Computing systems, programs, and computing methods

Abstract

A computing system that calculates resource balance information that balances a production amount of a product and an amount of resources used for production of the product is provided. The computing system includes a balance calculation unit that calculates the resource balance information based on the production amount of the product and the amount of resources used for production of the product. A computing method using the computing system is provided. A program that is executed by a computer and causes the computer to function as the computing system is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to computing systems, programs, and computing methods. Background Technology

[0002] Patent document 1 describes the following: "A carbon dioxide emission calculation device, characterized in that it comprises:" The input section, for the manufacture of multiple types of products that use shared resources, inputs the total quantity of the resources used and the quantity of each type of product manufactured. The original unit calculation unit calculates the original units of the resources in each category in a manner that satisfies a first condition and a second condition. The first condition is that the total usage quantity is equal to the sum of the product of the original units of the resources in each category and the production quantity of that category. The second condition is that the ratio of the original units of the resources in each category is equal to a predetermined allocation ratio. The emission calculation unit calculates the amount of carbon dioxide emissions caused by the resources in order to obtain the products of the various types by multiplying the original unit of the resources in each of the various types by a predetermined rate representing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted due to the manufacture and / or use of the resources (claim 1).

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-090112 Summary of the Invention

[0006] [Generally Public]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides a computing system comprising a balance calculation unit. The balance calculation unit can calculate resource income and expenditure information based on the production quantity of a product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product, wherein the resource income and expenditure information represents the material income and expenditure between the production quantity of the product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product.

[0008] In the above scheme, the calculation system may also include an emissions calculation unit. This unit can calculate the emissions of environmental impact substances associated with the production of the product based on resource budget information.

[0009] In the above scheme, resource balance information can be the resource loss amount obtained by subtracting the production amount of products from the amount of resources. The emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount of environmental impact substances based on the resource loss amount and the emission coefficient of the resources involved in the resource loss amount.

[0010] In the above scheme, the emission calculation unit can calculate the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from resource depletion based on the amount of resource depletion and the emission coefficients of the resources involved in the resource depletion. The emission calculation unit can also calculate the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from resource use based on the quantity of resources and the emission coefficient of each resource.

[0011] In the above scheme, resources may include the raw materials used in the production of the product and the energy used in the production of the product.

[0012] In the above scheme, the amount of resource consumption can be obtained by subtracting the production quantity of the product from the total amount of raw materials used in the production of the product.

[0013] In the above scheme, the emission calculation unit can divide the resource loss into the disposal volume of each resource disposal method. Based on the disposal volume of each resource disposal method and the emission coefficient of each resource disposal method, the emission volume of environmental impact substances can be calculated.

[0014] In the above scheme, the computing system can have a unit conversion department. This department can unify the units of resource quantities across multiple resources by converting them. The balance calculation department can then calculate resource income and expenditure information based on the converted resource quantities.

[0015] In the above scheme, the balance calculation department can calculate resource income and expenditure information based on the bill of materials, which represents the resources used in the production of the product.

[0016] In the above scheme, the calculation system may also include a resource selection unit. The resource selection unit can select resources from the resources included in the bill of materials for calculating resource income and expenditure information. The balance calculation unit can calculate resource income and expenditure information for the resources selected by the resource selection unit.

[0017] In the above scheme, the resource selection department can select the resources specified by the user as the resources used to calculate resource income and expenditure information.

[0018] In the above scheme, the resource selection department can select resources that are common to the units in the bill of materials as resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information.

[0019] In the above scheme, the resource selection department can select resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information based on the product.

[0020] In the above scheme, the computing system may also have a display unit that displays the resources used in the production of the product and information on resource income and expenditure.

[0021] A second aspect of the present invention provides a program executed by a computer, enabling the computer to function as the aforementioned computing system.

[0022] A third aspect of the present invention provides a calculation method that uses a computing system to calculate resource income and expenditure information, which is a balance between the production quantity of a product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product. The calculation method includes a balance calculation stage. In the balance calculation stage, resource income and expenditure information is calculated based on the production quantity of the product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product.

[0023] In the above scheme, the calculation method may also include an emissions calculation stage. In the emissions calculation stage, the emissions of environmental impact substances accompanying the production of the product can be calculated based on resource budget information.

[0024] In the above scheme, resource balance information can be the resource loss amount obtained by subtracting the production amount of products from the amount of resources. In the emission calculation stage, the emission amount of environmental impact substances can be calculated based on the resource loss amount and the emission coefficient of the resources involved in the resource loss amount.

[0025] In the above scheme, during the emission calculation phase, the environmental impact material emissions originating from resource depletion can be calculated based on the amount of resource depletion and the emission coefficients of the resources involved in the resource depletion. During the emission calculation phase, the environmental impact material emissions originating from resource use can be calculated based on the amount of resources and the emission coefficient of each resource.

[0026] In the above scheme, resources may include the raw materials used in the production of the product and the energy used in the production of the product.

[0027] In the above scheme, the amount of resource consumption can be obtained by subtracting the production quantity of the product from the total amount of raw materials used in the production of the product.

[0028] In the above scheme, during the emission calculation phase, resource depletion can be broken down into the disposal volume for each resource disposal method. Based on the disposal volume of each resource disposal method and its emission coefficient, the emission volume of environmentally impacting substances can be calculated during this phase.

[0029] In the above scheme, the calculation method can include a unit conversion stage. During the unit conversion stage, the units of resource quantities are converted to unify the units of resource quantities across multiple resources. In the balance calculation stage, resource income and expenditure information is calculated based on the converted resource quantities.

[0030] In the above scheme, during the balance calculation stage, resource income and expenditure information can be calculated based on the bill of materials representing the resources used in the production of the product.

