Information processing apparatus

Abstract

This information processing device is provided with a control unit that: acquires past processing performance, load conditions at the current point in time, stock amounts, and required amounts of recycled materials for each of a plurality of enterprises constituting a supply chain for manufacturing products by a plurality of steps using recycled materials; in accordance with the generation of the recycled material, generating a combination of enterprises corresponding to each of the plurality of steps in which the load of each of the enterprises corresponding to each of the plurality of steps is equal to or less than a prescribed load, on the basis of the past processing performance, the load condition at the current point in time, the stock amount, and the required amount of the recycled material; and outputting information relating to the delivery date and the delivery amount of the recycled material to terminals of each enterprise corresponding to the generated enterprise combination.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device. Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-288312 discloses the following: a recycling staff uses a communication means to input recycling product information, and based on the recycling product information, a recycling factory or a recycling center that recycles specific recycling parts in the recycling product is notified of the transportation information of the recycling product. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-273399 discloses the following: a recycling staff that recycles products sold to users uses a communication means to input recycling product information, and based on the recycling product information, a recycling factory or a recycling center recycles specific recycling parts in the recycling product, and notifies the user, a sales company, a sales store, etc. of the recycling process of the product. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-166258 discloses the following: a trader grasps at least one of the distribution information including the purchase information, delivery information, inventory information, and statistical processing information of used products or processed products of used products held by other traders other than its nearest upstream and nearest downstream customers, and adjusts at least one of its own purchase quantity, delivery quantity, and inventory quantity based on the distribution information. Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to appropriately distribute recycled materials to companies involved in each recycling process.

[0004] One embodiment of the present invention is an information processing device, The information processing device includes a control unit configured to execute: Acquiring the past processing performance, current load status, inventory level, and required amount of the recycled materials of each of a plurality of companies constituting a supply chain that manufactures products through a plurality of processes using recycled materials; In response to the generation of the recycled materials, based on the past processing performance, the load status at the current time point, the inventory, and the required amount of the recycled materials, the enterprises corresponding to each of the plurality of processes generate a combination of the enterprises in which the loads of the enterprises corresponding to each process are respectively less than a prescribed load; and Information on the delivery date and the delivery amount of the recycled materials is output to the terminals of the respective companies corresponding to the generated combination of the companies.

[0005] Furthermore, other aspects of the present invention are an information processing method for causing a computer to execute the above-mentioned information processing, a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program non-transitorily.

[0006] According to the present invention, recycled materials can be appropriately distributed to companies involved in each recycling process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Hereinafter, features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like components, wherein: Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain according to an embodiment; Figure 2 This is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of each of an enterprise terminal and a server constituting the system according to the embodiment; Figure 3 It is a diagram showing the table structure of the enterprise information DB; Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed in the server according to the first embodiment; and Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing the processing executed in the server involved in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] In order to recycle items, multiple companies are sometimes involved. For example, from the time an item is discarded to the time it is recycled through multiple processes, there are lead times and retention rates in each process. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult for companies in subsequent processes to predict when and how much recycled materials will be delivered. In addition, if a large amount of recycled materials is delivered to a company at one time, it may become impossible to process it in time, which will also affect subsequent processes. Therefore, it is difficult to make a product production plan in each company. In contrast, if the amount and delivery date of recycled materials delivered to each company are smoothed, and each company is notified in advance of the amount and date of recycled materials to be delivered, it will be easy to make a production plan in each company.

[0009] Therefore, the control unit of the information processing device, which is one of the methods of the present disclosure, obtains the past processing performance of multiple companies that constitute the supply chain that manufactures products through multiple processes using recycled materials. In addition, the control unit of the information processing device obtains the load status at the current time point. In addition, the control unit of the information processing device obtains the inventory and the required amount of the recycled materials. The supply chain is a series of processes with multiple processes for generating new products using recycled materials. For example, a supply chain can be a supply chain that recycles batteries mounted on vehicles to manufacture new batteries. The companies corresponding to each process are not limited to one. In addition, in the following, the items delivered to each company are described as recycled materials and the items generated by each company are described as products. Thus, in each company, recycled materials are delivered from the company of the previous process, products are generated by the recycled materials, and the products are delivered to the company of the subsequent process. In this way, the items are recycled through multiple processes.

