueler, etc. The surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n are connected to a self-service controller 5 described later wirelessly or by wire. The images taken by the surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n are transmitted to the self-service controller 5 as information on the fueling area.

[0013] The fueling station 1 is provided with a management room 4. In the management room 4 (indoors), for example, a self-service controller (hereinafter referred to as "SS controller") 5 that performs control processing such as fueling permission for fuel dispensers 21 to 28 and a POS terminal (not shown) that manages point-of-sale information are provided.

[0014] The SS controller 5, together with a communication terminal 7 (monitor 8) described later, is a management device that manages fueling by fuel dispensers 21 to 28. The SS controller 5 includes, for example, a main monitor 5A, an abnormality determination means 9, a display control means 10, and a fueling control means 11 described later.

[0015] The SS controller 5 is connected to the fuel dispensers 21 to 28 and the surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n via a signal line 6. At this time, the SS controller 5, the fuel dispensers 21 to 28, and the surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n are mutually connected by a LAN (Local Area Network) via the signal line 6. Note that the communication method may be any communication method such as SS-LAN communication, Ethernet communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, Wi-SUN communication, LTE communication, LPWA communication, ZigBee communication, WirelessHART communication, EnOcean communication, etc. Thereby, the SS controller 5 and the fuel dispensers 21 to 28, and the surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n can mutually transmit and receive various signals. Also, the SS controller 5 is connected to the communication terminal 7 by a wireless communication means.

[0016] The communication terminal 7 has the role of a management device together with the SS controller 5. The communication terminal 7 is composed of, for example, a portable tablet terminal or a smartphone. The communication terminal 7 has a touch monitor 8 composed of a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, etc. Further, the communication terminal 7 can transmit and receive signals to and from the SS controller 5. The monitor 8 constitutes the display means of the management device. Also, the content displayed on the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7 and the main monitor 5A of the SS controller 5 may be the same, or it is not limited to this as long as it is a screen configuration capable of managing fuel supply for the fuel dispensers 21 to 28. In the present invention, the screen displayed on the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7 will be used for explanation.

[0017] As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7, the operating status of all the fuel supply areas corresponding to the fuel dispensers 21 to 28, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, among a plurality of fuel supply areas, the operating status of a specific one fuel supply area, and the determination result of one fuel supply area determined by the abnormality determination means 9 are displayed. And the list screen (the screens shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) is for collectively displaying the operating status of the fuel supply areas corresponding to all the fuel dispensers 21 to 28. On the other hand, the detailed screen (the screens shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) is for displaying the operating status (actions of the fueler, handling of the fuel nozzle, etc.) of a specific one fuel supply area among a plurality of fuel supply areas, the determination result of one fuel supply area determined by the abnormality determination means 9, and the set fuel type and fuel supply amount. In FIGS. 2 to 5, the red color used for the display to alert the staff when an abnormality is determined by the abnormality determination means 9 described later is represented by black, and the green color is represented by hatching.

[0018] The list screens in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the detailed screens in FIGS. 4 and 5 are switched by the display control means 10 described later. Also, the communication terminal 7 can transmit a fuel supply permission signal, a screen switching signal, etc. to the SS controller 5 when a staff member touches the monitor 8 (for example, touches the fingertip or pen to the fuel supply permission button 8H or the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8 displayed on the monitor 8).

[0019] The list screen in Fig. 2 is the screen when the abnormality determination means determines that there is no abnormality in the refueling area. On the list screen, for example, selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8 corresponding individually to fuel dispensers 21 to 28, a button 8B for stopping the refueling operations of fuel dispensers 21 to 28 all at once, a button 8C for stopping the refueling operation of the selected fuel dispensers among fuel dispensers 21 to 28, and a confirmation button 8D for switching the list screen to the detailed screen can be displayed. Specifically, the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8 are displayed as rectangular display areas partitioned for each of the fuel dispensers 21 to 28. When an attendant touches the display area, a selection button press signal (such as a screen switching signal) is transmitted to the SS controller 5.

[0020] Here, Fig. 2 shows a state where the abnormality determination means 9 determines that there is no abnormality in the refueling area. The displayed confirmation button 8D and stop button 8C are in an inactive state (shown by a dotted line as being displayed but not functioning when pressed). The buttons 8D, 8C become active, for example, when the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8 are selected by an attendant or when the abnormality determination means 9 determines an abnormality (see Fig. 3). Also, in Fig. 2, the confirmation button 8D may be configured to be displayed only when the abnormality determination means 9 determines that there is an abnormality in the refueling area although it is displayed.