[0031] In the above scheme, the calculation method may also include a resource selection stage. During the resource selection stage, resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information can be selected from the resources included in the bill of materials. In the balance calculation stage, resource income and expenditure information is calculated for the resources selected by the resource selection stage.

[0032] In the above scheme, during the resource selection phase, the resources specified by the user can be selected as the resources used to calculate resource income and expenditure information.

[0033] In the above scheme, during the resource selection phase, resources with common units in the bill of materials can be selected as resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information.

[0034] In the above scheme, during the resource selection phase, resources can be selected based on the product to calculate resource income and expenditure information.

[0035] In the above scheme, the calculation method may also include a display stage, which displays the resources used in the production of the product and information on resource income and expenditure.

[0036] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for adjusting the emissions of environmentally impacting substances that assist in the production of a product and accompany the production of the product. The apparatus includes a resource selection unit, a balance calculation unit, a target acquisition unit, a manufacturing plan correction unit, an emission calculation unit, and a control unit. The resource selection unit selects resources from the resources whose material balance should be adjusted relative to the production volume of the product, based on a bill of materials representing the resources used in the production of the product. The balance calculation unit calculates the resource loss amount, obtained by subtracting the amount of resources selected by the resource selection unit from the production volume of the product, based on the bill of materials. The target acquisition unit acquires a target value for the emissions of environmentally impacting substances. The manufacturing plan correction unit calculates the amount of resources to be recycled to achieve the target value based on the resource loss amount, the target value, and a recycled bill of materials representing one or more recycled resources. The emission calculation unit calculates the emissions of environmentally impacting substances accompanying the production of the product based on the amount of resources used in the production of the product, the resource loss amount, the recycling amount, and the emission coefficient of the resources. The control unit uses the recycling amount to perform the production of the product and the recycling of resources.

[0037] It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the features of the invention. Furthermore, sub-combinations of these feature groups may also constitute an invention. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1This describes the structure of the computing system 10 involved in this embodiment.

[0039] Figure 2 This describes the flow of the calculation method involved in this embodiment.

[0040] Figure 3 This represents an example of the bill of materials involved in this embodiment.

[0041] Figure 4 This describes an example of a method for calculating resource income and expenditure information as described in this embodiment.

[0042] Figure 5 This describes an example of a method for calculating the emissions of environmentally impacting substances as described in this embodiment.

[0043] Figure 6 This represents an example of an input / output screen as described in this embodiment.

[0044] Figure 7 This is an example of a subdivision of the loss handling method involved in the first variation of this embodiment.

[0045] Figure 8 This represents an example of the method for calculating emissions in the first variation.

[0046] Figure 9 This represents another example of the bill of materials involved in the second variation of this embodiment.

[0047] Figure 10 This represents an example of a resource selection table in the second variation.

[0048] Figure 11 This describes the flow chart of the calculation method involved in the third variation of this embodiment.

[0049] Figure 12 This represents an example of a bill of materials involved in the third variation of this embodiment.

[0050] Figure 13 This represents an example of unit conversion involved in the third variation of this embodiment.

[0051] Figure 14 This describes the structure of the information processing system 2500 involved in a variation of this embodiment.

[0052] Figure 15 This indicates the structure of the blockchain network 2502 involved in a variation of this embodiment.

[0053] Figure 16 This is an example of a data structure representing transaction information involved in a variation of this embodiment.

[0054] Figure 17 This represents an example of the data structure of the blockchain involved in a variation of this embodiment.

[0055] Figure 18 Examples of computers 2200 that can embody various aspects of the present invention, either wholly or in part.

[0056] Figure 19 This describes the structure of the auxiliary system 22 involved in the fourth variation of this embodiment.

[0057] Figure 20 This describes the flow of the auxiliary method involved in the fourth variation.

[0058] Figure 21 This represents an example of a list of recycled materials involved in the fourth variation. Detailed Implementation

[0059] The present invention will now be described through embodiments thereof, but these embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are necessary for the solution of the invention.

[0060] Figure 1 This describes the structure of the computing system 10 involved in this embodiment. The computing system 10 calculates resource budget information, which represents the material budget between the production volume of a product and the amount of resources used in the production of that product. In production entities such as factories that produce products, the computing system 10 uses the resource budget information to calculate the emissions of environmentally impacting substances such as CO2, methane, and / or Freon.

[0061] Production entity 20 can be a production unit with the function of producing products, such as one or more manufacturing facilities, factories, or manufacturers, but typically it can be a factory. During the manufacturing process of product 40, materials 30 and resources such as fuel are consumed, and environmentally impactful substances are emitted in accordance with the resources consumed.

[0062] Environmentally impacting substances are substances that have adverse effects on the environment or whose potential to do so is indicated. Examples of adverse environmental effects include, but are not limited to, global warming, ozone layer depletion, acid rain, river and / or ocean acidification, eutrophication of terrestrial ecosystems, eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems, toxicity to humans, and ecotoxicity of aquatic systems. As an example, environmentally impacting substances can be greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and / or methane, which contribute to global warming.

[0063] For example, production entity 20 processes material 30 to manufacture product 40. Here, the manufacture and transportation of material 30 result in the emission of environmentally impacting substances, and the processing of material 30 into product 40 also results in the emission of environmentally impacting substances due to fuel consumption, etc. The calculation system 10 estimates the amount of environmentally impacting substances emitted associated with the resource consumption during the manufacture of this product 40.

[0064] Product 40 can be a final product. Product 40 can be an intermediate product, such as parts, tools, or materials, produced in an intermediate stage before reaching the final product. Product 40 can be a co-product (e.g., a byproduct) produced together with the final product for its primary purpose.

[0065] The computing system 10 includes a resource selection unit 110, a unit conversion unit 120, a balance calculation unit 130, an emission calculation unit 140, and a display unit 150. The computing system 10 may also include modules with other functions as needed.

