Fuel supply system

Abstract

To provide a fuel supply system capable of realizing more efficient fuel supply operation.SOLUTION: A fuel supply system includes plural fuel supply devices 6 and supplies fuel to a vehicle 101 by using one of the fuel supply devices 6. The fuel supply system comprises: a guide display board 10 that guides the vehicle 101 to a specified fuel supply device 6; a monitoring camera 9 that detects a position of an attendant M in a service station 1; and a management device 5 that performs guidance control with the guide display board 10 so as to guide the vehicle 101 to the fuel supply device 6 that is near the attendant M detected by the monitoring camera 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fuel supply system that is suitably used to supply fuel (gasoline, diesel, etc.) to a fuel tank of a vehicle at, for example, a gas station. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a refueling system that uses an alarm installed in a refueling machine that refuels vehicles to notify vehicles (customers) of available refueling machines, thereby guiding the vehicles to available refueling machines. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-225994 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The conventional fueling system directs a vehicle to a fueling machine (fuel supply device) that is simply not refueling among multiple fueling machines within a gas station (fuel supply station), which may result in the vehicle being directed to a fueling machine that is far from the location of the attendant.

[0005] In other words, according to the conventional technology, even if there is an available fuel tank close to the attendant, the vehicle may be guided to another available fuel tank and stop at a fuel tank far from the attendant's location. In this case, the attendant will need time to travel from his / her current location to the available fuel tank to perform the fueling operation and confirm the fueling permission, which may reduce the efficiency of the attendant's fueling operation.

[0006] An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply system that can improve the efficiency of refueling work (fuel supply work). [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention is a fuel supply system that includes a plurality of fuel supply devices and supplies fuel to a vehicle using the fuel supply devices, the system including: a guide means for guiding a vehicle to a specific fuel supply device; an attendant detection means for detecting the position of an attendant in a fuel supply station; and a control means for controlling the guide means to guide the vehicle to a fuel supply device located near the attendant detected by the attendant detection means. The control means controls the guidance means to guide the vehicle to an available fuel supply device among the fuel supply devices and located near the attendant. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the efficiency of the fuel supply operation can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a gas station (fuel supply station) to which a fuel supply system according to an embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen (a screen displaying the current lane status of a gas station) of a mobile terminal (mobile communication terminal) carried by an attendant. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the screen of a mobile terminal carried by an attendant (a screen displaying an empty lane forecast for a gas station). [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display (standby) on a guide display board. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the display (lane guidance) of the guide display board. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a control process (guidance process) performed by a management device of a gas station. [Figure 7] 7 is a flowchart showing the control process following "A" in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a fuel supply system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking as an example a fuel supply system at a gas station that supplies liquid fuel such as gasoline to a vehicle fuel tank (more specifically, a self-service fuel supply system at a self-service gas station). Note that each step in the flow charts shown in Figures 6 and 7 is represented by the letter "S" (for example, step 1 = "S1").

[0011] 1, a gas station 1 is a supply station (fuel supply station) for supplying fuel to a fuel supply target such as a vehicle 101. The gas station 1 is also called, for example, a gas station or a service station (SS), and is a facility that supplies fuel to a vehicle 101 such as a passenger car or a truck. At the gas station 1, fuel (liquid fuel) such as regular gasoline, premium gasoline, or diesel can be supplied (refueled) into the fuel tank of the vehicle 101.

[0012] Gas station 1 has entrances 2 for vehicles 101 to enter and exit at two locations on the road side (lower side of Figure 1). Gas station 1 is configured as a self-service gas station where customers (customers) such as drivers of vehicles 101 can fill up their vehicles with gas. Within the site 3 of gas station 1, a gas station office 4 is installed as a monitoring station for managing the gas station 1.

[0013] The gas station office 4 is equipped with a management device 5 for comprehensively managing various controlled devices, including a metering device 6, installed in the gas station 1. The management device 5, together with the metering device 6, constitutes a self-service fuel supply system (gas station management system).

[0014] That is, gas station 1, which serves as a fuel supply station, is equipped with a metering machine 6 that supplies (refuels) fuel to vehicle 101. Metering machine 6 is a ground-mounted fuel supply device, and is also called a fuel supply machine, a fueling machine, or a dispenser device. Metering machine 6 includes, for example, a substantially rectangular housing 6A, a fuel supply hose 6B extending from housing 6A, a fueling nozzle 6C provided at the tip of fuel supply hose 6B and inserted into a fuel filler opening of a fuel tank of vehicle 101, and a nozzle hanger 6D provided on metering machine 6 and on which the fueling nozzle 6C is hung.

[0015] Devices such as a pump 6E and a flow meter (not shown) are provided inside the housing 6A of the metering device 6. The metering device 6 pumps up fuel from an underground tank (not shown) in the gas station 1 and refuels (supplies) the fuel to a refueling target (fuel supply target) such as a vehicle 101. That is, at the gas station 1, a refueling operation (supply operation) is performed using the metering device 6 to refuel (replenish) a liquid fuel such as regular gasoline, premium gasoline, or diesel to the vehicle 101.

[0016] A plurality of fuel lanes 7 are provided within the site 3 of the gas station 1. The fuel lane 7 is a fueling area where fuel is supplied to the vehicle 101. The vehicle 101 to be refueled (replenished) with fuel stops in the fuel lane 7. In the embodiment, six fuel lanes 7 are provided within the site 3 of the gas station 1. A rectangular frame is displayed on the fuel lane 7 so that the driver of the vehicle 101 can see where the vehicle 101 is stopped. In addition, each fuel lane 7 is numbered with a number or the like. Specifically, the fuel lanes 7 are numbered from "1" to "6" in order from the back side of the gas station 1 (the side farthest from the entrance / exit 2).