[0021] A triangular icon (refueling in progress) as shown in selection button 8A1 can be displayed on the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8. In addition to the triangular icon, icons indicating waiting for refueling, icons indicating temporary stop of refueling, etc. can be displayed on the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8. When the abnormality determination means 9 determines that there is no abnormality in each refueling area, for example, the icons on the selection buttons are displayed in different colors such as black, red, blue, etc. on a white background in the display area.

[0022] Also, when the abnormality determination means 9 determines that there is no abnormality in each refueling area, on the list screen, a refueling permission waiting state (not shown) is displayed due to the setting of information related to various refuelings (fuel type, refueling amount, refueling amount) by the customer using a setting device (not shown). (An icon of "waiting for refueling" is displayed in the corresponding selection button). Then, when the staff member presses the selection button, the screen switches to the detailed screen of FIG. 4.

[0023] Also, when there is an abnormality in each refueling area, on the list screen of FIG. 3, the confirmation button 8D and the stop button 8C are displayed, and the display area of the selection button 8A1 corresponding to the refueling area is displayed in red. The staff member can switch the list screen of FIG. 3 to the detailed screen of FIG. 5 by designating (pressing) the refueling area or the selection button 8A1. Also, the confirmation button 8D may be displayed by designating the refueling area (pressing the corresponding selection button).

[0024] The selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8, the all-stop button 8B, the stop button 8C, the confirmation button 8D, etc. receive the output signal of the SS controller 5 and are displayed on the monitor 8. Also, when the staff member touches the display area of the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8 and the buttons 8B to 8D, the respective operation signals can be output toward the SS controller 5. Also, the all-stop button 8B and the stop button 8C are displayed in white characters on a red background in their display areas. This can more strongly notify the staff of the abnormality. Note that the above-described list screen is an example, and the layout, the number of displays, etc. are not limited to this.

[0025] On the list screen of FIG. 3, when the abnormality determination means 9 described later determines that there is an abnormality in the fuel dispenser 21, for example, the area excluding the icons and numbers inside the display areas of the selection button 8A1, the button 8B, and the button 8C is displayed in red. Then, when the staff member presses the selection button 8A1 or the confirmation button 8D, a detailed image of the fuel dispenser 21 (surveillance cameras 31 to 3 nTransition to a display that includes the image). As a result, the staff member can recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the fuel dispenser 21 and can understand the detailed refueling situation from the videos captured by the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 n in FIG.

[0026] When the abnormality determination means 9 determines that there is no abnormality (normal state), the detailed screen of FIG. 4 is displayed. On this detailed screen, for example, the mass stop button 8B, the stop button 8C, the permission button 8H on the list screen, an image display unit 8E that displays an image of the refueling area specified when switching to the detailed screen, a refueling status display unit 8F displayed above the image display unit 8E, and an abnormality determination result display unit 8G displayed below the image display unit 8E can be displayed. Also, the detailed screen can display the type of fuel, the amount of fuel supplied, etc. On the other hand, when the abnormality determination means 9 determines that there is an abnormality (when the abnormality determination result is dangerous or caution), instead of the permission button 8H, a confirmation button 8D is displayed, and on the image display unit 8E, an image determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination means 9 is displayed. Note that the above-described detailed screen is an example, and the layout, the number of displays, etc. are not limited to this.

[0027] In the refueling status display unit 8F, as the operating status of the fuel dispenser, waiting (waiting for a vehicle), waiting for refueling (for example, during the operation of inserting the fuel nozzle into the fuel inlet of the vehicle), refueling in progress, etc. can be displayed in characters or icons. Also, in the abnormality determination result display unit 8G, dangerous items such as smoking and poor nozzle insertion, caution items such as removal of the fuel nozzle removed from the fuel dispensers 21 to 28, normal items where the fuel nozzle is correctly inserted into the fuel inlet, and no detection where the operating status of the fuel dispenser cannot be detected due to equipment failure, etc. can be displayed in characters or icons.