[0066] The computing system 10 can be a PC (personal computer), tablet computer, smartphone, workstation, server computer or general-purpose computer, or it can be a computer system that connects multiple computers.

[0067] Alternatively, the computing system 10 can be a dedicated computer designed for calculating and processing resource income and expenditure information and emissions of environmental impact substances, or it can be dedicated hardware implemented by dedicated circuitry. The computing system 10 can be implemented by a single device (computer) or by multiple devices that share the same role. If implemented by a single device, the computing system 10 can be a computing device. For example, the computing system 10 can be implemented as a function of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, or it can be configured to cooperate with an ERP system. In the computing system 10, although not specifically described below, it includes a memory / hard disk, etc., where the information required for processing is appropriately stored, and information is transferred between various processing modules such as the balance calculation unit 130 and the emissions calculation unit 140.

[0068] The resource selection unit 110 selects resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information from a plurality of resources used for the production of the product. The resource selection unit 110 may select resources based on a bill of materials. For example, the resource selection unit 110 may select resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information from the resources contained in the bill of materials, which represents the resources to be used in the production of the product.

[0069] The unit conversion unit 120 converts the units of quantity of resources selected by the resource selection unit 110. For example, by converting the units of quantity of resources, the unit conversion unit 120 unifies the units of quantity of resources among multiple resources used to calculate resource income and expenditure information. The unit conversion unit 120 can convert the quantity of resources to other units based on a predetermined or input value (e.g., density).

[0070] The balancing calculation unit 130 calculates resource balance information based on the production volume of the product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product. Resource balance information is information on the material balance between the amount of resources used in the production of the product and the production volume of the product, such as the difference between the two.

[0071] The balancing calculation unit 130 can calculate resource income and expenditure information for the resources selected by the resource selection unit 110. For example, the balancing calculation unit 130 can calculate resource income and expenditure information based on the bill of materials. The balancing calculation unit 130 can also calculate resource income and expenditure information based on the quantity of resources converted by the unit conversion unit 120.

[0072] The emission calculation unit 140 calculates the emission amount of environmental impact substances based on the resource budget information calculated by the balance calculation unit 130. The emission amount of environmental impact substances is the amount of environmental impact substances emitted into the environment along with the production of the product.

[0073] The display unit 150 displays information and processing results used in the calculation system 10. For example, the display unit 150 may display the resources used in the production of the product, resource income and expenditure information, and / or the amount of environmental impact substances emitted. For example, the display unit 150 may display resource income and expenditure information together with the bill of materials.

[0074] Thus, according to the calculation system 10 of this embodiment, resource balance information, which balances the production volume of a product with the amount of resources used in the production of that product, can be calculated, and the amount of environmental impact substances emitted can be calculated based on the resource balance information. In particular, it is difficult to calculate the accurate amount of environmental impact substances emitted during product manufacturing when only the resources used are considered.

[0075] Previously, accurately determining the amount of resource consumption in waste and other materials was not always easy. However, the calculation system 10 of this embodiment allows for the convenient calculation of resource income and expenditure information from product production volume and resource usage. This saves on computational and storage resources required to accurately calculate the emissions of environmentally impacting substances.

[0076] Figure 2This describes the flow of the calculation method involved in this embodiment. The calculation system 10 calculates resource income and expenditure information and the amount of environmental impact substances emitted by executing processes S100 to S500, for example. The order of the processes S100 to S500 can be changed, or some processes can be omitted.

[0077] First, in S100, the resource selection unit 110 obtains information about the product and the resources used in its production. For example, the resource selection unit 110 may obtain the production quantity of the product, the usage of each resource used in the production of the product, and the emission coefficient of each resource used in the production of the product. As an example, the resource selection unit 110 may obtain a bill of materials representing the resources used in the production of the product. In the processing described later, the resource selection unit 110 may use means that can obtain the necessary information about the resources, in addition to / instead of the bill of materials.

[0078] Resources refer to those required for the production of a product (e.g., materials and parts that subsequently become part of the product), energy used for the production of the product (e.g., electricity, petroleum, coal, natural gas, hydrogen, alcohol, other fuels, oxygen, other oxidants, other chemical energy sources, potential energy, kinetic energy, and renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro, and wind power), auxiliary materials for the production of the product (e.g., catalysts, solvents, cooling media, cleaning media, steam, other media), and other resources related to the production of the product (e.g., cushioning materials and packaging materials). Resources include not only those directly used in the production of the product but also those indirectly used in the production process, such as those used in the maintenance of facilities / equipment of the production entity 20.

[0079] Figure 3 This is an example of a bill of materials (BOM) according to this embodiment. The BOM shows the resources required to manufacture a predetermined quantity of products. In the item section, information about the target product is shown (e.g., name or model number). In the resource section, information about the resources used for manufacturing the products listed in the item section is shown (e.g., name or model number). In the quantity section, the amount of resource used is shown. In the unit section, the unit of quantity is shown. In the emission factor section, the emission factor of the resource is shown (details will be described later).

[0080] Figure 3 The bill of materials is a bill of materials related to the production of product A. Figure 3 The diagram shows that in the production of product A, raw materials 1-3, electricity, LNG (gas), water, and nitrogen are used as resources.

[0081] The bill of materials (BOM) shows the amount of resources required to produce one unit of product. The amount of resources can be indicated using common units or different units. Figure 3In the unit column, "KG" represents weight in kilograms (kg), "KW" represents power consumption in kilowatts (kW), "M3" represents volume in cubic meters (m³), and "Nm3" represents the standard cubic meter volume of air.

[0082] For example, in Figure 3 The diagram shows that to manufacture 1000 kg of product A, the required resources are: 1000 kg of raw material 1, 500 kg of raw material 2, 400 kg of raw material 3, 3100 kW of electricity, 123 m³ of LNG gas, 3013 m³ of water, and 200 standard cubic meters of nitrogen.

