Oil and fat management device and oil and fat management method

Abstract

The present invention provides an oil and fat management device and an oil and fat management method capable of accurately estimating cost that is related to oil and fat and that can be reduced.　A cloud server 4, 4A for managing costs related to frying oil P that is oil and fat includes a storage unit 44, 44A in which a waste oil reference value AVth of the frying oil P is stored, a difference calculation unit 42 for calculating a difference AVd between the waste oil reference value AVth and a measured value AVm of acid value of the frying oil P that is regenerated or exchanged in a state of not reaching a waste oil point, a weighting unit 43, 43A for performing weighting according to the difference AVd calculated by the difference calculation unit 42 with respect to the value of the frying oil P regenerated or exchanged in the state of not reaching the waste oil point, and a notification unit 45, 45A for outputting a notification signal for notifying the value of the frying oil P weighted by the weighting unit 43, 43A as a cost-reducible element related to the frying oil P.

Description

Grease management device and method

[0001] The present invention relates to an oil and grease management device and an oil and grease management method for managing costs related to oil and grease.

[0002] Fats and oils deteriorate over time, and are discarded when their degree of deterioration (hereinafter simply referred to as "deterioration level") reaches a specified standard for waste oil. If oils and oils that have reached the standard are continued to be used, for example, in the case of mineral oils, it can cause machinery to break down, and in the case of cooking oils, it can significantly reduce the quality of food. Therefore, businesses that use oils and oils need to accurately grasp the degree of deterioration of the oils and oils, and discard them at the appropriate time and replace them with new oil.

[0003] Examples of index values ​​indicating the degree of deterioration of oils and fats (hereinafter referred to as "deterioration index values") include acid value (AV), total polar compound amount (TPM), color, viscosity increase rate, anisidine value, carbonyl value, smoke point, tocopherol content, iodine value, refractive index, amount of volatile components, and composition of volatile components. These deterioration index values ​​can be measured using various sensors, imaging devices, etc.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for measuring the acid value of a target oil or fat from the RGB color information of the colored test piece calculated by referring to the acid value corresponding to the calculated RGB color information of the color bar, in which a colored test piece immersed in the target oil or fat and a color bar composed of multiple colors corresponding to the acid value are simultaneously photographed with a camera, RGB color information of the colored test piece and the color bar are calculated from the photographed content, and the acid value of the target oil or fat is measured from the calculated RGB color information of the colored test piece.

[0005] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of measuring the capacitance in oil by immersing a sensor having an electrode part in the oil, and detecting the TPM value, which indicates the amount of polar compounds (polar molecular weight) contained in the oil, from the measured value.

[0006] JP 2020-38207 A Patent No. 6395243 A

[0007] However, even if the deterioration index value of oils and fats is measured with high accuracy using the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if, for example, employees of a business operator do not actually discard oil at the appropriate time, oils and fats that should be discarded may continue to be used, or conversely, oils and fats that do not yet need to be discarded may be discarded.

[0008] In particular, if oils and fats that do not yet need to be disposed of are disposed of, the number of times they are replaced with new oil is greater than necessary, and businesses end up purchasing new oil unnecessarily. In such cases, businesses can estimate how much cost they can reduce based on the number of times they replaced the oil with new oil before it reached the point of being disposed of.

[0009] However, oils and fats that have not yet reached the point of being discarded include oils and fats whose degree of deterioration is significantly lower than the standard value for discarded oil, and oils and fats whose degree of deterioration is only slightly lower than the standard value for discarded oil.Therefore, businesses cannot accurately estimate the cost savings that can be made based solely on the number of times that oils and fats are replaced with new oil before they have reached the point of being discarded.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an oil and grease management device and an oil and grease management method that can accurately estimate costs related to oil and grease that can be reduced.

[0011] [1] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a grease management device that manages costs related to grease and oil, and is characterized by including: a memory unit that stores a waste oil standard value, which is a standard index value of the degree of deterioration of the grease at a specified time point when the grease is wasted; a difference calculation unit that calculates the difference between the waste oil standard value stored in the memory unit and a deterioration index value, which is an index value of the degree of deterioration of the grease that has been regenerated or replaced before the time point when the grease is wasted; a weighting unit that weights the value of the grease that has been regenerated or replaced before the time point when the grease is wasted in accordance with the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit; and an alarm unit that outputs an alarm signal to notify the value of the grease weighted by the weighting unit as a reducible element of the costs related to the grease and oil.

[0012] [2] Preferably, in the grease management device described in [1], the memory unit stores a plurality of weighting coefficients, which are set according to the difference between the waste oil standard value and the deterioration index value, and the weighting unit performs the weighting by multiplying the missed regeneration / replacement count, which is the number of times the oil has been regenerated or replaced before the time of waste oil was reached, by the weighting coefficient corresponding to the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit, and the notification unit outputs the notification signal, which sets the missed regeneration / replacement count weighted by the weighting unit as the expected value for cost reduction related to the grease.

[0013] [3] Preferably, in the grease management device described in [1], the weighting unit weights the price of the grease that has been regenerated or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded by multiplying the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit by the price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the grease when the price of the grease at the waste oil standard value is set to 0 yen, and the notification unit outputs the notification signal indicating that the price of the grease weighted by the weighting unit is the price at which the costs related to the grease can be reduced.