[0028] The confirmation button 8D on the detailed screen of FIG. 5 is pressed (touched) by the staff member when visually checking the image displayed on the image display unit 8E and determining that there is no abnormality in the refueling area. When this confirmation button 8D is pressed, it is determined that the abnormality has been resolved, and the confirmation button 8D (detailed screen of FIG. 5) switches to the permission button 8H (detailed screen of FIG. 4) that permits refueling. Note that when it is determined that there is no abnormality in the refueling area and when switching from the list screen to the detailed screen, the confirmation button becomes the permission button.

[0029] The abnormality determination means 9 is incorporated in, for example, the SS controller 5. The abnormality determination means 9 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the refueling area based on the information of the images taken by the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 n Specifically, the abnormality determination means 9 uses the image of the refueling area taken by the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 (see FIG. 3) and the learned model that has learned the correct refueling operation in advance, and determines that there is an abnormality when the correct refueling operation cannot be detected. That is, the abnormality determination means 9 determines by the image recognition technology based on machine learning of AI (artificial intelligence). In this case, the AI determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in each refueling area based on information such as the actions of the refueler, the position of the fuel filler opening of the vehicle, the position of the fuel nozzle, and the orientation of the fuel nozzle. In addition, the abnormality determination means 9 may not be able to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality from the comparison with the image of the correct refueling operation learned in advance, and in that case, it is determined as unknown (attention by the staff is required). Thereby, the abnormality determination means 9 determines one of the "danger level", "attention level", and "normal level" at the time of abnormality determination. Note that the abnormality determination means 9 also determines the presence or absence of abnormalities in the fuel dispensers 21 to 2 n and each device in the gas station 1. n

[0030] The display control means 10 is incorporated in, for example, the SS controller 5. The display control means 10 causes the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7 to display the information used by the abnormality determination means 9 when determining the presence or absence of an abnormality in each refueling area and the determination result by the abnormality determination means 9. Specifically, the display control means 10 collectively displays the operating status of each of the plurality of refueling areas on the list screens of FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0031] In addition, in the detailed screens of FIGS. 4 and 5, the display control means 10 causes the images (including videos) captured by the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 n to be displayed on the image display section 8E of the monitor 8, causes the operation status of the specified refueling area to be displayed on the refueling status display section 8F, and causes the result of the determination made by the abnormality determination means 9 for the specified refueling area to be displayed on the abnormality determination result display section 8G.

[0032] Furthermore, in the list screen of FIG. 3, the display control means 10 causes the refueling area determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination means 9, for example, the refueling area corresponding to the fuel dispenser 21, to be notified. Specifically, the color of the selection button 8A1 on the list screen is changed to red (black in FIG. 3). When the refueling area determined to be abnormal is notified, the staff member can switch the list screen of FIG. 3 to the detailed screen of FIG. 5 by pressing the selection button 8A1 on the list screen of FIG. 3 to specify the refueling area. As a result, information (status) of the refueling area determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination means 9 can be enlarged and displayed on the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7. Also, when it is determined by the abnormality determination means 9 that there is no abnormality (no abnormality has occurred), for example, the color of the selection button 8A1 on the list screen may be changed to green. Thereby, the staff member can easily grasp what determination has been made by the abnormality determination means 9. When there are a mixture of refueling areas determined to be abnormal and refueling areas determined to be normal by the abnormality determination means when monitoring a plurality of refueling areas, the refueling areas determined to be abnormal can be preferentially dealt with.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, when the fuel supply control means 11 receives a signal (permission button operation signal) transmitted from the communication terminal 7 when a staff member presses the button 8H for permitting fuel supply displayed on the detailed screen (FIG. 4) of the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7, the fuel supply control means 11 transmits a fuel supply permission signal to the fuel dispensers 21 to 28. Thereby, the fuel pumps (not shown) of the fuel dispensers 21 to 28 that have received the fuel supply permission signal are driven, and fuel supply becomes possible.

[0034] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7, a part of the control process of the fueling station management system of the display control means 10 and the fueling control means 11 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that the steps in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are denoted by the notation "S", for example, step 1 is denoted as "S1".

[0035] Start the control process shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In S1, as information on each fueling area, the fueling state of each fuel dispenser 21 to 28 and the monitoring information including information such as images captured by the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 n are received by the SS controller 5. In S2, the list screen shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7, and the fueling state is indicated by an icon. For example, a triangular icon is displayed on the selection button 8A1, indicating that the fuel dispenser 21 is in the process of fueling.