[0083] The bill of materials may include emission factors for each resource. These emission factors are related to the amount of environmental impact substances emitted from each resource; for example, they can be calculated by multiplying the amount of the resource by the amount of environmental impact substances emitted into the environment along with the consumption of that resource. As an example, the emission factor could be the CO2 emission factor used in MiLCA (a life cycle assessment tool provided by the Sustainable Management Promotion Agency), or the emission factors for CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, NF3, etc., published by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment (https: / / ghg-santeikohyo.env.go.jp / calc).

[0084] For example, in Figure 3 The diagram shows that the emission coefficient for raw material 1 is 0.12, the emission coefficient for raw material 2 is 0.33, the emission coefficient for raw material 3 is 0.22, the emission coefficient for electricity is 0.4, the emission coefficient for LNG is 0.3, the emission coefficient for water is 0.12, and the emission coefficient for nitrogen is 0.02. Therefore, for example, consuming 1 kg of raw material 1 results in the emission of 1 kg × 0.12 = 0.12 kg of environmentally impacting substances (e.g., CO2).

[0085] Emission coefficients can be pre-obtained from databases or other sources, or input by the user. It should be noted that the emission coefficients described above are simplified figures used for illustrative purposes, and actual emission coefficients may differ.

[0086] Next, in S200, the resource selection unit 110 selects resources from those acquired in S100 for calculating resource income and expenditure information. For example, based on the bill of materials, the resource selection unit 110 selects resources from multiple resources used for product production that should be adjusted in relation to the material income and expenditure with the product production volume. The resource selection unit 110 can select resources for calculation from the resources included in the bill of materials.

[0087] The resource selection unit 110 can select resources that are at least partially included in the product. For example, the resource selection unit 110 selects raw materials that ultimately become part of the product, but may exclude energy and auxiliary materials that do not become part of the product. The resource selection unit 110 can determine resources as raw materials by referring to the bill of materials. Figure 3 In the example, the resource selection unit 110 selects raw materials 1 to 3 that will eventually be included in the product, but does not select electricity, LNG, water, and nitrogen that will not eventually be included in the product.

[0088] The resource selection unit 110 can select resources based on the unit of quantity. For example, the resource selection unit 110 selects resources whose units of quantity are common in the bill of materials as resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information. For example, the resource selection unit 110 can select multiple resources whose units of quantity are common, such as "kg each". As an example, the resource selection unit 110 can select the unit of quantity in the bill of materials and the unit of quantity in the product (e.g., Figure 3 The unit "KG" of product A in China) common resources (e.g., Figure 3 Raw materials 1-3, with units in "KG".

[0089] Here, "common units of quantity" can refer to cases where the units are exactly the same (e.g., "kg" and "kg"). Instead of this approach, "common units of quantity" can also include units representing quantities of substantially the same objects, in addition to being exactly the same.

[0090] For example, the resource selection unit 110 can process mg, g, kg, and T (tons) into common units of quantity (weight). Similarly, the resource selection unit 110 can process cc, ml, dl (deciliters), l, cm³, and m³ into common units of quantity (volume). As will be described later, these quantities in substantially common units can be converted into quantities in common units by the unit conversion unit 120 for subsequent processing.

[0091] The computing system 10 can accept resource selections from users. For example, the resource selection unit 110 can select resources specified by the user as resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information.

[0092] For example, the display unit 150 can Figure 3 The bill of materials is displayed along with checkboxes 300. Checkboxes 300 can be configured for each resource. The resource selection unit 110 can accept selection input from the user via checkboxes 300. The resource selection unit 110 can select the selected resources. For example, in Figure 3 In the process, raw material 1, raw material 2 and raw material 3 are selected by checking the boxes.

[0093] The bill of materials can record the net input resources. For example, Figure 3This can be expressed as a net input of 500 kg of raw material. When a portion of the resources are recovered and the recovered resources are reused, the input and recovery amounts can be expressed separately.

[0094] For example, the bill of materials may contain a row recording the quantity of raw material 1 as 650 (kg) and a row recording the quantity of raw material 1 as -150 (kg). In this case, it may mean that 650 kg of raw material 1 was put in, but 150 kg of it was recycled and reused (i.e., the newly put in is 650 kg - 150 kg = 500 kg).

[0095] Next, in S400, the balancing calculation unit 130 calculates resource income and expenditure information for the resources selected by the resource selection unit 110 in S200. The balancing calculation unit 130 calculates resource income and expenditure information by comparing the quantity of products with the total amount of selected resources.

[0096] The balancing calculation unit 130 can calculate the resource usage loss obtained by subtracting the production quantity of the product from the amount of resources as resource income and expenditure information. For example, the balancing calculation unit 130 can calculate the resource loss obtained by subtracting the production quantity of the product from the amount of resources selected in S200 as resource income and expenditure information.

[0097] Figure 4 This illustrates an example of a method for calculating resource income and expenditure information as described in this embodiment. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the amount of raw material 1 is 500 kg, the amount of raw material 2 is 400 kg, and the amount of raw material 3 is 150 kg. The total amount of these raw materials 1 to 3 is 500 kg + 400 kg + 150 kg = 1050 kg. On the other hand, the amount of product A produced is 1000 kg.

[0098] The balance calculation unit 130 calculates 1050kg - 1000kg = 50kg and uses this as resource income and expenditure information (and resource loss). Resource loss can be interpreted as resource loss and / or product loss. For example, in Figure 4 In the example case, resource loss can be interpreted as the amount of raw materials 1 to 3 that were not used in the production of product A and were lost for some reason, and / or the amount of product A that was damaged, deteriorated or could not be recycled for some reason.