[0014] [4] Preferably, the grease management device described in [3] is characterized in that the memory unit stores the new oil price of the grease per unit amount and the amount of the grease used, and further includes a unit amount price calculation unit that calculates the unit amount price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the grease by dividing the new oil price per unit amount stored in the memory unit by the waste oil standard value, and the weighting unit multiplies the unit amount price calculated by the unit amount price calculation unit by the amount of the grease used stored in the memory unit and the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit, thereby weighting the price of the grease that has been regenerated or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded.

[0015] [5] The present invention also provides a management method for managing costs related to oils and fats using an oil and fat management device, wherein the oil and fat management device stores a waste oil standard value, which is a standard index value for the degree of deterioration of the oil and fat at a specified time point when the oil is wasted, and the method includes a difference calculation step in which the oil and fat management device calculates the difference between the stored waste oil standard value and a deterioration index value, which is an index value for the degree of deterioration of the oil and fat that has been regenerated or replaced before the time point when the oil is wasted; a weighting step in which the oil and fat management device weights the value of the oil and fat that has been regenerated or replaced before the time point when the oil is wasted in accordance with the difference calculated in the difference calculation step; and an alarm step in which an alarm signal is output to notify the value of the oil and fat weighted in the weighting step as a reducible element of the costs related to the oil and fat.

[0016] [6] Preferably, in the grease management method described in [5], the grease management device stores a plurality of weighting coefficients, which are set according to the difference between the waste oil standard value and the deterioration index value, and in the weighting step, the grease management device performs the weighting by multiplying the missed regeneration / replacement count, which is the number of times the oil was regenerated or replaced before the time of waste oil was reached, by the weighting coefficient corresponding to the difference calculated in the difference calculation step, and in the notification step, the grease management device outputs the notification signal, in which the missed regeneration / replacement count weighted in the weighting step is the expected value for cost reduction related to the grease.

[0017] [7] Preferably, in the grease management method described in [5], in the weighting step, the grease management device weights the price of the grease that has been regenerated or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded by multiplying the difference calculated in the difference calculation step by the price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the grease when the price of the grease at the waste oil standard value is set to 0 yen, and in the notification step, the grease management device outputs the notification signal in which the price of the grease weighted in the weighting step is the price at which the costs related to the grease can be reduced.

[0018] [8] Preferably, in the grease management method described in [7], the grease management device stores the new oil price of the grease per unit amount and the amount of the grease used, and the grease management device further includes a unit amount price calculation step of dividing the stored new oil price per unit amount by the waste oil standard value to calculate the unit amount price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the grease, and in the weighting step, the unit amount price calculated in the unit amount price calculation step is multiplied by the amount of the grease used stored in the grease management device and the difference calculated in the difference calculation step, thereby weighting the price of the grease that has been recycled or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded.

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately estimate the cost of fats and oils that can be reduced. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the following description of each embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a frying oil management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a cloud server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions possessed by the cloud server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of the relationship between a weighting coefficient and a difference between a waste oil standard value and a measured acid value. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the cloud server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing functions possessed by a cloud server according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the cloud server according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] As one aspect of the oil and fat management device and oil and fat management method according to each embodiment of the present invention, a device and method for managing the costs associated with cooking oil used when cooking fried foods such as fried chicken, croquettes, and fried chicken at chain stores such as convenience stores, supermarkets, and restaurants will be described below.

[0022] In the following description, cooking fried foods will be referred to as "deep-frying cooking," the fat or oil (edible oil) used in deep-frying will be referred to as "deep-frying oil," and the ingredients to be deep-fried will be referred to as "deep-fried ingredients."

[0023] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0024] (Configuration of Frying Oil Management System 1) First, the configuration of the frying oil management system 1 that manages frying oil P will be described with reference to FIG.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a frying oil management system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0026] In retail stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets, and eating and drinking establishments such as family restaurants, deep frying is carried out in fryers 2 installed in the stores to provide freshly cooked fried foods to customers.

[0027] The fryer 2 is, for example, an electric type, and includes an oil tank 21 for storing frying oil P and a housing 22 for accommodating the oil tank 21. A plurality of setting switches 23 are provided on the side of the housing 22 for setting the temperature of the frying oil P and the contents of the frying cooking according to the type of frying ingredient Q.

[0028] Although only one fryer 2 is shown in FIG. 1, multiple fryers 2 may be installed in a store depending on the size of the store and the type of fried food Q.

[0029] In order to ensure the quality of fried foods provided to customers, it is necessary to manage the quality of the frying oil P used in deep-frying. Therefore, employees and cooks at each store periodically measure a deterioration index value, which is an index value indicating the degree of deterioration of the frying oil P (hereinafter simply referred to as "degree of deterioration"), and if, for example, the measured deterioration index value of the frying oil P is equal to or greater than the standard value for waste oil, which is a standard index value for the degree of deterioration of the frying oil P at a predetermined time point, the frying oil P is discarded and replaced with new oil.