[0036] In S3, based on the monitoring information acquired in S1 by the abnormality determination means 9, it is determined whether the fueling state is at a dangerous level. If it is determined that it is at a dangerous level, in S3, it is determined as "YES" and the process proceeds to S4. In S4, as shown in FIG. 3, the selection button 8A1 is set to red and notified to the staff. Here, if a button for permitting the fueling operation is displayed on the list screen, this permitting button is switched to the confirmation button 8D.

[0037] In S5, it is determined whether the staff has operated (pressed, touched) the selection button 8A1 or the confirmation button 8D on the list screen. If it is determined that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S6, and the monitor 8 is switched from the list screen in FIG. 3 to the detailed screen in FIG. 5 on which the images captured by the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 n are displayed. Subsequently, in S7, the character "Fueling" is displayed in the fueling state display section 8F as the fueling state. Also, the character "Nozzle insertion failure", which is the determination result of the abnormality determination means, is displayed in the abnormality determination result display section 8G, and the process proceeds to S9. Note that in S5, if it is determined that no button operation has been performed, in S8, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process of S5 is repeated. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed in S8, the staff is notified in S21 described later and the process ends.

[0038] As a result, on the detailed screen of FIG. 5, the image of the refueling area can be displayed largely, the refueling status display section 8F can display "refueling" in red, and the abnormality determination result display section 8G can display "nozzle insertion failure" in red. In S9, it is determined whether or not the confirmation button 8D displayed on the detailed screen has been operated. If it is determined that the button has been operated, the process proceeds to S10. As in the detailed screen of FIG. 4, the display of the abnormality determination result display section 8G is changed from red to green, and the display of the abnormality determination result display section 8G is changed to "nozzle insertion OK". Specifically, when it is determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination means 9, the staff member who accurately grasps the current state of the refueling area on the detailed screen of FIG. 5 operates the confirmation button 8D after taking various measures against the abnormality. As a result, assuming that the abnormal state has been resolved, the red display returns to the normal state (normal state: green). Also, in S9, if the confirmation button 8D has not been operated, it is determined in S11 whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process of S9 is repeated. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed in S11, the staff is notified in S21, which will be described later, and the process ends.

[0039] Also, after changing the display of the icon from red to green in S10, in S22, a button 8H for permitting refueling is displayed, and the process proceeds to S23. In this S23, it is determined whether or not the permission button 8H has been operated by the staff. If it is determined that the button has been operated, the process proceeds to S24. If it is determined that the button has not been operated, the determination in S23 is repeated. Next, in S24, a refueling permission signal (pump drive signal for fuel dispensers 21 to 28) is transmitted to the fuel dispenser (pump), and this control ends. As a result, when an abnormality occurs, after confirmation (abnormality resolution) by the staff, a refueling permission signal can be transmitted to fuel dispensers 21 to 28, so that the safety of the refueling operation can be achieved.

[0040] On the other hand, if it is determined as "NO" in S3, it moves to S12 in FIG. 7. In this S12, it is determined whether the determination result by the abnormality determination means 9 is at the caution level. If it is determined to be at the caution level, it is determined as "YES" in S12 and moves to S13. In S13, the selection button 8A1 is set to yellow and notified to the staff. Also, if a button for permitting the refueling operation is displayed on the list screen, this permitting button is switched to the confirmation button 8D.

[0041] In S14, it is determined whether the staff has operated (pressed, touched) the selection button 8A1 or the confirmation button 8D on the list screen. If it is determined that the operation has been performed, it moves to S15, and the monitor 8 is switched from the list screen in FIG. 3 to the detailed screen in FIG. 5 where the images taken by the surveillance cameras 31 to 3 n are displayed. Subsequently, in S16, the characters "Refueling" are displayed on the refueling state display section 8F as the refueling state. Also, the characters "Nozzle detachment", which is the determination result of the abnormality determination means, are displayed on the abnormality determination result display section 8G. Note that if it is determined in S14 that the button has not been operated, it is determined in S17 whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process of S14 is repeated. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed in S17, it is notified to the staff in S21, which will be described later, and then the process ends.

[0042] As a result, on the detailed screen in FIG. 5, the image of the refueling area can be displayed largely, the fact that it is "Refueling" can be displayed in yellow on the refueling state display section 8F, and the fact that it is "Nozzle detachment" can be displayed in yellow on the abnormality determination result display section 8G. Then, it moves to S9.