[0010] The information related to the date and amount of products generated by using recycled materials can be included in the past processing performance. In addition, the retention rate, lead time, etc. can also be included in the past processing performance. In addition, the load condition, inventory, and the required amount of recycled materials at the current time point in a certain enterprise are information related to the amount of recycled materials that should be delivered to the enterprise at the current time point. The load condition at the current time point can be, for example, the ratio of the processing volume at the current time point to the maximum possible processing volume. In addition, the inventory at the current time point is the amount of recycled materials held by each enterprise. The amount of recycled materials can be expressed in mass or in volume. The required amount of recycled materials at the current time point is the amount of recycled materials required to generate products in each enterprise. For example, in a certain enterprise, recycled materials and new materials are mixed in a specified ratio to produce articles, and the required amount of recycled materials is calculated according to the amount of products to be produced in the enterprise. The control unit obtains the past processing performance, the load condition at the current time point, the inventory, and the required amount of recycled materials from the terminals of each enterprise.

[0011] Furthermore, regarding the control unit, in accordance with the generation of the recycled materials, based on the past processing performance, the load status at the current time point, the inventory, and the required amount of the recycled materials, the enterprises corresponding to each of the multiple processes generate a combination of the enterprises in which the loads of the enterprises corresponding to the respective processes are respectively below the prescribed load. The prescribed load is determined in such a way that the load in each enterprise is not excessive. The prescribed load can be input from the terminal of each enterprise or by an operator who manages the supply chain. When the recycled materials are generated, the control unit generates a combination of the enterprises corresponding to each process in such a way that the load of each enterprise is below the prescribed load. The generation of this combination can utilize statistical methods such as regression analysis or machine learning models. By allocating the recycled materials in accordance with the generated combination, it is possible to suppress the load in each enterprise from becoming significantly excessive, and smooth processing becomes possible.

[0012] Then, the control unit outputs information related to the delivery date and delivery amount of the recycled materials to the terminals of each of the enterprises corresponding to the generated combination of enterprises. The information related to the delivery date and delivery amount of the recycled materials corresponding to each enterprise can be generated using statistical methods such as regression analysis or machine learning models. In addition, the control unit can also generate information related to the delivery date and delivery amount of the recycled materials together with the combination of the above-mentioned enterprises. The information output by the control unit may include instructions for causing the display of the terminal of each enterprise to display the delivery date and delivery amount of the recycled materials. In this way, since the delivery date and delivery amount can be notified in advance to each enterprise to which the recycled materials are delivered, it is easy to make a production plan in each enterprise.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely illustrative, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. In addition, the following embodiments can be combined as much as possible. First embodiment

[0014] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain according to the present embodiment. Figure 1 In the example, it is assumed that new batteries are manufactured by recycling automobile batteries. Figure 1 The companies corresponding to the supply chain shown include companies that make recycling decisions, companies that perform harmless crushing and sorting, companies that purify black mass, companies that manufacture active materials, and companies that manufacture batteries.

[0015] The enterprise that makes the recycling determination is the enterprise that corresponds to the process of determining whether the battery is the object of recycling. For example, when the degree of performance degradation of the battery is small, the battery can sometimes be directly mounted on other vehicles without being recycled, or the battery can be disassembled and used for other purposes. Therefore, the enterprise that makes the recycling determination determines whether to crush the battery for recycling. The enterprise that makes the recycling determination delivers the battery determined to be recycled to the enterprise that performs harmless crushing and sorting as the enterprise of the subsequent process.

[0016] The company that performs harmless crushing and sorting is a company that performs a process of detoxifying the battery by, for example, heat-treating the battery and crushing the battery to sort the black powder. The company that performs harmless crushing and sorting delivers the black powder to a company that refines the black powder as a subsequent process.

[0017] The company that refines black powder is a company that is responsible for the process of separating lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc. from black powder and refining them. The company that refines black powder delivers the refined lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc. to the company that manufactures active materials, which is a company in the subsequent process.

[0018] The company that manufactures the active material is a company that corresponds to the process of manufacturing the active material used in the battery from lithium, etc. The company that manufactures the active material delivers the active material to the company that manufactures the battery, which is a company that manufactures the subsequent process.