[0017] Between adjacent fueling lanes 7, an island 8 on which a weighing machine 6 is installed is provided. The island 8 is formed as a stepped raised portion rising from the ground contact surface (driving surface) on which the wheels (tires) of the vehicle 101 touch the ground. In the embodiment, three islands 8 are provided within the site 3. The first island 8, located at the farthest end of the gas station 1, is provided between fueling lane 7 No. 1 and fueling lane 7 No. 2. The first weighing machine 6 provided on the first island 8 can supply fuel to a vehicle 101 parked in fueling lane 7 No. 1 and a vehicle 101 parked in fueling lane 7 No. 2.

[0018] The second island 8, which is located closer to the entrance / exit 2 than the first island 8, is provided between the third fuel lane 7 and the fourth fuel lane 7. The second weighing machine 6 provided on the second island 8 can refuel a vehicle 101 parked in the third fuel lane 7 and a vehicle 101 parked in the fourth fuel lane 7. The third island 8, which is located at the front end of the gas station 1 (the entrance / exit 2 side), is provided between the fifth fuel lane 7 and the sixth fuel lane 7. The third weighing machine 6 provided on the third island 8 can refuel a vehicle 101 parked in the fifth fuel lane 7 and a vehicle 101 parked in the sixth fuel lane 7. A vehicle 101 that enters the site 3 from the entrance / exit 2 of the gas station 1 stops at one of the fuel lane 7 and is refueled using the weighing machine 6.

[0019] Surveillance cameras 9 are installed within the site 3 of the gas station 1. In this embodiment, a total of three surveillance cameras 9 are installed corresponding to each island 8. In this case, the surveillance cameras 9 are positioned so that the metering machine 6 installed on the island 8, the vehicle 101 parked in the fueling lane 7, the fuel dispenser filling the vehicle 101, and the like are included in the image (filming range). The surveillance cameras 9 are also installed so that, for example, the position of the attendant M within the gas station 1, the presence or absence of a vehicle 101 entering the gas station 1, the status of the vehicle 101 and the fuel dispenser while refueling, etc. can be detected from the image. The surveillance cameras 9 are filming means for monitoring and confirming the vehicle 101, the attendant M, the metering machine 6, and the fuel dispenser. The surveillance cameras 9 are connected to a management device 5 in the gas station office 4.

[0020] Furthermore, within the site 3 of the gas station 1, there are provided guide display boards 10 for displaying the status of the fueling lane 7 to vehicles 101 that are refueling, i.e., vehicles 101 that have entered the site 3 of the gas station 1 from the entrance / exit 2. The guide display boards 10 are provided at two locations facing the entrance / exit 2. In this case, the guide display boards 10 are installed so that the driver of the vehicle 101 that has entered the site 3 from the entrance / exit 2 can see the information from inside the vehicle 101. The guide display boards 10 are display devices such as an electronic bulletin board, an electronic signboard (digital signage), a large monitor, or the like, and are connected to a management device 5 within the gas station office 4.

[0021] 4 and 5, that is, information (guidance, instructions) for the driver of the vehicle 101. Fig. 4 shows a guide display board 10 on which an instruction to wait is displayed for the driver of the vehicle 101. Fig. 5 also shows a guide display board 10 on which an instruction to guide the vehicle 101, that is, an instruction to the driver to proceed to lane 5, is displayed.

[0022] A management device 5 is provided within the gas station office 4. The management device 5 is configured to include, for example, a monitoring monitor 5A that displays images (video) from the surveillance camera 9, and a fuel supply information recording device 5B that controls the metering machine 6. The management device 5 corresponds to an image processing device that performs image processing to acquire necessary information from images (video) captured by the surveillance camera 9. The management device 5 also corresponds to a metering machine control device that controls whether to permit or deny fuel supply by the metering machine 6. The management device 5 also corresponds to a display board control device that controls the display content of the information display board 10. Furthermore, the management device 5 also corresponds to a notification device that notifies information to a mobile terminal 11, which will be described later.

[0023] For this purpose, the management device 5 is configured to include, for example, a computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and memory. The management device 5 is connected to the weighing machine 6, the surveillance camera 9, the information display board 10, the mobile terminal 11, etc. by wire or wirelessly. In this case, the management device 5 is connected so as to be able to send and receive data signals (information) and instruction signals (commands) between the weighing machine 6, the surveillance camera 9, the information display board 10, the mobile terminal 11, etc. The memory of the management device 5 stores (contains) a processing program for executing the processing flows shown in Figures 6 and 7, which will be described later.

[0024] The mobile terminal 11 is a mobile information communication terminal (portable computer) that can be carried (carried around) by the attendant M (operator) of the gas station 1. The mobile terminal 11 corresponds to an information processing terminal capable of wireless communication, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal (tablet PC). The mobile terminal 11 is connected to the management device 5 by wireless communication, such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication or wireless LAN communication. The mobile terminal 11 is equipped with, for example, a touch panel that is a display screen 11A that can be used for input.