[0099] The balancing calculation unit 130 can calculate the amount of resources acquired instead of the amount of resources lost. For example, in plant factories, where products are obtained not only from raw materials supplied by humans but also from raw materials obtained from nature (such as water and CO2), the amount of products may exceed the total amount of raw materials supplied by humans. In such cases, the balancing calculation unit 130 can calculate the amount of resources acquired by subtracting the total amount of raw materials from the amount of products.

[0100] Next, in S500, the emission calculation unit 140 calculates the amount of environmental impact substances emitted into the environment during the production of the product. The emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the amount of environmental impact substances originating from each resource based on the amount of each resource used in the production of the product, and calculate the amount of environmental impact substances originating from resource depletion based on the resource income and expenditure information calculated in S400.

[0101] For example, the emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the amount of environmental impact substances emitted from the use of resources based on the amount of resources and the emission coefficient of each resource. For example, the emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the amount of environmental impact substances emitted accompanying the amount of resource depletion based on the amount of resource depletion and the emission coefficient of the resources involved in the resource depletion.

[0102] As an example, the emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the emission of environmental impact substances accompanying resource use by multiplying the amount of resource by the emission coefficient of that resource. The emission calculation unit 140 can also calculate the emission of environmental impact substances accompanying resource depletion by multiplying the amount of resource loss by the emission coefficient of that resource loss.

[0103] The emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the total amount of environmental impact substances emitted during product manufacturing based on the emissions of environmental impact substances accompanying resource use and the emissions of environmental impact substances accompanying resource depletion. For example, the emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the total amount of environmental impact substances emissions by summing the two.

[0104] Figure 5 This illustrates an example of a method for calculating the emissions of environmentally impacting substances according to this embodiment. The quantities and emission coefficients of raw materials 1 to 3 are compared with... Figure 3 The bill of materials involved is the same. Additionally, the resource loss amount (50kg) expressed as "loss" is... Figure 4 As explained earlier. In addition to resources, emission factors are also set for resource depletion. Figure 5 In this context, the emission coefficient for "loss" is set at 0.4.

[0105] Here, the emission factor for resource loss can be a factor that calculates the amount of environmental impact substances emitted into the environment by multiplying the amount of resource loss by the disposal of resources and / or products (e.g., incineration, waste, landfill, separation, extraction, recycling, disposal, and / or cleaning). For example, the emission factor for resource loss related to product A can be a factor used to calculate the amount of environmental impact substances emitted into the environment when raw materials 1 to 3 (e.g., those remaining in the manufacturing facility, volatilized, or spilled) that were not used (or could not be used) in the production of product A, and / or the amount of environmental impact substances emitted into the environment when product A, although produced, is disposed of.

[0106] The emission factor for resource depletion can be a predetermined set value or a value input by the user. Alternatively, the emission factor for resource depletion can be a weighted sum of the emission factors associated with the depletion of each resource, based on the ratio of the quantities of each resource.

[0107] The emission calculation unit 140 calculates the environmental impact material emissions from the use of raw material 1 as 60 kg by multiplying the amount of raw material 1 (500 kg) by the emission coefficient of raw material 1 (0.12). The emission calculation unit 140 calculates the environmental impact material emissions from the use of raw material 2 as 132 kg by multiplying the amount of raw material 2 (400 kg) by the emission coefficient of raw material 2 (0.33). The emission calculation unit 140 calculates the environmental impact material emissions from the use of raw material 3 as 33 kg by multiplying the amount of raw material 3 (150 kg) by the emission coefficient of raw material 3 (0.22). The emission calculation unit 140 calculates the environmental impact material emissions from resource depletion as 20 kg by multiplying the resource depletion amount (50 kg) by the emission coefficient of resource depletion (0.40).

[0108] The emission calculation unit 140 can sum up the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from raw materials 1 to 3 and the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from resource depletion, and calculate that the emissions of environmental impact substances emitted into the environment due to the production of product A are 60kg + 132kg + 33kg + 20kg = 245kg.

[0109] The emission calculation unit 140 can sum up the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from raw materials 1 to 3 and resource depletion, as well as the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from sources other than raw materials 1 to 3. Therefore, it can calculate the emissions of environmental impact substances released into the environment due to the production of product A, taking into account resources other than raw materials. The emission calculation unit 140 can then divide the calculated emissions of environmental impact substances accompanying the production of product A by the production volume of product A to calculate the emission factor accompanying the production of product A.

[0110] Display unit 150 can display input information, processing progress, and processing results. For example, display unit 150 can display the resources acquired in S100 and the resources selected in S200. Display unit 150 can display the resource income and expenditure information calculated in S400. Display unit 150 can display the environmental impact substance emissions calculated by emission calculation unit 140. Display unit 150 can display this information together with the bill of materials.

[0111] Figure 6 This illustrates an example of the input / output screen described in this embodiment. The display unit 150 can display the input / output screen during the processing in S100 to S500. Figure 6 The input / output screen shown. The display unit 150 can display the bill of materials 610 obtained in S100 and the balanced bill of materials 620 containing the resource income and expenditure information (shown as "losses" in the figure) calculated in S400.

[0112] Display unit 150 can display candidate items that should be displayed in bill of materials 610 along with checkboxes in item selection window 630. Display unit 150 can display items selected by the user (e.g., "item", "resource", "quantity", "unit" and "emission factor") in bill of materials 610 and balanced bill of materials 620 according to the checkboxes.

[0113] Display unit 150 can display candidate units of the resources to be totaled along with checkboxes in unit selection window 640. Display unit 150 can also display units related to the resources selected in item selection window 630 as candidates in unit selection window 640. For example, if the user inputs the selection "KG", balance calculation unit 130 selects the resource with unit "KG" from the resources already selected in item selection window 630.