[0030] Examples of deterioration index values ​​for frying oil P include the acid value (AV) of frying oil P, the polar compound content (PC) of frying oil P, the color of frying oil P, the viscosity of frying oil P, the rate of viscosity increase of frying oil P, the anisidine value of frying oil P, the carbonyl value of frying oil P, the smoke point of frying oil P, the tocopherol content of frying oil P, the iodine value of frying oil P, the refractive index of frying oil P, the amount of volatile components of frying oil P, the composition of volatile components of frying oil P, the flavor of frying oil P, the amount of volatile components of fried foods fried with frying oil P, the composition of volatile components of fried foods fried with frying oil P, and the flavor of fried foods fried with frying oil P. All of these values ​​are parameters that change with the heating time of frying oil P and the frequency of use.

[0031] Each deterioration index value of frying oil P can be measured using a measuring device such as a camera or a sensor. For example, to measure the acid value of frying oil P, a test paper that measures the acid value from the color change of a portion where frying oil P is dropped, or a measuring device that can directly measure the acid value of frying oil P by immersing it in frying oil P, is used. Furthermore, to measure the amount of polar compounds in frying oil P, a measuring device that can directly measure the amount of polar compounds contained in frying oil P by immersing it in frying oil P is used. Furthermore, to measure the amount and composition of volatile components in frying oil P and the amount and composition of volatile components of foods fried in frying oil P, a general-purpose gas sensor (e.g., a semiconductor gas sensor or a quartz crystal resonator gas sensor) is used.

[0032] Other methods for measuring each deterioration index value include, for example, a method using image recognition technology to determine the type and number of fried foods in the frying oil P from an image taken with a camera, and then estimating each deterioration index based on the correlation between the type and number of fried foods and each deterioration index; a method using a spectrometer to measure the spectrum of the frying oil P, and then estimating each deterioration index based on the correlation between the spectrum of the frying oil P and each deterioration index; and a method of estimating each deterioration index value based on the correlation between the number of times the setting switch 23 of the fryer 2 has been operated (i.e., the number of times frying has been performed) and each deterioration index value.

[0033] In addition, when measuring the deterioration index value of frying oil P, it is not necessarily limited to using the above-mentioned measuring device or using the above-mentioned measuring method, and any known measuring device or known measuring method may be used.

[0034] The frying oil management system 1 collects deterioration index values ​​of frying oil P at each store and collectively manages the usage status of frying oil P at each store and the costs related to frying oil P.

[0035] For example, the frying oil management system 1 is composed of a store terminal 3 installed in each store, a cloud server 4 that executes a program that manages the usage of frying oil P at each store and the costs associated with the frying oil P, and a management terminal 5 that allows an administrator managing the frying oil P (for example, a headquarters manager of a company that operates a chain of stores) to check the usage of frying oil P at each store and the costs associated with the frying oil P.

[0036] The store terminal 3 of each store manages the measured deterioration index value of the frying oil P. For example, the store terminal 3 is communicatively connected to an AV measurement sensor 6 for measuring the acid value of the frying oil P, and acquires the measurement value AVm measured by the AV measurement sensor 6. Specifically, at each store, an employee periodically uses the AV measurement sensor 6 to measure the acid value of the frying oil P stored in the oil tank 21 of the fryer 2. When the employee measures the acid value of the frying oil P in the oil tank 21 using the AV measurement sensor 6, the store terminal 3 acquires the measurement value AVm output from the AV measurement sensor 6, associates it with the corresponding fryer 2, and stores it.

[0037] It should be noted that the store terminal 3 and the AV measurement sensor 6 do not necessarily need to be connected so as to be able to communicate with each other. If the store terminal 3 and the AV measurement sensor 6 are not connected so as to be able to communicate with each other, the measurement value (deterioration index value) AVm measured by the AV measurement sensor 6 may be read into the store terminal 3 via an external device, for example, or may be directly input into the store terminal 3 by a store employee.

[0038] The cloud server 4 is one aspect of an oil and fat management device that manages costs related to frying oil P, and in this embodiment, in addition to managing the costs related to frying oil P, it determines and manages the usage status of frying oil P based on the measured value AVm of the acid value of frying oil P measured by the AV measurement sensor 6. That is, in this embodiment, the cloud server 4 includes a cost management processing unit (oil and fat management device) that performs processing to manage the costs related to frying oil P, and a usage status management processing unit that performs processing to determine and manage the usage status of frying oil P.

[0039] The cloud server 4 determines the usage status of the frying oil P by determining whether the frying oil P is being used continuously in a state where it exceeds the waste oil standard value AVth (a state where the time to waste the oil has passed), or conversely, whether the frying oil P is being recycled or replaced before it reaches the time to waste the oil.

[0040] The cloud server 4 then counts the number of days D of continuous use when the frying oil P has been continuously used in a state where it has exceeded the waste oil standard value AVth, and counts the number of times N when the frying oil P has been recycled or replaced before it has reached the point of being discarded.

[0041] Specifically, when the cloud server 4 determines that the measurement ratio of the AV measurement sensor 6 is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard measurement ratio and continuously determines that the measured value AVm of the acid value of the frying oil P measured by the AV measurement sensor 6 is equal to or greater than the waste oil standard value AVth, the cloud server 4 counts the number of days of continuous use D as one day.