[0025] The display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 displays information (guidance, instructions) for the attendant M of the gas station 1. For example, the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 displays the status of the fueling lane 7 in real time. In this case, the display screen 11A displays the availability of the fueling lane 7, the fueling status of the vehicle 101 parked in the fueling lane 7, and the like in real time. This display is performed based on a signal from the management device 5. For this purpose, the management device 5 transmits a signal corresponding to the status of the fueling lane 7 (availability, fueling status, etc.) to the mobile terminal 11 in real time or whenever the status changes. In addition, the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 displays a "supply permission (fueling permission)" button, and when the attendant M operates this button, a supply permission signal (fueling permission signal) is output from the mobile terminal 11 to the management device 5, that is, a refueling permission signal that allows the meter 6 to refuel the fuel tank of the vehicle 101. Then, the management device 5 that has received the supply permission signal sends a drive signal to the pump 6E of the metering machine 6, thereby driving the pump 6E and enabling fuel supply (start of fuel supply).

[0026] 2 and 3, for example, are displayed on the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11. FIG. 2 shows the display screen 11A displaying the availability of fuel lanes 7. In FIG. 2, the fuel lanes 7 in which the vehicle 101 is parked, i.e., fuel lanes 7 no. 2 and 6, are highlighted. By looking at the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11, the attendant M can see the current status of the fuel lanes, i.e., that the vehicle 101 is parked in fuel lanes 7 no. 2 and 6, and that the other fuel lanes 7 are available.

[0027] 3 shows the display screen 11A on which the available lane forecast is displayed. That is, when vehicles 101 are parked in all of the fuel lanes 7 (when there are no available fuel lanes 7), the next fuel lane 7 that is predicted to become available is displayed on the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11. In FIG. 3, the number 4 fuel lane 7 is highlighted as the next fuel lane 7 that is predicted to become available. This allows the attendant M to know the next fuel lane 7 that is predicted to become available by looking at the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11.

[0028] The prediction of an empty lane is performed, for example, by the management device 5. In this case, the management device 5 predicts an empty lane from an image (video) captured by the monitoring camera 9. Specifically, the management device 5 determines the progress of refueling from the image (video) captured by the monitoring camera 9 and predicts the next lane to be empty. For example, if it is confirmed from the captured image (video) that the fuel nozzle 6C has been inserted into the fuel filler opening or that the fuel nozzle 6C has been removed from the nozzle hanger 6D, it is determined that refueling has started, and it is determined that the progress of refueling in this fuel lane is faster than in other fuel lane where it is confirmed from the captured image (video) that the fuel nozzle 6C has not been inserted into the fuel filler opening or that the fuel nozzle 6C has not been removed from the nozzle hanger 6D. Furthermore, the management device 5 can predict that the next empty lane is the fuel lane 7 where a longer time has elapsed since refueling started (e.g., the elapsed time since the supply permission button was operated) or since refueling ended (e.g., the elapsed time since the fuel nozzle 6C was returned to the nozzle hanger 6D). The management device 5 transmits a signal corresponding to the number of the lane predicted to be vacant next to the mobile terminal 11. As a result, the lane predicted to be vacant next is displayed in a highlighted manner on the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11.

[0029] In recent years, due to personnel shortages and the like, there has been a trend for a small number of attendants to monitor not only the refueling of gasoline dispensers but also their abnormal behavior. Furthermore, for example, there has been an increase in self-service gasoline dispensers that are also equipped with retail businesses such as convenience stores and coffee shops, which has resulted in an increase in attendant tasks (workload). In contrast, at self-service gasoline dispensers, attendants must, for example, confirm that the fuel nozzle is securely inserted into the fuel filler opening of the vehicle's fuel tank in order to issue a refueling permit.

[0030] In this case, the attendant must move closer to the fueling lane to visually check whether the fuel nozzle is inserted. Furthermore, in gas stations operated by a small number of staff, depending on the vehicle's location and the attendant's current location, the attendant may have to travel a long distance to check whether the fuel nozzle is inserted, which may reduce efficiency. Furthermore, traveling such a long distance places a burden on the attendant.

[0031] In contrast, the refueling system described in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 uses an alarm installed in a refueling machine that refuels a vehicle to notify the vehicle (customer) of an available refueling machine, thereby guiding the vehicle to the available refueling machine. However, this refueling system simply guides the vehicle to a refueling machine (fuel supply device) that is not currently refueling among multiple refueling machines within a gas station (fuel supply station). As a result, there is a possibility that the vehicle will be guided to a refueling machine that is far from the location of the attendant.

[0032] In other words, according to the conventional technology, even if there is an available fuel tank close to the attendant, the vehicle may be guided to another available fuel tank and stop at a fuel tank far from the attendant's location. In this case, the attendant needs time to move from his / her current location to the available fuel tank to perform the fueling operation and confirm the fueling permission, which may reduce the efficiency of the attendant's fueling operation.

[0033] Therefore, in the embodiment, even if there are only a few attendants M, the burden on the attendants M can be reduced and refueling can be performed efficiently, so that the vehicle 101 can be guided to the fueling lane 7 near the attendant M. For this reason, the fuel supply system (self-service fuel supply system) of the embodiment includes a vehicle detection means (e.g., a monitoring camera 9, more specifically, the processing of S2 in FIG. 6 by the management device 5) that detects the presence or absence of the vehicle 101 near the metering machine 6, an attendant detection means (e.g., a monitoring camera 9, more specifically, the processing of S4 in FIG. 6 by the management device 5) that detects the position of the attendant M within the gas station 1, and a guidance means (e.g., a guide sign 10, more specifically, the processing of S11 in FIG. 6 by the management device 5) that guides the vehicle 101 to the vicinity of the attendant M.