[0114] Furthermore, the display unit 150 can display the candidates for the objects to be totaled together with the checkboxes in the object selection window 650. The display unit 150 can also display the items related to the resources selected in the item selection window 630 as candidates in the object selection window 650.

[0115] The balancing calculation unit 130 can calculate resource income and expenditure information based on the selections in the checkboxes of the unit selection window 640 and the object selection window 650. For example, the balancing calculation unit 130 can sum the "quantity" of resources whose unit is "KG" selected in the unit selection window 640. The display of the object selection window 650 can be omitted.

[0116] The balancing calculation unit 130 calculates resource income and expenditure information (e.g., resource loss) by comparing the total value (total amount of resources) with the quantity of product A. The balancing calculation unit 130 can display a balanced bill of materials 620 containing the calculated resource income and expenditure information (resource "loss" in the figure).

[0117] The display unit 150 can display the updated bill of materials 610 instead of displaying both the bill of materials 610 and the balanced bill of materials 620 together. The display unit 150 can also display the calculated resource income and expenditure information (e.g., resource loss) in the total emissions display section 660.

[0118] Thus, according to this embodiment, the calculation system 10 can easily calculate the emissions of environmental impact substances that are more consistent with the actual situation by calculating resource income and expenditure information. The calculation system 10 can save the computing and storage resources required to calculate accurate emissions of environmental impact substances.

[0119] exist Figures 1-6 The example described illustrates the case where there is only one resource income and expenditure information, but the computing system 10 can also divide the resource income and expenditure information into multiple categories.

[0120] Figure 7 This illustrates an example of a subdivision of the loss disposal method involved in the first variation of this embodiment. In this example, resource income and expenditure information ("loss" in the bill of materials) is segmented according to each resource disposal method, into three types: loss (incineration), loss (waste disposal), and loss (recycling). Of the 50 kg of loss including raw materials 1 to 3 and / or product A, 10 kg is incinerated and landfilled, 10 kg is directly discarded, and 30 kg is recycled.

[0121] The balancing calculation unit 130 can divide the calculated resource income and expenditure information (e.g., "resource loss") into multiple parts according to a predetermined method. For example, the balancing calculation unit 130 can divide the resource income and expenditure information according to a set division ratio or a division ratio input by the user.

[0122] The emission calculation unit 140 can divide the resource loss into the disposal volume of each resource disposal method and calculate the emission volume of environmental impact substances corresponding to each disposal volume. For example, the emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the emission volume of environmental impact substances based on the disposal volume of each resource disposal method and the emission coefficient of each resource disposal method. As an example, the emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the emission volume of environmental impact substances for each resource disposal method by multiplying the disposal volume of each resource disposal method by the emission coefficient of each resource disposal method.

[0123] Figure 8This is an example of a method for calculating emissions in the first variation. Losses involved in incineration are designated as loss A, losses involved in waste disposal as loss B, and losses involved in regeneration as loss C. The emission coefficients for loss A, loss B, and loss C are pre-set to be 0.10, 0.7, and 0.4, respectively.

[0124] The emission calculation unit 140 multiplies the amount of waste A disposed of (10 kg) by the emission coefficient of waste A, 0.10, and calculates the resource loss caused by waste A as 10 kg × 0.10 = 1 kg. The emission calculation unit 140 multiplies the amount of waste B disposed of (10 kg) by the emission coefficient of waste B, 0.70, and calculates the resource loss caused by waste B as 10 kg × 0.70 = 7 kg. The emission calculation unit 140 multiplies the amount of waste C disposed of (30 kg) by the emission coefficient of waste C, 0.40, and calculates the resource loss caused by waste C as 30 kg × 0.40 = 12 kg.

[0125] The emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the total amount of environmental impact substances emitted during product manufacturing based on the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from each resource and the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from the loss of each resource after division. For example, the emission calculation unit 140 can calculate the total amount of environmental impact substances emitted during product manufacturing by summing the emissions from raw materials 1 to 3 (60 kg, 132 kg, and 33 kg) and the emissions from losses A to C (1 kg, 7 kg, and 12 kg).

[0126] According to this variation, the environmental impact material emissions of each resource disposal method can be calculated with higher accuracy regarding resource loss. Therefore, compared to using other methods to calculate accurate environmental impact material emissions, it saves on required computational and storage resources.

[0127] In a second variation of this embodiment, the resource selection unit 110 can perform the S200 processing at least partially automatically. For example, the resource selection unit 110 can select resources for calculating resource income and expenditure information based on the product.

[0128] Figure 9 This represents another example of the bill of materials involved in the second variation of this embodiment. Figure 9 The bill of materials (BOM) provides an overview of the resources used to produce product B. The BOM includes information on product categories and resource categories. The "Resource Category" section indicates which category (i.e., type) a resource belongs to.

[0129] For example, the row for product B itself (the row where “Resource” is “Product B”) indicates that product B belongs to the “Fiber Products” category.

[0130] For example, raw materials 4 and 5 belong to the resource category of "raw materials." The resource category of raw materials can refer to resources that ultimately constitute a major part of the product. For example, raw material 6 belongs to the resource category of "additives." The resource category of additives can refer to resources that, although not ultimately constituting a major part of the product, are added together with raw materials.

[0131] Electricity and LNG belong to the resource category of "energy." The energy resource category can refer to resources that do not ultimately constitute a product but are the energy source for product production. The packaging material resource category can refer to resources that do not constitute the product itself but are used for packaging the product. Other aspects can be related to... Figure 3 The bill of materials described herein is the same.

[0132] Figure 10 This represents an example of a resource selection table in the second variation. The resource selection table shows product categories. For example, products A and B are classified into categories such as fiber products, resin products, membrane products, thin film products, electronic material products, etc.