[0042] Furthermore, when the cloud server 4 determines that the measurement ratio of the AV measurement sensor 6 is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard measurement ratio, and determines that the measured value AVm of the acid value of the frying oil P measured by the AV measurement sensor 6 is less than the previous measured value, and that the previous measured value is less than the waste oil standard value AVth, it counts the number of times that the frying oil P has been recycled or replaced before it has reached the point of being wasted as one.

[0043] In the following description, frying oil P that has been recycled or replaced before it has reached the point of being discarded will be referred to as "unreached oil Pu," and the number N of times that frying oil P has been recycled or replaced before it has reached the point of being discarded, i.e., the number N of times that unreached oil Pu has been recycled or replaced, will be referred to as the "number of unreached recycling / replacement times N." This "number of unreached recycling / replacement times N" indicates the value of frying oil P that has been recycled or replaced before it has reached the point of being discarded.

[0044] Furthermore, "regeneration" of frying oil P means passing deteriorating frying oil P through a filter to remove fried debris, passing frying oil P through a filtering agent to make it similar to new oil (filtration), adding new oil to make up for the amount of frying oil P lost due to oil absorption by the frying ingredients Q, or discarding part of the deteriorating frying oil P and adding new oil (adding oil). "Replacement" of frying oil P means replacing deteriorating frying oil P with new oil or oil equivalent to new oil.

[0045] The method of counting the number of days D of continuous use of frying oil P and the number of times N of unsatisfied regeneration and replacement is not limited to the above-mentioned counting method within cloud server 4, but may also be another method, such as a store employee recording detailed measurements using AV measurement sensor 6 and counting them.

[0046] The oil and fat management device does not necessarily have to be the cloud server 4 constructed on a communication network as in this embodiment, but may also be a server device installed in, for example, a headquarters center that oversees multiple stores. In this embodiment, the determination and management of the usage status of the frying oil P is performed by the cloud server 4, but this is not limited to this, and may be performed by a server separate and independent from the cloud server 4.

[0047] The management terminal 5 acquires and displays (reports) information relating to the usage status of the frying oil P and information relating to the cost of the frying oil P output from the cloud server 4.

[0048] The "information regarding the usage status of frying oil P" includes the measured acid value AVm, which is a deterioration index value of frying oil P measured by AV measurement sensor 6, the number of days D during which frying oil P has been continuously used past the point of disposal, and the number of unsuccessful regeneration / replacement attempts N during which frying oil P has been recycled or replaced before it reached the point of disposal. For example, when frying oil P is recycled or replaced before it reaches the point of disposal, management terminal 5 can display the measured acid value AVm of frying oil P at that time.

[0049] It should be noted that the "information regarding the usage status of frying oil P" may not only be output from the cloud server 4, but may also be input directly to the management terminal 5. For example, the measured acid value AVm measured by the AV measurement sensor 6 may be output directly from the AV measurement sensor 6 to the management terminal 5 without going through the cloud server 4. Also, for example, if the number of continuous days of use D of frying oil P and the number of unsatisfied regeneration / replacement times N are counted by a server other than the cloud server 4, they are output from that server to the management terminal 5, and if they are counted by a store employee, they are input directly to the management terminal 5.

[0050] The "information regarding the cost related to frying oil P" includes an expected reduction value EV (expected value for reducing the cost related to frying oil P) as a reducible factor that indicates the extent to which the cost related to frying oil P can be reduced.

[0051] (Hardware Configuration for Realizing the Functions of Cloud Server 4) Next, the hardware configuration for realizing the functions of the cloud server 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the cloud server 4 according to the first embodiment.

[0053] A computer (e.g., a computer owned by a company that provides a cloud system) that realizes the functions of cloud server 4 includes, as hardware components, a central processing unit (CPU) 40A, a random access memory (RAM) 40B, a read-only memory (ROM) 40C, a hard disk drive (HDD) 40D, and an interface (I / F) 40E. These components are connected to each other via a common bus 40F.

[0054] The CPU 40A is a computing unit that controls the overall operation of the cloud server 4.

[0055] The RAM 40B is a volatile storage medium that can read and write information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 40A processes management information, for example.

[0056] The ROM 40C is a read-only non-volatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware.

[0057] The HDD 40D is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information and has a large storage capacity, and stores an OS (Operating System), control programs for executing various information processes described below, and application programs.

[0058] The HDD 40D can be substituted with any type of device, such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), as long as it is a non-volatile storage medium that can store and manage information.

[0059] The I / F 40E is a connection interface with a communication network, and is connected to the store terminal 3 of each store and the management terminal 5, etc.

[0060] The cloud server 4 having such a hardware configuration is an information processing device that realizes processing functions by using the calculation functions of the CPU 40A to process control programs stored in the ROM 40C and control programs and application programs loaded into the RAM 40B from a storage medium such as the HDD 40D.

[0061] Execution of these information processes configures a software control unit including various functional modules in the cloud server 4. A functional block that realizes the functions of the cloud server 4 is configured by combining the software control unit configured in this way with hardware resources including the above configuration.

[0062] The store terminal 3 and the management terminal 5 of each store that are communicably connected to the cloud server 4 also have the same hardware configuration as the above hardware configuration. In addition, if the oil and grease management device is configured as a server device rather than a cloud, the server device will have the above hardware configuration.