[0034] The fuel supply system (self-service fuel supply system) of the embodiment also includes a prediction means (for example, the management device 5, more specifically, the processing of S8 in FIG. 6 by the management device 5) that predicts the next available fuel lane 7 when there is no available fuel lane 7, and a notification means (for example, the management device 5, more specifically, the processing of S10 in FIG. 6 by the management device 5) that notifies the prediction result to the attendant M. The following describes the configuration for guiding the vehicle 101 to the fuel lane 7 (weighing machine 6).

[0035] Gas station 1, which is a fuel supply station, is equipped with a fuel supply system that supplies fuel to vehicle 101 using a metering device 6. In the embodiment, gas station 1 is configured as a self-service gas station (self-service fuel supply station). Therefore, in addition to supplying fuel to vehicle 101 using the metering device 6, gas station 1 is equipped with a self-service fuel supply system (gas station management system) that manages whether or not fuel supply to vehicle 101 is permitted by the metering device 6. The self-service fuel supply system is configured to include a fuel supply system. The fuel supply system of gas station 1 is equipped with a plurality of metering devices 6. In addition to this, the fuel supply system of gas station 1 is equipped with a guidance means, an attendant detection means, and a control means.

[0036] The guidance means guides the vehicle 101 to a specific weighing machine 6. The guidance means corresponds to, for example, the guide display board 10. More specifically, the guidance means corresponds to the guide display board 10 and the arithmetic circuit of the management device 5 (the processing of S11 in FIG. 6 by the management device 5). Based on a command signal from the management device 5, the guide display board 10 displays information such as that shown in FIG. 5, i.e., information (guidance information) for guiding the driver of the vehicle 101 to a specific weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7). The driver of the vehicle 101 can drive the vehicle 101 in accordance with the guidance displayed on the guide display board 10, i.e., the instruction to proceed toward the specific weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7).

[0037] The attendant detection means detects the position of attendant M within the gas station 1. The attendant detection means corresponds to, for example, the surveillance camera 9. More specifically, the attendant detection means corresponds to the surveillance camera 9 and the arithmetic circuit of the management device 5 (processing of S4 in Figure 6 by the management device 5). The surveillance camera 9 captures images of a specific area within the gas station 1 in real time. The surveillance camera 9 is connected to the management device 5. Image data (video data) captured by the surveillance camera 9 is input to the management device 5.

[0038] The management device 5 recognizes the attendant M from the image (video) captured by the surveillance camera 9. Recognizing the attendant M from the captured image (video) can be done, for example, using various image recognition processing techniques that extract objects (people) from the image (video). If the attendant M can be recognized from the image (video), the position of the attendant M within the gas station 1 can be detected by matching it with the capture range of the surveillance camera 9. In this way, the management device 5 detects the position of the attendant M based on the image (video) captured by the surveillance camera 9.

[0039] The control means controls the guidance by the guidance means (guide display board 10) so as to guide the vehicle 101 to the weighing machine 6 located near the attendant M detected by the attendant detection means (monitoring camera 9). The control means corresponds to, for example, the management device 5. More specifically, the control means corresponds to the arithmetic circuit of the management device 5 (the processing of S5, S7, and S11 in FIG. 6 by the management device 5). The management device 5 determines the weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7) located near the attendant M from the position of the attendant M detected by the monitoring camera 9 and the management device 5.

[0040] Furthermore, the management device 5 recognizes the vehicle 101 based on the image (video) captured by the surveillance camera 9. Similar to the recognition by the attendant M, the recognition of the vehicle 101 can be performed using various image recognition processing techniques that extract an object (vehicle) from the image (video). By recognizing the vehicle 101 from the image (video) captured by the surveillance camera 9, the management device 5 determines whether or not the vehicle 101 is parked at each weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7).

[0041] Based on these determination results, the management device 5 determines the weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7) that is closest to the attendant M from among the weighing machines 6 (fuel filling lanes 7) where the vehicle 101 is not parked. That is, the management device 5 determines the available fuel filling lane 7 that is closest to the attendant M. The management device 5 displays the number of this fuel filling lane 7 on the guide display board 10 to guide the vehicle 101 to the available fuel filling lane 7 that is closest to the attendant M. As a result, the management device 5 performs guidance control using the guide display board 10 to guide the vehicle 101 to the available weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7) that is available and is located near the attendant M. Note that in the embodiment, an example is described in which the vehicle 101 is guided to the available weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7) that is available and is located near the attendant M. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the highest priority may be given to guiding the vehicle 101 to the weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7) located near the attendant M. In other words, the vehicle 101 may be guided to the weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7) located near the attendant M regardless of whether the weighing machine 6 (fuel filling lane 7) located near the attendant M is available.

[0042] 5 shows an example of the display on the guide display board 10, that is, an example of the display on the guide display board 10 when the management device 5 determines that the available fuel lane 7 closest to the attendant M is number 5. In this way, the management device 5 displays the available fuel lane 7 closest to the attendant M on the guide display board 10, thereby performing guidance control to guide the vehicle 101 to the weighing machine 6 located near the attendant M.

[0043] The fuel supply system also includes a mobile terminal 11, which is a mobile communication terminal, and a notification means. The mobile terminal 11 is capable of communicating with the management device 5. That is, the mobile terminal 11 is connected to the management device 5 so as to be able to send and receive data (information) and instructions (commands). The notification means is provided in the mobile terminal 11. The notification means notifies the attendant M that the control means (management device 5) has guided the vehicle 101. The notification means corresponds to, for example, a display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11. Information from the management device 5 is displayed on the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 based on a notification from the management device 5.

[0044] When the management device 5 performs guidance control (display on the guide display board 10) to guide the vehicle 101 to the weighing machine 6 located near the attendant M, it notifies the mobile terminal 11 that the vehicle 101 has been guided. That is, the management device 5 transmits a command signal to the mobile terminal 11 to display on the display screen 11A that the vehicle 101 has been guided.