[0133] exist Figure 10 In the resource selection table, the resources to be selected for each product category are indicated by "X". For example, for fiber products, select "raw materials", "additives", "water", and "steam". For example, for resin products, select "raw materials", "additives", and "water". For example, for membrane products, select "raw materials", "additives", "water", and "steam". For example, for thin film products, select "raw materials" and "packaging materials". For example, for electronic materials products, select "raw materials" and "packaging materials".

[0134] As an example, the resource selection department 110 could correspond to the product category of product B as "fiber products," and select... Figure 10 The resources marked with "X" in the "fiber products" category are "raw materials", "additives", "water" and "steam" (i.e., raw materials 4-6, water and steam).

[0135] Subsequently, in S400 and the like, the balancing calculation unit 130 can select resource income and expenditure information for the selected resources. According to this variation, the resources to be selected can be accurately and easily determined based on the categories of products and resources.

[0136] The flowchart of the calculation method involved in the third variation of this embodiment is shown. In this variation, in S300, the unit conversion unit 120 can convert the unit of the quantity of the resource selected in S200. For example, if the units of the quantity of the resource selected in S200 are not uniform, the unit conversion unit 120 can convert the unit of the quantity for a portion of the resources, thereby unifying the units of all selected resources.

[0137] The unit conversion unit 120 can convert units of quantities with common properties. For example, the unit conversion unit 120 can convert the quantity of resources (i.e., the amount of weight) marked in mg, g, kg and T (tons) into any unit (e.g. kg).

[0138] The unit conversion unit 120 can convert units of quantities with different properties. For example, the unit conversion unit 120 can convert the quantity of resources marked in m³ (i.e., the quantity of volume) into a unit of weight (e.g., kg) based on pre-set or input density information. Then, in S400, the balance calculation unit 130 can calculate the resource income and expenditure information using a common unit.

[0139] Figure 11 This describes the flow chart of the calculation method involved in the third variation of this embodiment. In this variation, the unit conversion unit 120 performs the processing of S300 after S200 and before S400. S100 to S200 and S400 to S500 can be the same as the aforementioned processing.

[0140] In S300, the unit conversion unit 120 converts the unit of quantity of the resources selected by the resource selection unit 110 in S200. For example, by converting the unit of quantity of resources, the unit conversion unit 120 unifies the unit of quantity of resources among multiple resources used to calculate resource income and expenditure information.

[0141] Figure 12 This represents an example of a bill of materials related to a third variation of this embodiment. Figure 12 In this case, the units (KG) of the selected raw materials 1 and 3 are different from the units (M3) of raw material 2. In this case, the unit conversion unit 120 can convert the quantity of raw material 2, 350m³, into the unit, i.e., the weight, of raw material 1, etc. by multiplying the quantity of raw material 2, 350m³, by the density of raw material 2.

[0142] Figure 13 This illustrates an example of unit conversion involved in the third variation of this embodiment. For example, when the density of raw material 2 is set to 1.2 kg / m³, the unit conversion unit 120 calculates the volume of raw material 2 as 350 m³ × 1.2 kg / m³, and calculates the weight of raw material 2 as 420 kg.

[0143] According to this variation, even when the quantity of resources in the bill of materials is marked in multiple different units, it is possible to calculate resource income and expenditure information and emissions.

[0144] The above description addresses the situation where the quantity of a product and the quantity of a resource (or the amount of a resource) refers to the quantity (weight or volume, etc.) of the product itself and the resource itself, but is not limited to this. For example, the quantity of a product and the quantity of a resource can be the quantity of a specific component, part, or derivative thereof contained in the product and the resource. As an example, the quantity of a product and the quantity of a resource can be the quantity (weight or volume, etc.) of carbon contained in the product and carbon contained in the resource.

[0145] The emissions and changes in environmental impact substances can be transferred between multiple parties. For example, the emissions and / or changes in environmental impact substances accompanying the sale of a product can be transferred from the producer to the buyer. In this case, the transfer of emissions of environmental impact substances, etc., can be authenticated using blockchain technology.

[0146] Figure 19 This describes the structure of the auxiliary system 22 according to the fourth variation of this embodiment. The auxiliary system 22 assists in the production of the product and the adjustment of environmental impact substance emissions associated with the production of the product. The auxiliary system 22 can be implemented by one or more computers; if implemented by one computer, it can be an auxiliary device. The auxiliary system 22 may be based on the computing system 10 or a part of the computing system 10, and further include a target acquisition unit 133, a manufacturing plan correction unit 136, and a control unit 145.

[0147] The target acquisition unit 133 acquires the target values ​​for the emissions of environmental impact substances. The target acquisition unit 133 may acquire the target values ​​from the user or acquire the prescribed target values ​​instead of this method.

[0148] The Manufacturing Planning Revision Unit 136 revises the manufacturing plan used to manufacture the product. The manufacturing plan can specify the product's manufacturing quantity, energy consumption, type of energy used, whether resources derived from recycled sources (e.g., resources manufactured and / or obtained through recycling), and / or the amount of recycled resources used. For example, the Manufacturing Planning Revision Unit 136 calculates the amount of resources needed to achieve the target value (e.g., the amount of recycled resources used) based on a recycled material list representing more than one recycled resource, and sets or revises the amount of recycled resources based on the calculation results. Details of the recycled material list, etc., will be described later.

[0149] The control unit 145 executes product production and resource recycling to achieve the recycling volume calculated by the manufacturing plan revision unit 136.

[0150] Figure 20 This describes the flow of the auxiliary method involved in the fourth variation. In this variation, after S500, processes S600 to S800 are performed. S100 to S500 can be the same as the aforementioned processes.

[0151] In S600, the target acquisition unit 133 acquires the target value for the emission of environmental impact substances. For example, the target acquisition unit 133 acquires the target value from the user. The target acquisition unit 133 can obtain a value from the user that is less than the emission amount of environmental impact substances calculated in S500 as the target value.