[0063] (Functional Configuration of Cloud Server 4) Next, the functional configuration of the cloud server 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

[0064] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the cloud server 4 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is a table showing an example of the relationship between the weighting coefficient α and the difference AVd between the waste oil reference value AVth and the measured acid value AVm.

[0065] The cloud server 4 includes a data acquisition unit 41 , a difference calculation unit 42 , a weighting unit 43 , a storage unit 44 , and a notification unit 45 .

[0066] The data acquisition unit 41 acquires from the management terminal 5 the number of unsuccessful regeneration / replacement times N of the frying oil P (number of unsuccessful regeneration / replacement times of the unsuccessful oil Pu) and the measured acid value AVm of each of the N unsuccessful oil Pu.

[0067] The difference calculation unit 42 calculates the difference AVd (=AVth-AVm) between the waste oil reference value AVth of the frying oil P and the measured value AVm of the acid value of each unreached oil Pu acquired by the data acquisition unit 41. For example, if the number N of unreached regeneration / replacement times of the frying oil P acquired by the data acquisition unit 41 is three (N=3), the difference calculation unit 42 calculates the difference AVd for each of the three times.

[0068] Here, if the waste oil standard value AVth is 2.5, when the measured value AVm of the acid value of the unreached oil Pu is 1.0, the difference AVd is 1.5 (=2.5-1.0), when the measured value AVm of the acid value of the unreached oil Pu is 1.8, the difference AVd is 0.7 (=2.5-1.8), and when the measured value AVm of the acid value of the unreached oil Pu is 2.2, the difference AVd is 0.3 (=2.5-2.2). Naturally, the smaller the measured value AVm of the acid value of the unreached oil Pu, the larger the difference AVd, and the larger the deviation from the waste oil standard value AVth.

[0069] The weighting unit 43 multiplies the number of unachieved regeneration and replacement times N of the frying oil P acquired by the data acquisition unit 41 by a weighting coefficient α corresponding to the difference AVd calculated by the difference calculation unit 42, to calculate the expected reduction value EV.

[0070] The weighting coefficient α is a coefficient set according to the difference AVd between the waste oil standard value AVth and the measured acid value AVm (deterioration index value) of the frying oil P. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the weighting coefficient α is set to 1 when the difference AVd is 0.1 or more and less than 0.5, to 1.5 when the difference AVd is 0.5 or more and less than 1.0, and to 2 when the difference AVd is 1.0 or more. In other words, the weighting coefficient α is set to a larger number as the difference AVd becomes larger.

[0071] In the above example, when the measured value AVm of the acid value of the unreached oil Pu is 1.0, the weighting coefficient α is 2; when the measured value AVm of the acid value of the unreached oil Pu is 1.8, the weighting coefficient α is 1.5; and when the measured value AVm of the acid value of the unreached oil Pu is 2.2, the weighting coefficient α is 1.

[0072] Therefore, if the waste oil standard value AVth is 2.5, the number of unsatisfied regeneration / replacement times N of frying oil P is 3, the measured acid value AVm of the first unsatisfied oil Pu is 1.0, the measured acid value AVm of the second unsatisfied oil Pu is 1.8, and the measured acid value AVm of the third unsatisfied oil Pu is 2.2, the expected reduction value EV is [1] x 2 + [1] x 1.5 + [1] x 1, which is 4.5 (EV = 4.5). In this example, the expected reduction value EV is 4.5 even though the number of unsatisfied regeneration / replacement times N is 3.

[0073] The expected reduction value EV is a reducible factor that indicates the extent to which the cost related to frying oil P can be reduced, and corresponds to the weighted number of unachieved regeneration / replacement times N (the value of frying oil P). The larger the relative value of this expected reduction value EV with respect to the number of unachieved regeneration / replacement times N, the greater the extent of cost reduction related to frying oil P. For example, when the number of unachieved regeneration / replacement times N is 2, the expected reduction value EV of 4.0 will result in a greater extent of cost reduction related to frying oil P, increasing the possibility of achieving significant cost reduction.

[0074] The weighting coefficient α does not necessarily have to be set as shown in Figure 4, but can be set appropriately depending on the size of the store, the type of fried food Q, the number of fried items, the type of frying oil P, etc.

[0075] The storage unit 44 stores a plurality of weighting factors α set according to the waste oil reference value AVth and the difference AVd.

[0076] The notification unit 45 outputs a notification signal to the management terminal 5 to notify the missed regeneration / replacement count N and the expected reduction value EV calculated by the weighting unit 43. That is, in this embodiment, the cloud server 4 weights the missed regeneration / replacement count N of the frying oil P, and outputs the weighted missed regeneration / replacement count N to the management terminal 5 as the expected reduction value EV of the cost related to the frying oil P.

[0077] As a result, the expected reduction value EV is displayed on the management terminal 5 along with the number of unachieved regeneration and replacement times N, so that the manager can specifically grasp how much cost reduction related to frying oil P is possible for stores that need to reduce costs.

[0078] The notification unit 45 does not necessarily need to output a notification signal including both the unachieved regeneration replacement count N and the expected reduction value EV, but only needs to output a notification signal relating to at least the expected reduction value EV.

[0079] (Processing Executed in Cloud Server 4) Next, the flow of processing executed in the cloud server 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0080] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the cloud server 4 according to the first embodiment.