[0045] The mobile terminal 11 displays on the display screen 11A that the vehicle 101 has been guided based on a command signal from the management device 5. In this case, the fuel lane 7 to which the vehicle 101 has been guided may be displayed. This allows the attendant M to know the guidance of the vehicle 101 from the mobile terminal 11. The notification means may be an audio notification, i.e., an audio output device (speaker, earphones) of the mobile terminal 11.

[0046] Furthermore, the fuel supply system of the embodiment is configured as a self-service fuel supply system (gas station management system). The self-service fuel supply system is a fuel supply system for a self-service gas station 1 in which fuel is supplied by a customer (a user such as a driver of a vehicle 101, in other words, a person other than the attendant M of the gas station 1). The mobile terminal 11, which is a mobile communication terminal, is provided with an output means for outputting a supply permission signal. The output means corresponds to, for example, a communication unit of the mobile terminal 11, i.e., a communication unit that outputs a command signal (supply permission signal) from the mobile terminal 11 to the management device 5. The communication unit is, for example, a communication device such as a wireless LAN circuit provided in the mobile terminal 11.

[0047] On the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11, a "supply permission (fueling permission)" button for enabling the supply (refueling) of fuel from the metering device 6 is displayed corresponding to each metering device 6. After checking the customer's (user's) preparations for refueling, when the attendant M determines that the customer (user) may begin refueling, he or she operates the "supply permission (fueling permission)" button on the display screen 11A by pressing it with a fingertip. This causes the mobile terminal 11 to output a supply permission signal (fueling permission signal) to the management device 5, i.e., a refueling permission signal that enables the metering device 6 to refuel the fuel tank of the vehicle 101.

[0048] The control means allows the metering device 6 to supply fuel when it receives a supply permission signal (refueling permission signal) from the output means (communication unit of the mobile terminal 11). The control means corresponds to, for example, the management device 5. When the management device 5 receives the supply permission signal (refueling permission signal) from the mobile terminal 11, it transmits a signal to the metering device 6 that allows refueling by the metering device 6. When the metering device 6 receives this signal, it allows the supply of fuel (refueling) by operating the lever of the refueling nozzle 6C. This allows the customer to supply fuel (refuel) to the fuel tank of the vehicle 101 by operating the lever of the refueling nozzle 6C.

[0049] Next, the control process (guidance process) performed by the management device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0050] The control process (management process) shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is started by starting the management device 5, etc. In S1, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 101 has entered the gas station 1. This determination can be made, for example, from an image (video) from the surveillance camera 9. In this case, for example, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle 101 has entered by image recognition processing from the image (video) from the surveillance camera 9, more specifically, from an image (video) near the entrance / exit 2 of the gas station 1. Note that the entry of the vehicle may be detected (determined) based on a detection signal from a sensor (vehicle detection sensor) that is provided near the entrance / exit 2 and that can detect the passage of the vehicle 101.

[0051] If S1 returns "NO," i.e., if it is determined that the vehicle 101 has not entered, the process returns to before S1 (i.e., the start) and repeats the process of S1 (vehicle detection process). On the other hand, if S1 returns "YES," i.e., if it is determined that the vehicle 101 has entered, the process proceeds to S2. In S2, the lane status, i.e., whether the refueling lane 7 is clear or not, is acquired from the image (video) of the monitoring camera 9.

[0052] Whether or not the fuel lane 7 is vacant can be determined by image recognition processing from the image (video) of the monitoring camera 9. Note that whether or not the fuel lane 7 is vacant may be detected (determined) based on a detection signal from a sensor (vehicle detection sensor) that can detect this, provided in each fuel lane.

[0053] Once the lane status is acquired in S2, the process proceeds to S3. In S3, vehicle entry information is sent to the mobile terminal 11 of the attendant M. That is, the management device 5 sends a signal (vehicle entry notification signal) to the mobile terminal 11 to indicate that the vehicle 101 has entered the site 3 of the gas station 1. This causes the mobile terminal 11 to display on the display screen 11A that the vehicle 101 has entered the site 3 of the gas station 1. This allows the attendant M to know that the vehicle 101 has entered the site 3 of the gas station 1. Note that the entry of the vehicle 101 may be notified, for example, by audio output (speaker, earphones) instead of by display on the display screen 11A.

[0054] In S4 following S3, the position of staff member M is acquired. The position of staff member M is determined, for example, by image recognition processing from images (video) from surveillance camera 9. Note that the position of staff member M may be determined using the position information of mobile terminal 11. That is, mobile terminal 11 may transmit position information obtained from a GPS device or the like of mobile terminal 11 to management device 5 in real time or at predetermined intervals, and management device 5 may acquire the position of staff member M from the position information of mobile terminal 11. Once the position of staff member M has been acquired in S4, the process proceeds to S5.

[0055] In S5, a search is made for a fueling lane 7 located close to the attendant M. That is, in S5, the fueling lane 7 located closest to the attendant M is determined from among the fueling lanes 7 in which the vehicle 101 is not parked. If the vehicle 101 is parked in all of the fueling lanes 7, it is determined that there are no available lanes. In the following S6, it is determined whether there are any available lanes. If the result in S6 is "YES", that is, if there are available lanes, the process proceeds to S7. If the result in S6 is "NO", that is, if it is determined that there are no available lanes, the process proceeds to S8.