[0043] Also, if it is determined as "NO" in S12, it moves to S18. In this S18, it is determined whether the determination result by the abnormality determination means 9 is at the normal level. If it is determined to be at the normal level, it is determined as "YES" in S18 and moves to S19. In S19, the selection button 8A1 is set to green.

[0044] Furthermore, if it is determined as "NO" in S18, it moves to S20. In this S20, for example, due to equipment failure, etc. (surveillance cameras 31 to 3n (such as when the signal from 31 to 3 cannot be received) and it is impossible to detect, or in the case where the abnormality determination means 9 has not performed the determination of the presence or absence of an abnormality at all. In that case, it is regarded as "no detection", and the icon is displayed in gray. In the subsequent S21, it is notified to the staff that there is "no detection". As a result, the staff can grasp that there is a failure in the equipment (such as the signal from the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 n (such as when the signal from 3 cannot be received) or the abnormality determination means 9 has not performed the determination of the presence or absence of an abnormality. Also, as the cause of "no detection", the disconnection of the signal line 6 or the deterioration of the communication environment can be considered.

[0045] Thus, according to the present embodiment, the display control means 10 can switch between a list screen (FIG. 2) for displaying the operation status of each fuel supply area corresponding to a plurality of fuel dispensers 21 to 28 and a detailed screen (FIG. 3) for displaying the detailed information of one fuel supply area including the determination result of the one fuel supply area determined by the abnormality determination means 9 among the plurality of fuel supply areas, and display them on the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7.

[0046] Therefore, on the detailed screen of the monitor 8 of the communication terminal 7, the operation status of the specified one fuel supply area, for example, the image of the fuel supply area can be displayed largely. Furthermore, when it is determined by the abnormality determination means 9 that there is an abnormality, the fuel supply state of the fuel supply area and the determination result by the abnormality determination means can be displayed.

[0047] As a result, the staff can easily and accurately obtain information regarding the operation status of the fuel supply area determined to have an abnormality by visually observing the detailed screen of the monitor 8. As a result, each fuel supply area of the gas station 1 can be efficiently managed.

[0048] Further, after the display control means 10 causes the fueling area determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination means 9 to be notified on the list screen of FIG. 3, when an attendant designates the fueling area on the list screen, that is, when any one of the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8 of the monitor 8 is pressed, the list screen of FIG. 3 can be switched to the detailed screen of FIG. 5. Thereby, the attendant can check the operation status of the fueling area that concerns him / her on the detailed screen.

[0049] Furthermore, the display control means 10 can display the images taken by the monitoring cameras 31 to 3 n on the detailed screens of FIGS. 4 and 5 together with the determination result regarding one fueling area by the abnormality determination means 9. Thereby, the attendant can visually check the current status of the fueling area and accurately grasp the operation status.

[0050] In the embodiment, the gas station 1 equipped with eight fuel dispensers 21 to 28 is taken as an example for explanation. However, the present invention may be applied to a gas station equipped with one fuel dispenser, may be applied to a gas station equipped with two to seven fuel dispensers, or may be applied to a gas station equipped with nine or more fuel dispensers. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the gas station 1 equipped with one communication terminal 7 is taken as an example for explanation. However, the present invention may be applied to a gas station equipped with two or more communication terminals.

[0051] In the embodiment, the case where various operations are performed by the communication terminal 7 is illustrated. However, in the present invention, various operations may be performed by the SS controller 5 together with the communication terminal 7.

[0052] In the embodiment, the case where the display control means 10 switches the list screen to the detailed screen by pressing any one of the selection buttons 8A1 to 8A8 of the monitor 8 or the confirmation button 8D is illustrated. However, the list screen may be automatically switched to the detailed screen when the abnormality determination means 9 determines an abnormality.

[0053] In the embodiment, a fuel dispenser for supplying liquid fuel to a vehicle or the like has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be applied to a fuel supply station equipped with a fuel supply device for supplying fuels such as CNG and LPG to a vehicle or the like.

[0054] Further, in the embodiment, the abnormality determination means 9 determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the refueling operation of the refueler. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the presence or absence of an abnormality may be determined from the communication status of devices such as fuel dispensers and each device in the fuel supply station. Further, in the embodiment, when the correct refueling operation cannot be detected from the image of the refueling area and the learned model that has been previously learned about the correct refueling operation using the image recognition technology based on machine learning of AI (artificial intelligence), it is determined as an abnormality. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the presence or absence of an abnormality may be determined using a learned model that has been previously learned about an abnormal refueling operation. Furthermore, an image recognition technology using something other than AI (artificial intelligence) that requires machine learning may be used, or the presence or absence of an abnormality may be determined based on information obtained from the output data of an external sensor other than a camera.