[0081] In the cloud server 4, first, the data acquisition unit 50 acquires the unachieved regeneration and replacement count N and the measured acid value AVm of each unachieved oil Pu output from the management terminal 5 (step S401).

[0082] Next, the difference calculation unit 42 calculates the difference AVd (= AVth - AVm) between the waste oil standard value AVth stored in the memory unit 44 and the measured value AVm of the acid value of each unreached oil Pu obtained in step S401 (step S402; difference calculation step).

[0083] Next, the weighting unit 43 reads out the weighting coefficient α corresponding to the difference AVd calculated in step S402 from among the multiple weighting coefficients α stored in the memory unit 44, and calculates the expected reduction value EV by multiplying the read weighting coefficient α by the number of unachieved regeneration exchanges N obtained in step S401 (step S403; weighting step).

[0084] Then, the notification unit 45 outputs a notification signal to the management terminal 5 regarding the number of unachieved regeneration replacements N obtained in step S401 and the expected reduction value EV calculated in step S403 (step S404; notification step), and processing within the cloud server 4 is completed.

[0085] In this way, the cloud server 4 takes into account the difference AVd between the waste oil standard value AVth and the measurement value AVm of the unreached oil Pu, weights the number of unreached regeneration and replacements N, and calculates the expected reduction value EV, thereby allowing the manager of the frying oil P to accurately estimate the costs related to the frying oil P that can be reduced.

[0086] Second Embodiment Next, a cloud server 4A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. In Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, components common to those described for the cloud server 4 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0087] Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the cloud server 4A according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the cloud server 4A according to the second embodiment.

[0088] In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment in which weighting was applied to the unachieved regeneration / replacement count N, the cloud server 4A weights the price of the frying oil P. Then, the cloud server 4A outputs the weighted price of the frying oil P to the management terminal 5 as the reducible price Y of the costs related to the frying oil P.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 6, the cloud server 4A includes a data acquisition unit 41A, a difference calculation unit 42, a weighting unit 43A, a storage unit 44A, a notification unit 45A, and a unit amount price calculation unit 46.

[0090] The data acquisition unit 41A acquires the measured acid value AVm of each unreached oil Pu from the management terminal 5. As with the data acquisition unit 41 in the first embodiment, the data acquisition unit 41A in this embodiment may also acquire the number of unreached regeneration replacements N in addition to the measured acid value AVm of each unreached oil Pu.

[0091] The unit quantity price calculation unit 46 calculates the unit quantity price x [yen / kg / AV] per unit deterioration level of frying oil P, assuming that the price of frying oil P at the waste oil standard value AVth is 0 yen. This unit quantity price x per deterioration level unit of frying oil P indicates that when the deterioration level (AV) increases by 1 using the waste oil standard value AVth as a reference, the value per kg of frying oil P decreases by x yen, and is specifically calculated by dividing the new oil price per unit amount of frying oil P by the waste oil standard value AVth.

[0092] In addition, the new oil price of frying oil P is not necessarily limited to the price when frying oil P is in a new oil state with AV = 0.0, but may also be the price when frying oil P is in a deteriorated state close to new oil (a state in which AV is greater than 0.0 within the error range).

[0093] For example, if the new oil price per unit amount of frying oil P is 250 yen / kg and the waste oil standard value AVth has an acid value of 2.5 (AVth = 2.5), the unit amount price x per unit deterioration level of frying oil P is 250 [yen / kg] ÷ 2.5 = 100 [yen / kg / AV]. Therefore, in this example, for every 1 increase in the acid value of frying oil P, the value per kg of frying oil P decreases by 100 yen.

[0094] In other words, if the acid value of frying oil P is 1 point lower than the waste oil standard value of 2.5, then the value of 1 kg of frying oil P is 100 yen. For example, if frying oil P is wasted when its measured acid value AVm is 1.5, the value of frying oil P worth 100 yen per kg is lost, which means that the cost related to frying oil P could be reduced by 100 yen per kg.

[0095] The weighting unit 43A calculates the reducible price Y of the undelivered oil Pu by multiplying the unit quantity price x per unit deterioration level of the frying oil P calculated by the unit quantity price calculation unit 46, the capacity W of the oil tank 21 of the fryer 2 as the amount of frying oil P used, and the difference AVd calculated by the difference calculation unit 42. This reducible price Y is a reducible factor that indicates the extent to which the cost related to the frying oil P can be reduced, and corresponds to the weighted value of the frying oil P.

[0096] Here, an example will be described in which the fryer 2 has an oil tank 21 with a capacity W of 10 kg, and the frying oil P is wasted (replaced with new oil) about five times per month.

[0097] First, if the measured acid value AVm of the frying oil P at the time of the first oil waste disposal is 1.0, the difference AVd is 2.5 - 1.0 = 1.5, and the reducible price Y of the unreached oil Pu is 1.5 [AV] x 100 [yen / kg / AV] x 10 [kg] = 15,000 [yen].

[0098] Next, if the measured acid value AVm of the frying oil P at the time of the second oil waste disposal is 2.5, the oil was disposed of at the waste oil standard value AVth, so the difference AVd is 2.5 - 2.5 = 0.0, and the reducible price Y of the unreached oil Pu is 0.0 [AV] x 100 [yen / kg / AV] x 10 [kg] = 0 [yen].