[0056] In S7, the lane to be guided to is determined. Here, if the process proceeds to S7 without determining "NO" in S6, that is, if the process proceeds to S7 without going through S8, S9, and S10 described below, the lane to be guided to is determined to be "the lane searched for in S5." That is, in this case, the lane to be guided to is the fueling lane 7 that is closest to the attendant M among the fueling lanes 7 in which the vehicle 101 is not stopped. In contrast, if the process proceeds to S7 after determining "NO" in S6, that is, if the process proceeds to S7 after going through S8, S9, and S10 described below and then determining "YES" in S6, the lane to be guided to is determined to be "the vacant lane when the determination in S6 was "YES."

[0057] In S8, an empty lane prediction is performed. That is, the next lane to become empty is predicted. This prediction is made from the current image (video) of the surveillance camera. That is, the fuel lane 7 in which the refueling work is most advanced is determined from the image (video) of the surveillance camera 9 by image recognition processing. Note that the next empty lane may also be predicted from the time elapsed since the start of refueling or the time elapsed since refueling was completed. That is, the longer the elapsed time, the more likely the vehicle 101 will depart from the fuel lane 7. For this reason, the fuel lane 7 with the longest elapsed time may be predicted as the next empty lane.

[0058] Once the next available lane is predicted in S8, the process proceeds to S9. In S9, a wait (stop) display is made on the information display board 10. That is, the management device 5 outputs a command signal to the information display board 10 to make it display a wait as shown in FIG. 4. As a result, the information display board 10 displays a message that there are no available lanes, i.e., a wait (stop) display. In S10 following S9, a predicted available lane notification is sent to the mobile terminal 11 of the attendant M.

[0059] That is, in S10, the management device 5 transmits information (notification) of the next available lane predicted in S8 to the mobile terminal 11. As a result, for example, if the next available lane is predicted to be lane number 4, the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 will display as shown in FIG. 3. Based on this display, the attendant M can move in advance to the lane predicted to be next available. After the predicted available lane notification is transmitted to the mobile terminal 11 in S10, the process returns to before S6 and repeats the processes from S6 onwards.

[0060] Once the lane to be guided is determined in S7, the process proceeds to S11. In S11, guidance of the vehicle 101 begins. That is, in S11, the lane number is displayed on the guide display board 10. In this case, the management device 5 outputs a command signal to the guide display board 10 to display the lane number guide as shown in FIG. 5. As a result, the lane number is displayed on the guide display board 10 to the driver of the vehicle 101. The driver of the vehicle 101 can move the vehicle 101 to the guided refueling lane 7 according to this display. That is, the vehicle 101 moves to the guided refueling lane 7.

[0061] In S11, once the lane number is displayed on the guide display board 10, the process proceeds to S12. In S12, the lane number guided by the guide display board 10 is notified (sent) to the mobile terminal 11 of the attendant M. That is, in S12, the management device 5 transmits the lane information (notification) determined in S7 to the mobile terminal 11. As a result, the lane number guided to the driver of the vehicle 101 is displayed on the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11. Based on this display, the attendant M can move in advance to the lane where the vehicle 101 will stop.

[0062] In S13 following S12, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 101 has reached the guided fuel lane 7. This determination may be made by image recognition processing of an image (video) from the monitoring camera 9, or may be made by a detection signal from a sensor (vehicle detection sensor) that can detect that the vehicle 101 has stopped in the fuel lane 7. If the determination in S13 is "YES", that is, if it is determined that the vehicle 101 has reached the guided fuel lane 7, the process proceeds to S14. In S14, a notification that the vehicle 101 has completed moving to the guided fuel lane 7 is sent to the mobile terminal 11. As a result, the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 displays a message that the vehicle 101 has reached the guided fuel lane 7. Once the notification has been sent to the mobile terminal 11 in S14, the process proceeds to S17.

[0063] On the other hand, if S13 returns "NO", that is, if it is determined that the vehicle 101 has not reached the fuel lane 7 to which it was guided, the process proceeds to S15. In S15, it is determined whether the vehicle 101 has reached a fuel lane 7 other than the fuel lane 7 to which it was guided. This determination can also be made by image recognition processing of the image (video) from the surveillance camera 9, or by a detection signal from a sensor (vehicle detection sensor) that can detect that the vehicle 101 has stopped in the fuel lane 7.

[0064] If S15 returns "NO," i.e., if it is determined that the vehicle 101 has not reached a fuel lane 7 other than the fuel lane 7 to which it was guided, the process returns to before S13 and repeats the processing from S13 onwards. On the other hand, if S15 returns "YES," i.e., if it is determined that the vehicle 101 has reached a fuel lane 7 other than the fuel lane 7 to which it was guided, the process proceeds to S16. In S16, a notification that the vehicle 101 has completed moving to the fuel lane 7 other than the fuel lane 7 to which it was guided is sent is sent to the mobile terminal 11. As a result, the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 displays a message that the vehicle 101 has reached a fuel lane 7 other than the fuel lane 7 to which it was guided. After the notification is sent to the mobile terminal 11 in S16, the process proceeds to S17.

[0065] In S17, the display of the lane number on the guide display board 10 is cancelled. That is, in S17, the management device 5 outputs a command signal to the guide display board 10 to end the display of the lane number guide as shown in Fig. 5. This ends the guide display on the guide display board 10, for example, turns off the display, and the guidance process for the vehicle 101 ends. In this case, the process returns to the start via the end, and the process from S1 onwards is repeated.