[0019] The battery manufacturing company is a company that is responsible for the process of manufacturing a battery that can be mounted on a car from an active material. The battery manufacturing company delivers the manufactured battery to a company that is a subsequent process, such as a car manufacturing company.

[0020] Furthermore, there may be multiple companies that conduct recycling determination, multiple companies that conduct harmless crushing and sorting, multiple companies that refine black powder, multiple companies that manufacture active materials, and multiple companies that manufacture batteries.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, a system according to an example of the present embodiment includes a server 30 and a plurality of enterprise terminals 20. The server 30 obtains information on processing performance, load conditions at the current time point, inventory and required amount of recycled materials, and the location of the enterprise from the terminal (enterprise terminal 20) corresponding to each enterprise. Then, when recycled materials are generated, the server 30 determines the combination of enterprises corresponding to each process based on this information. In addition, the server 30 is an example of an information processing device.

[0022] The server 30 and each enterprise terminal 20 are connected to each other via a network. In addition, as the network, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network) or other communication networks such as the Internet, which is a global public communication network, can be used. In addition, as the network, a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) can also be included.

[0023] Figure 2 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of each of the enterprise terminal 20 and the server 30 constituting the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The server 30 includes a control unit 31 , a storage unit 32 , a communication module 33 , an input device 34 , and a display 35 .

[0024] The server 30 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), a main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.), and an auxiliary storage device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable storage medium, etc.). The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc. By executing the program stored in the auxiliary storage device, the functions (software modules) described later that meet the specified purpose can be realized. However, some or all of the modules can also be implemented as hardware modules, for example, through hardware circuits such as ASIC and FPGA.

[0025] The control unit 31 is a computing unit that realizes various functions of the server 30 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 31 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. In addition, the control unit 31 can also be configured to include a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, etc. The details of the control unit 31 will be described later.

[0026] The storage unit 32 is a means for storing information, and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and a flash memory. The storage unit 32 stores programs executed by the control unit 31, data used by the programs, and the like. A database (company information DB 321) is constructed in the storage unit 32, and information collected from each company terminal 20 is stored in the database. In addition, the storage unit 32 stores a calculation model that outputs a combination of companies that handle recycled materials.

[0027] Figure 33 is a diagram showing the table structure of the enterprise information DB 321. In the enterprise information DB 321, information about processing performance, load status, inventory, demand, and location is stored in association with the enterprise ID. The enterprise ID is inherent identification information relative to the enterprise or the enterprise terminal 20. The processing performance is the past processing performance of the enterprise, for example, including information related to the retention rate and the lead time. The load status is the load status at the current time point in the enterprise, for example, it can be the ratio of the processing volume at the current time point to the maximum possible processing volume in the enterprise. In addition, the inventory is the inventory of recycled materials at the current time point in the enterprise. In addition, the demand is the demand for recycled materials at the current time point in the enterprise, which is the amount of recycled materials required for processing in the enterprise. The location is the location of the enterprise, which is the location where the recycled materials are delivered. In the following, the information about processing performance, load status, inventory, demand, and location respectively associated with the enterprise ID is collectively referred to as enterprise information. Enterprise information is information related to the amount of recycled materials that should be delivered to the enterprise at the current time point. In addition, the company information may further include other parameters related to the amount of recycled materials to be delivered to the company at the current time. The control unit 31 receives the company information from the company terminal 20 at predetermined time intervals and stores it in the company information DB 321 .

[0028] The communication module 33 is a communication interface for connecting the server 30 to the network. The communication module 33 may include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The server 30 can perform data communication with the enterprise terminal 20 via the communication module 33 .

[0029] The input device 34 is a unit that receives input operations performed by an operator. Specifically, the input device 34 is a device for performing inputs such as a mouse and a keyboard. In addition, the display 35 is a unit that presents information to the operator. In addition, the input device 34 and the display 35 may be integrally formed, for example, by a touch panel display or the like.

[0030] In addition, as a specific hardware configuration of the server 30 , constituent elements may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate according to the embodiment.

[0031] Next, the enterprise terminal 20 is configured to include a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication module 23, an input device 24, and a display 25. The control unit 21 is a computing unit that realizes various functions of the enterprise terminal 20 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 21 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. In addition, the control unit 21 can also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, etc.