[0099] Next, if the measured acid value AVm of the frying oil P at the time of the third oil waste disposal is 1.8, the difference AVd is 2.5 - 1.8 = 0.7, and the reducible price Y of the unreached oil Pu is 0.7 [AV] x 100 [yen / kg / AV] x 10 [kg] = 7,000 [yen].

[0100] If the measured acid value AVm of the frying oil P at the time of the fourth oil waste is 2.7, which exceeds the waste oil standard value AVth, the difference AVd is set to 0.0, and the reducible price Y of the unreached oil Pu is 0.0 [AV] x 100 [yen / kg / AV] x 10 [kg] = 0 [yen], the same as at the time of the second oil waste.

[0101] In addition, if the measured acid value AVm of the frying oil P at the time of waste oil disposal exceeds the waste oil standard value AVth, the value of the frying oil P will decrease by the difference AVd. However, since this does not need to be taken into consideration when calculating the reducible price Y of the unreached oil Pu, the difference AVd is set to 0.0.

[0102] Finally, if the measured acid value AVm of the frying oil P at the fifth oil waste disposal is 2.2, the difference AVd is 2.5 - 2.2 = 0.3, and the reducible price Y of the unreached oil Pu is 0.3 [AV] x 100 [yen / kg / AV] x 10 [kg] = 3,000 [yen].

[0103] Therefore, in this example, the reducible price Y is 15,000 yen + 0 yen + 7,000 yen + 0 yen + 3,000 yen = 25,000 yen (Y = 25,000 yen). In other words, the store in this example was discarding frying oil P worth about 25,000 yen in one month.

[0104] In addition, the new oil price of frying oil P per unit amount (250 yen / kg) and the capacity W (10 kg) of the oil tank 21 corresponding to the amount of frying oil P used are each stored in advance in the memory unit 44A, similar to the waste oil standard value AVth.

[0105] In this embodiment, the notification unit 45A outputs a notification signal to the management terminal 5 to notify the unachieved regeneration / replacement count N and the reducible price Y calculated by the weighting unit 43A. That is, the cloud server 4A weights the price of the frying oil P and outputs the weighted price of the frying oil P to the management terminal 5 as the reducible price Y of the cost related to the frying oil P.

[0106] As a result, the management terminal 5 displays the reducible price Y along with the number of unmet recycling and replacement times N, so that the manager can grasp, in specific prices, how much the cost of frying oil P can be reduced for stores that need to reduce costs.

[0107] The notification unit 45A does not necessarily need to output a notification signal including both the unachieved number of regeneration and replacement times N and the reducible price Y, but only needs to output a notification signal relating to at least the reducible price Y.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 7, in the cloud server 4A, first, the data acquisition unit 41A acquires the unachieved regeneration and replacement count N and the measured acid value AVm of each unachieved oil Pu output from the management terminal 5 (step S411).

[0109] Next, the difference calculation unit 42 calculates the difference AVd (= AVth - AVm) between the waste oil standard value AVth of the frying oil P stored in the memory unit 44A and the measured acid value AVm of each unreached oil Pu obtained in step S411 (step S412; difference calculation step).

[0110] Next, the unit quantity price calculation unit 46 calculates the unit quantity price x per unit deterioration level of frying oil P based on the waste oil standard value AVth of frying oil P stored in the memory unit 44A and the new oil price per unit quantity of frying oil P (step S413; unit quantity price calculation step).

[0111] In the cloud server 4A according to this embodiment, the process of calculating the unit quantity price x per unit deterioration level of frying oil P (step S413) is executed after the process of calculating the difference AVd (step S412), but this is not limited to this and may be executed at any timing before the next weighting step (step S414).

[0112] Next, the weighting unit 43A multiplies the unit quantity price x per unit deterioration level of frying oil P calculated in step S413, the capacity W of the oil tank 21 stored in the memory unit 44A, and the difference AVd calculated in step S412 to calculate the reducible price Y of the undelivered oil Pu (step S414; weighting step).

[0113] Then, the notification unit 45A outputs a notification signal to the management terminal 5 regarding the number of unreached regeneration replacements N obtained in step S411 and the reducible price Y of the unreached oil Pu calculated in step S414 (step S415; notification step), and processing within the cloud server 4A is completed.

[0114] In this way, even in this embodiment, the cloud server 4A takes into account the difference AVd between the waste oil standard value AVth and the measurement value AVm of the unreached oil Pu, weights the price of the frying oil P, and calculates the reducible price Y, thereby allowing the manager of the frying oil P to accurately estimate the costs related to the frying oil P that can be reduced.

[0115] The above describes each embodiment of the present invention. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of each embodiment. Furthermore, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0116] For example, in each of the above embodiments, the explanation was given assuming the management of costs related to frying oil P in a chain store with multiple stores, but this is not limited to this and the invention may also be applied to, for example, an independently run shop that does not have multiple stores.

[0117] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the oil and fat is described as frying oil P, which is edible oil, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be oil and fat such as mineral oil.

[0118] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the expected reduction value EV and the reducible price Y were used as examples of factors that can reduce the cost related to frying oil P, but this is not limited to this, and there are no particular restrictions on the type of parameter as long as it is a parameter that can indicate whether it is possible to reduce the cost related to frying oil P.