[0066] After the vehicle 101 is guided to the fueling lane 7 (metering machine 6), the attendant M checks the customer's (passenger's) preparations for fueling. If the attendant M determines that the customer can start fueling, he or she presses the "supply permission (fueling permission)" button displayed on the display screen 11A of the mobile terminal 11 with his or her fingertip. This causes a supply permission signal to be sent from the mobile terminal 11 to the management device 5. When the management device 5 receives the supply permission signal from the mobile terminal 11, it enables fuel supply by the metering machine 6. As a result, the customer (passenger) can supply (refuel) fuel to the fuel tank of the vehicle 101 through the metering machine 6 by operating the lever of the fueling nozzle 6C.

[0067] As described above, in the embodiment, the management device 5 guides (controls guidance of) the vehicle 101 using the guide display board 10. In this case, the management device 5 guides the vehicle 101 to the fueling lane 7 (weighing machine 6) located near the attendant M detected based on the image (video) from the monitoring camera 9. Therefore, when the management device 5 guides the vehicle 101 to the fueling lane 7 (weighing machine 6) using the guide display board 10, the vehicle 101 can be guided to the fueling lane 7 (weighing machine 6) located close to the attendant M within the gas station 1. This prevents the attendant M from traveling to a fueling lane 7 (weighing machine 6) far from his / her current location to perform the supply work or confirm the supply permission. As a result, the efficiency of the fueling work can be improved. In other words, the supply work and confirmation of the supply permission can be performed by a small number of attendants M. Moreover, in the embodiment, the vehicle 101 is guided to the fueling lane 7 (weighing machine 6) that is available among the fueling lanes 7 (weighing machines 6) and is located close to the attendant M. Therefore, when the guide display board 10 guides the vehicle 101 to the fuel lane 7 (weighing machine 6), the vehicle 101 can be guided to an empty fuel lane 7 (weighing machine 6) located close to the attendant M within the gas station 1.

[0068] In the embodiment, the management device 5 notifies (transmits) the lane number guided by the guide display board 10 to the mobile terminal 11 carried by the attendant M at S12. That is, the mobile terminal 11 notifies the attendant M that the vehicle 101 has been guided. Therefore, the attendant M can know that the vehicle 101 will enter the fueling lane 7 (metering machine 6) located close to the attendant M. This allows the attendant M to move in advance to a position where it is easy to perform the fueling operation and check the supply permission, which also improves the efficiency of the fueling operation.

[0069] In the embodiment, after the vehicle 101 is guided to the fueling lane 7 (metering machine 6), the attendant M checks the customer's (user's) preparations for fueling. Then, when the attendant M determines that the customer (user) may start fueling, he or she operates the "supply permission (fueling permission)" button on the display screen 11A by pressing it with a fingertip. This causes a supply permission signal to be sent from the mobile terminal 11 to the management device 5. When the management device 5 receives the supply permission signal from the mobile terminal 11, it allows fueling using the weighing machine 6.

[0070] Therefore, after checking the supply preparation work of the supplier (customer) for the guided vehicle 101, the attendant M can operate the mobile terminal 11 to enable fuel supply using the weighing machine 6. This eliminates the need for the attendant M to move to the management device 5 provided in the gas station office 4, for example, to operate this management device 5 when enabling fuel supply using the weighing machine 6. In other words, the attendant M can authorize fuel supply without returning to the gas station office 4, which also improves the efficiency of the fuel supply work.

[0071] In the embodiment, the vehicle 101 is guided using the guide display board 10. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 101 can visually confirm the location of the vehicle 101 in the fueling lane 7. Therefore, for example, even if the vehicle 101 is a motorcycle or the vehicle 101 is in a blind spot due to the pillars of the canopy of the gas station 1 or the metering machine 6, visibility can be ensured and the vehicle 101 can be reliably guided.

[0072] In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the guide sign 10 is used as the guidance means. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, guidance lights such as lamps may be provided on the weighing machine 6, and the vehicles 101 may be guided by turning on the guidance lights. The guidance lights may also be embedded in the site 3. In this case, for example, guidance lights may be installed consecutively from the entrance / exit 2 of the gas station 1 toward each of the fuel lanes 7, and the vehicles 101 may be guided toward the fuel lanes 7 by flashing the guidance lights in order.

[0073] Furthermore, for example, the vehicle 101 may be guided (guided) using vehicle equipment such as ETC or car navigation provided in the vehicle 101, i.e., vehicle equipment capable of audio output and guidance display. Furthermore, the vehicle 101 may be guided (guided) using communication equipment capable of audio output and guidance display, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal (tablet PC) owned by the driver of the vehicle 101. That is, the guidance means may be various guidance devices (guidance devices) capable of guiding (guiding) the vehicle, such as a guide sign, guide lights, vehicle equipment, or communication terminal. Furthermore, the guidance means may be visual guidance, audio guidance, or automatic driving guidance using the vehicle's automatic driving function.

[0074] In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the entry of vehicle 101 into gas station 1 and the status of fuel lane 7 (whether vehicle 101 is parked or not) are determined (detected) from images (video) from surveillance camera 9. However, this is not limiting, and for example, a vehicle detection sensor may be installed near the entrance / exit of the gas station or a meter, and the entry of the vehicle and the status of the fuel lane may be detected (determined) using the vehicle detection sensor. In other words, the status of vehicles at the gas station can be detected (determined) using various detection devices that can detect vehicles, such as surveillance cameras and vehicle detection sensors.