[0055] Next, as the fuel supply station management system included in the above embodiment, for example, the following modes can be considered.

[0056] In a first aspect, it is characterized by comprising: a plurality of fuel supply devices for supplying fuel to a fuel supply target; a management device having display means and managing the supply of fuel by each of the fuel supply devices; detection means for detecting the status of a fuel supply area corresponding to each of the fuel supply devices; abnormality determination means for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality in each of the fuel supply areas based on the information detected by the detection means; a list screen for displaying the operating status of each of the plurality of fuel supply areas; and display control means for switching and displaying on the display means a detailed screen for displaying detailed information of one of the fuel supply areas including the determination result of the one fuel supply area determined by the abnormality determination means.

[0057] As a second aspect, in the first aspect, after the display control means causes the fuel supply area determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination means to be notified on the list screen, when an attendant designates a fuel supply area on the list screen, the list screen is switched to the detailed screen. This is the feature.

[0058] As a third aspect, in the first aspect, the detection means comprises a camera that photographs the inside of the fuel supply station, and the display control means causes an image photographed by the camera to be displayed on the detailed screen together with the determination result regarding the one fuel supply area by the abnormality determination means. This is the feature.

[0059] As a fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, the display means displays a permission button regarding fueling permission on the detailed screen, and when the abnormality determination means determines that there is no abnormality, the display control means causes the permission button to be displayed on the detailed screen. This is the feature.

[0060] As a fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the display control means causes the determination result by the abnormality determination means of the fuel supply area displayed on the list screen to be displayed in different colors according to the determination result. This is the feature.

[0061] As a sixth aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the display means displays a stop button for stopping fueling by the fuel dispenser on the list screen or the detailed screen, and when the abnormality determination means determines that there is an abnormality, the display control means causes the determination result by the abnormality determination means and the stop button to be displayed in the same display color. This is the feature.

Explanation of Signs

[0062] 1 Fuel supply station 21 - 28 Fuel dispensers 31 - 3 n Surveillance camera (detection means) 5 Self-service controller (management device) 5A Main monitor (display means) 7 Communication terminal (management device) 8 Monitor (display means) 8A1 - 8A8 Selection buttons 8C Stop button 8D Confirmation button 8E Image display section 8F Fuel supply status display section 8G Abnormality determination result display section 8H Fuel supply permission button 9 Abnormality determination means 10 Display control means

Claims

1. A plurality of fuel supply devices that supply fuel to fuel supply targets, A management device that has display means and manages the supply of fuel by each of the fuel supply devices, Detection means for detecting the status of the fuel supply area corresponding to each of the fuel supply devices, Abnormality determination means for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality in each of the fuel supply areas based on the information detected by the detection means, A list screen for displaying the operating status of each of the plurality of fuel supply areas, and a detailed screen for displaying detailed information of the one fuel supply area including the determination result of the one fuel supply area determined by the abnormality determination means, and display control means for switching and displaying on the display means, A fuel supply station management system characterized by comprising the above.

2. The fuel supply station management system according to claim 1, The display control means causes the fuel supply area determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination means to be notified on the list screen, and when an operator designates a fuel supply area on the list screen, switches the list screen to the detailed screen. A fuel supply station management system characterized by this.

3. The fuel supply station management system according to claim 1, The detection means comprises a camera that photographs inside the fuel supply station, The display control means displays an image taken by the camera on the detailed screen together with the determination result regarding the one fuel supply area by the abnormality determination means. A fuel supply station management system characterized by this.

4. The fuel supply station management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The display means displays a permission button regarding refueling permission on the detailed screen, The display control means displays the permission button on the detailed screen when it is determined by the abnormality determination means that there is no abnormality. A fuel supply station management system characterized by this.

5. The fuel supply station management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The display control means displays the determination result by the abnormality determination means of the fuel supply area displayed on the list screen in different colors according to the determination result. A fuel supply station management system characterized by this.

6. The fuel supply station management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The display means displays a stop button for stopping fuel supply by the fuel supply device on the list screen or the detailed screen, The fuel supply station management system is characterized in that when an abnormality is determined by the abnormality determination means, the display control means causes the determination result by the abnormality determination means and the stop button to be displayed in the same display color.

Images