[0119] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the acid value (AV) has been used as an example of a deterioration index value for frying oil P, but it does not necessarily have to be the acid value; any deterioration index value that can be measured using a specific numerical value will suffice.

[0120] 4, 4A: Cloud server (oil and fat management device) 42: Difference calculation unit 43, 43A: Weighting unit 44, 44A: Storage unit 45, 45A: Notification unit 46: Unit amount price calculation unit AVd: Difference AVth: Waste oil standard value EV: Expected reduction value (reducible element) N: Number of unachieved regeneration and replacements P: Frying oil (oil and fat) W: Capacity (amount of frying oil used) x: Unit amount price per unit deterioration level Y: Reducible price (reducible element) α: Weighting coefficient

Claims

1. A grease management device for managing costs related to grease and oil, comprising: a memory unit in which a waste oil reference value, which is a reference index value for the degree of deterioration of the grease at a specified time point when the grease is wasted, is stored; a difference calculation unit that calculates the difference between the waste oil reference value stored in the memory unit and a deterioration index value, which is an index value for the degree of deterioration of the grease that has been recycled or replaced before the time point when the grease is wasted, a weighting unit that weights the value of the grease that has been recycled or replaced before the time point when the grease is wasted in accordance with the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit; and a notification unit that outputs a notification signal to notify the value of the grease weighted by the weighting unit as a reducible element of the costs related to the grease and oil.

2. An grease management device as described in claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a plurality of weighting coefficients, each of which is set according to the difference between the waste oil standard value and the deterioration index value; the weighting unit performs the weighting by multiplying the unachieved number of regenerations and replacements, which is the number of times the oil has been regenerated or replaced before it has reached the point of being discarded, by the weighting coefficient corresponding to the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit; and the notification unit outputs the notification signal, which sets the unachieved number of regenerations and replacements weighted by the weighting unit as the expected value for cost reduction related to the grease.

3. A grease management device as described in claim 1, wherein the weighting unit weights the price of the grease that has been recycled or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded by multiplying the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit by the price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the grease when the price of the grease at the waste oil standard value is set to 0 yen, and the notification unit outputs the notification signal indicating that the price of the grease weighted by the weighting unit is the price at which the costs related to the grease can be reduced.

4. An oil and grease management device as described in claim 3, wherein the memory unit stores the new oil price of the oil and grease per unit amount and the amount of the oil and grease used, and further includes a unit amount price calculation unit that calculates the unit amount price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the oil and grease by dividing the new oil price per unit amount stored in the memory unit by the waste oil standard value, and the weighting unit multiplies the unit amount price calculated by the unit amount price calculation unit by the amount of the oil and grease used stored in the memory unit and the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit, thereby weighting the price of the oil and grease that has been recycled or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded.

5. A management method for managing costs related to fats and oils using a fat management device, comprising: a waste oil reference value that is a reference index value for the degree of deterioration of the fats and oils at a specified time point when the fats and oils are wasted; a difference calculation step in which the fat and oil management device calculates the difference between the stored waste oil reference value and a deterioration index value that is an index value for the degree of deterioration of the fats and oils that have been recycled or replaced before the time point when the fats and oils are wasted; a weighting step in which the fat and oil management device weights the value of the fats and oils that have been recycled or replaced before the time point when the fats and oils are wasted in accordance with the difference calculated in the difference calculation step; and a notification step in which a notification signal is output to notify the value of the fats and oils weighted in the weighting step as a reducible element of the costs related to the fats and oils.

6. A method for managing grease and oil as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grease and oil management device stores a plurality of weighting coefficients, each of which is set according to the difference between the waste oil standard value and the deterioration index value; in the weighting step, the grease and oil management device performs the weighting by multiplying the missed regeneration / replacement count, which is the number of times the oil has been regenerated or replaced before it has reached the point of being discarded, by the weighting coefficient corresponding to the difference calculated in the difference calculation step; and in the notification step, the grease and oil management device outputs the notification signal, which sets the missed regeneration / replacement count weighted in the weighting step as an expected value for reducing the costs related to the grease and oil.

7. A method for managing grease and oil as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the weighting step, the grease and oil management device weights the price of the grease and oil that has been recycled or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded by multiplying the difference calculated in the difference calculation step by the price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the grease when the price of the grease and oil at the waste oil standard value is set to 0 yen, and in the notification step, the grease and oil management device outputs the notification signal indicating that the price of the grease and oil that has been weighted in the weighting step is the price at which the costs related to the grease can be reduced.

8. A method for managing grease and oil as set forth in claim 7, wherein the grease and oil management device stores the new oil price of the grease and oil per unit amount and the amount of the grease and oil used, and the grease and oil management device further includes a unit amount price calculation step of dividing the stored new oil price per unit amount by the waste oil standard value to calculate a unit amount price per unit of the degree of deterioration of the grease and oil, and wherein the weighting step multiplies the unit amount price calculated in the unit amount price calculation step by the amount of the grease and oil used stored in the grease and oil management device and the difference calculated in the difference calculation step, thereby weighting the price of the grease and oil that has been recycled or replaced before reaching the point of being discarded.

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