[0075] In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the position of the staff member M is determined (detected) from an image (video) captured by the surveillance camera 9. However, this is not limiting, and the position of the staff member M may be determined, for example, from the communication strength between the portable terminal 11 carried by the staff member M and the weighing machine 6. In this case, the weighing machine 6 with the highest communication strength is the weighing machine 6 located closest to the staff member M. Therefore, the control means (management device 5) controls the guidance of the guidance means (guide display board 10) so as to guide the vehicle 101 to the weighing machine 6 with the highest communication strength.

[0076] The location of the attendant M may also be determined from, for example, location information (GPS information) of the mobile terminal 11 carried by the attendant M. In this case, the management device 5 stores in advance the installation locations of the weighing machines 6 and the areas that the attendant M can see. This allows the management device 5 to identify the location of the attendant M (mobile terminal 11) and perform guidance control of the guidance means (guide display board 10) to guide the vehicle 101 to the weighing machine 6 that corresponds to that location.

[0077] Furthermore, the location of attendant M may be determined from the communication status (communication strength) between a beacon (radio wave transmitting means) installed in the gas station 1 and the portable terminal 11 carried by attendant M. That is, the portable terminal 11 transmits the communication status (communication strength) with the beacon to the management device 5. The management device 5 detects the location of attendant M (portable terminal 11) from the communication status (communication strength) between the portable terminal 11 and the beacon.

[0078] In the embodiment, the fuel supply device has been described by taking as an example a ground-mounted metering machine 6. However, the fuel supply device is not limited to this, and for example, a suspended metering machine (fuel supply machine) that raises and lowers a fuel supply nozzle may be used as the fuel supply device.

[0079] In the embodiment, the fuel supply device has been described by taking as an example a metering device 6 that supplies liquid fuel such as gasoline to a vehicle. However, the fuel supply device is not limited to this, and for example, a metering device (gas supply device, gas filling device) that supplies gaseous fuel such as LPG or hydrogen gas to a vehicle may also be used as the fuel supply device.

[0080] In the embodiment, a self-service fuel station 1, that is, a self-service fuel station where a customer (client) supplies (refuels) fuel as a fuel supplier (refueler), has been described as an example. However, the fuel station is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a full-service fuel station where a fuel station attendant supplies fuel as a fuel supplier. A self-service fuel station is equipped with a fuel station management system (fuel station management system) that manages permission / prohibition of fuel supply by a fuel supply device. The fuel station management system (fuel station management system) corresponds to a self-service fuel supply system. A self-service fuel supply system is configured to include a fuel supply system that supplies fuel to vehicles using a fuel supply device. In contrast, a full-service fuel station may not be equipped with a fuel station management system (fuel station management system) like a self-service fuel supply station. However, both full-service fuel stations and self-service fuel stations have in common the fact that they are equipped with a fuel supply system that supplies fuel to vehicles using a fuel supply device.

[0081] According to the embodiment described above, the control means controls the guidance means to guide the vehicle to a fuel supply device located near the attendant detected by the attendant detection means. Therefore, when the guidance means guides the vehicle to a fuel supply device, the vehicle can be guided to a fuel supply device located close to the attendant within the fuel supply station. This prevents the attendant from having to travel to a fuel supply device far from their current location to perform the fuel supply operation or to confirm the supply permission. As a result, the efficiency of the fuel supply operation can be improved.

[0082] According to the embodiment, the control unit controls the guidance unit to guide the vehicle to an available fuel supply unit among the fuel supply units and located near the attendant. Therefore, when the guidance unit guides the vehicle to a fuel supply unit, the control unit can guide the vehicle to an available fuel supply unit located near the attendant in the fuel supply station.

[0083] According to the embodiment, the notification means of the mobile communication terminal notifies the attendant that the vehicle has been guided. This allows the attendant to know that the vehicle will enter a fuel supply device located close to the attendant. This allows the attendant to move in advance to a position where it is easy to perform the supply operation and check the supply permission, thereby improving the efficiency of the fuel supply operation.

[0084] According to an embodiment, the control means allows the fuel supply device to supply fuel when it receives a supply permission signal from the output means of the mobile communication terminal. Therefore, after confirming the supplier's (customer's) preparations for supplying fuel to the guided vehicle, the attendant can operate the mobile terminal to allow the fuel supply device to supply fuel. This eliminates the need for the attendant to go to a device (e.g., a management device) installed in an office within the fuel station to operate the device when allowing the fuel supply device to supply fuel. In other words, the attendant can authorize fuel supply without returning to the office, thereby improving the efficiency of fuel supply operations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1. Gas station (fuel supply station) 5 Management device (control means) 6 Weighing machine (fuel supply device) 9. Surveillance cameras (means of detecting attendants) 10. Information boards (guidance means) 11 Mobile terminal (mobile communication terminal, notification means, output means) 101 vehicles M Staff

Claims

1. A fuel supply system including a plurality of fuel supply devices for supplying fuel to a vehicle, a guidance means for guiding a vehicle to a specific fuel supply device; an attendant detection means for detecting the location of an attendant within the fuel station; a control means for controlling the guiding means to guide the vehicle to a fuel supply device located near the attendant detected by the attendant detection means; Equipped with The fuel supply system is characterized in that the control means controls the guidance means to guide the vehicle to an available fuel supply device among the fuel supply devices and located near an attendant.

2. a portable communication terminal capable of communicating with the control means; a notification means provided in the mobile communication terminal for notifying an attendant that the control means has guided the vehicle; 2. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. the fuel supply system is a self-service fuel supply system in which fuel is supplied by a customer; the portable communication terminal comprises an output means for outputting a supply permission signal, 3. The fuel supply system according to claim 2, wherein the control means enables the fuel supply device to supply fuel when the control means receives a supply permission signal from the output means.

Images