[0032] The storage unit 22 is a unit for storing information, and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and a flash memory. The storage unit 22 stores programs executed by the control unit 21, data used by the programs, and the like. In addition, the storage unit 22 stores past processing performance, current load conditions, current inventory levels, current demand for recycled materials, and the location of the company.

[0033] The communication module 23 , the input device 24 , and the display 25 are the same as the communication module 33 , the input device 34 , and the display 35 of the server 30 , and thus description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] The control unit 21 of the enterprise terminal 20 acquires the enterprise information from the operator or acquires the enterprise information from the manufacturing equipment of the enterprise via the input device 24. Then, the control unit 21 of the enterprise terminal 20 transmits the enterprise information to the server 30 at predetermined time intervals.

[0035] Next, the control unit 31 of the server 30 is described in detail. When the recycled material is generated, the control unit 31 of the server 30 determines the combination of enterprises that process the recycled material in each process based on the enterprise information obtained from the enterprise terminal 20. The control unit 31 determines the combination of enterprises using a calculation model, for example. The calculation model is a model that outputs the combination of enterprises as output data by inputting information related to the generated recycled materials and enterprise information as input data. The information related to the recycled materials includes information related to the place where the recycled materials are generated and the amount of recycled materials generated. The model can be a machine learning model. In the combination of enterprises output, multiple enterprises corresponding to one process can be included. In addition, as another example, the combination of enterprises can also be output using statistical methods such as regression analysis. The calculation model outputs the combination of enterprises in a manner that makes the load of each enterprise below the specified load. In addition, as another example, the calculation model can also output the combination of enterprises in a manner that makes the load of each enterprise average.

[0036] In addition, in the above-mentioned calculation model, the amount and delivery date of the recycled materials to be delivered to each company are also outputted. Then, the control unit 31 can notify the corresponding company terminal 20 of the amount and delivery date of the recycled materials to be delivered.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the processing executed in the server 30 according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 The flowchart shown is executed at predetermined time intervals in the server 30. The description will be given on the premise that necessary information is already stored in the enterprise information DB 321.

[0038] In S101, the control unit 31 determines whether recycled materials are generated. For example, when a car is scrapped, recycled materials are generated when recycled materials are scrapped through a certain process. For example, when a car is scrapped, the content of the generation of recycled materials is notified to the server 30 from the terminal of the car dealer or the dismantling trader. Information related to the amount and generation location of the recycled materials is included in the notification. In addition, as another example, when discarded batteries are imported from overseas, the content of the generation of recycled materials is notified to the server 30 from the terminal of the import trader. In addition, when recycled materials are generated as waste materials in each process, the content of the generation of recycled materials is notified to the server 30 from the corresponding enterprise terminal 20. In the case of a positive determination in S101, proceed to S102, and in the case of a negative determination, this routine ends.

[0039] In S102, the control unit 31 acquires the company information. The company information may be read from the company information DB 321 or may be sent by requesting each company terminal 20. Next, in S103, the control unit 31 inputs the information related to the recycled materials and the company information into the calculation model, thereby acquiring a combination of companies. Then, in S104, the control unit 31 notifies the company terminal 20 corresponding to the acquired combination of companies of the delivery amount and delivery date of the recycled materials.

[0040] According to the present embodiment as described above, the control unit 31 determines the combination of enterprises that process the recycled materials in such a way that the load of each enterprise becomes below the prescribed load for the processing of the recycled materials. Thus, since there is no uneven distribution of loads in each enterprise, the time required for recycling can be shortened. In addition, since the delivery amount and delivery date of the recycled materials are notified to each enterprise, it is easy to make a production plan in each enterprise. In this way, the recycled materials can be appropriately allocated to the enterprises involved in each process of recycling. Second embodiment

[0041] In the second embodiment, when there are multiple combinations of companies, the user specifies which combination is to be used. Therefore, the control unit 31 receives the designation of the combination of companies from the user. Then, the delivery amount and delivery date of the recycled materials are notified to the company terminal 20 corresponding to the combination of companies selected by the user. In addition, the user may be, for example, an operator of the server 30. The user specifies the combination of companies via the input device 34.

[0042] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing the processing executed in the server 30 according to the second embodiment. Figure 5The flowchart shown is executed in the server 30 at a predetermined time interval. The description is based on the premise that the necessary information is already stored in the enterprise information DB 321. Figure 4 The same processing steps in the illustrated routines are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0043] exist Figure 5 In the routine shown, after the processing of S103 is completed, the process proceeds to S201. In S201, the control unit 31 receives the designation of the combination of enterprises by the user. The control unit 31, for example, causes the display 35 to display all the combinations of the combinations of enterprises acquired in S103. Furthermore, the control unit 31, for example, causes the display 35 to display a selection button so that the user can select one of the combinations of enterprises displayed. The user selects the combination of enterprises by clicking one of the selection buttons via the input device 34. In response to the click, the control unit 31 receives the selection of the combination of enterprises.

[0044] Then, in S202, the control unit 31 notifies the delivery amount and delivery date of the recycling materials to the company terminal 20 corresponding to the combination of companies received in S201.

[0045] In this way, the user can also specify a combination of companies that deliver recycled materials from the combination of companies acquired by the control unit 31. In this way, the delivery target of recycled materials can be adjusted to a certain extent. For example, a specific company can be given priority, or a company located in a specific area can be given priority. Third embodiment

[0046] In the third embodiment, when determining the combination of enterprises that deliver recycled materials, cost, CO2 emissions, and recycling rate are also considered. Cost is, for example, the amount of money per unit mass when handling recycled materials. CO2 emissions are the amount of CO2 emissions per unit mass when handling recycled materials. The recycling rate is the proportion of recycled materials contained in the products of the enterprise. The control unit 31 of the server 30 generates a combination of enterprises in a manner that at least one of the cost, CO2 emissions, and recycling rate is within a specified range. In addition, for example, the lower the cost and CO2 emissions, or the higher the recycling rate, of each enterprise, the more preferential it will be.

[0047] For example, consider the situation where the cost or CO2 emissions of the final product (e.g., battery) using recycled materials are below a specified value, or the recycling rate is above a specified value, based on key performance indicators (KPIs), regulations, etc. In such a case, the combination of enterprises can be determined in such a way that the cost, CO2 emissions, or recycling rate as a whole meet the conditions specified by the KPIs and regulations.

[0048] In this case, the enterprise information includes information on the cost, CO2 emission or recycling rate corresponding to each enterprise, and is stored in the enterprise information DB 321. In addition, the calculation model stored in the storage unit 32 is configured to output a combination of enterprises by also inputting cost, CO2 emission or recycling rate.

[0049] In this way, even when conditions are set for cost, CO 2 emission, or recycling rate, an appropriate combination of companies can be obtained. Other Implementations

[0050] The above-mentioned embodiment is only an example, and the present invention can be implemented by appropriate changes within the scope of its main purpose. As long as no technical contradiction occurs, the processing and units described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented. In addition, the processing described as a process performed by one device can also be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, the processing described as a process performed by different devices can also be performed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change which hardware configuration (server configuration) implements each function.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a control unit, The control unit is configured to perform: Acquiring the past processing performance, current load status, inventory level, and required amount of the recycled materials of each of a plurality of companies constituting a supply chain that manufactures products through a plurality of processes using recycled materials; In accordance with the generation of the recycled materials, based on the past processing performance, the load status at the current time point, the inventory, and the required amount of the recycled materials, the enterprises corresponding to each of the plurality of processes are generated into a combination of the enterprises in which the loads of the enterprises corresponding to each process are respectively less than a prescribed load; as well as Information on the delivery date and the delivery amount of the recycled materials is output to the terminals of the respective companies corresponding to the generated combination of the companies.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: In response to the fact that there are a plurality of combinations of the control unit and the enterprise, the control unit receives a combination of the enterprise designated by a user among the combinations of the enterprise corresponding to each of the steps. Information on the delivery date and the delivery amount of the recycling materials is output to the terminals of the respective companies corresponding to the combination of the companies designated by the user.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit generates the combination of the enterprises using a model, wherein the model takes the generation location of the recycled materials, the generation amount of the recycled materials, the past processing performance, the load status at the current time point, the inventory amount, and the required amount of the recycled materials as input data, and takes the combination of the enterprises as output data.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: When generating the combination of enterprises, the control unit generates the combination of enterprises so that at least one of the cost, the carbon dioxide emission amount, and the recycling rate when manufacturing the product falls within a predetermined range.

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