[0152] Instead of this approach, the target acquisition unit 133 can calculate the target value of the environmental impact substance emissions through calculation. For example, the target acquisition unit 133 can use the value obtained by multiplying the environmental impact substance emissions calculated in S500 by a predetermined coefficient (e.g., 0.8), or the value obtained by subtracting the predetermined reduction amount from the environmental impact substance emissions calculated in S500, as the target value.

[0153] Next, in S700, the manufacturing planning correction unit 136 calculates the amount of resources to be recycled to achieve the target value calculated in S600. The manufacturing planning correction unit 136 calculates the recycling amount based on the recycled material list.

[0154] Figure 21 This represents an example of a recycled materials list related to the fourth variation. The recycled materials list shows emission factors, etc., related to resources derived from recycling. Figure 21 The emission coefficients of recycled feedstock 1 are shown. Recycled feedstock 1 is... Figure 3 The same or equivalent resources as raw material 1 shown in the bill of materials, etc., but different from raw material 1, are resources based on recycled manufacturing and / or obtained resources.

[0155] Figure 3 The emission coefficient of raw material 1 is 0.12, while that of recycled raw material 1 is 0.07, indicating that recycled raw material 1 has a smaller environmental impact than raw material 1. That is, by replacing raw material 1 with 1 kg of recycled raw material 1, the emission of environmentally impacting substances can be reduced by (0.12-0.07)×1kg=0.5 kg.

[0156] The manufacturing planning correction unit 136 can calculate the amount of recycled resources used by dividing the difference between the product's emission coefficient and the target value by the difference between the emission coefficients of resources that are the same as or equivalent to the resource and are manufactured and / or obtained through recycling. For example, if the emission coefficient of product A calculated in S500 is 1.2 and the target value obtained in S600 is 1.1, the manufacturing planning correction unit 136 calculates (1.2-1.1) / (0.12-0.05) = 20 kg as the recycling amount. That is, by using 20 kg of recycled raw material 1 instead of using 20 kg of raw material 1, the target value can be achieved. For example, in Figure 3 The bill of materials specifies 500 kg of raw material 1, but the target can be achieved by replacing at least 20 kg of it with recycled raw material 1.

[0157] The manufacturing planning correction unit 136 can calculate the recycling quantity based on resources other than raw materials used in conjunction with recycling. The manufacturing planning correction unit 136 can calculate the quantity of resources other than raw materials used in conjunction with recycling by multiplying the product's production quantity by the amount of resources other than raw materials used per unit production quantity of the product. The manufacturing planning correction unit 136 can limit the recycling quantity so that the quantity of these resources does not exceed a predetermined amount.

[0158] For example, in Figure 21 The bill of materials shows that 100kW of electricity is required to manufacture and / or obtain 1kg of recycled raw material 1. That is, when using 20kg of recycled raw material 1, an additional 100kW / kg × 20kg = 2000kW of electricity is required. In the case of manufacturing 1000kg of product A, the required additional power is 2000kW × 1000 = 2000MW. Here, if the surplus power available in the factory for manufacturing product A is 1000MW, the manufacturing planning correction unit 136 can control the additional power within the surplus power by setting the amount of recycled material 1 used per 1kg of product A to 10kg.

[0159] Next, in S800, the control unit 145 performs product production and resource recycling to achieve the recycling amount calculated in S700. For example, the control unit 145 controls the manufacturing equipment for recycled raw material 1 to manufacture the amount (e.g., 20 kg) of recycled raw material 1 calculated in S700.

[0160] Thus, according to this variation, the emissions of environmentally impacting substances can be reduced to the target value. Furthermore, according to this variation, regeneration necessary to reduce the emissions of environmentally impacting substances to the target value can be performed. It should be noted that this variation shows an example of performing regeneration to reduce the emissions of environmentally impacting substances to the target value; however, in addition to or instead of this approach, the target value can also be achieved by adjusting the production volume of the product itself (e.g., reducing the production volume compared to the original plan).

[0161] Figure 14 This describes the structure of an information processing system 2500 according to a variation of this embodiment. The information processing system 2500 is a system for assisting resource regeneration. For example, the information processing system 2500 stores and manages information regarding increases or decreases in emissions of environmentally impacting substances, their transfer, etc., and determines whether the transfer of increases or decreases in emissions of environmentally impacting substances accompanying product orders (e.g., transfer of emission allowances) has been correctly certified. The information processing system 2500 includes terminal devices 2510a, 2510b, 2510c, and a blockchain network 2502. The terminal devices 2510a, 2510b, 2510c, and the blockchain network 2502 can communicate with each other via network N. Figure 14 In the example shown, the information processing system 2500 has three terminal devices, but the number of terminal devices can be arbitrarily set, and can be two or less or four or more. Terminal devices 2510a, 2510b, and 2510c can each have the same structure or different structures. In one embodiment, when terminal devices 2510a, 2510b, and 2510c are not referred to as mutually distinguishing devices, they are collectively referred to as terminal device 2510.

[0162] Terminal device 2510 is an information processing device used by a user utilizing the services provided by information processing system 2500. Terminal device 2510 may be, for example, a personal computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a dedicated information processing device. At least one of the multiple terminal devices 2510 may be a communication terminal used by the production entity 20, the seller of the product, and / or the purchaser of the product.

[0163] Blockchain Network 2502 is a platform for utilizing blockchain technology. Blockchain Network 2502 is a distributed system processed by multiple computers (hereinafter referred to as "node devices") existing on the network. Communication between node devices typically occurs via P2P (Peer-to-Peer). By employing P2P, even if some node devices fail, the entire system is less likely to crash, maintaining system continuity. In a blockchain, transaction information between participants is aggregated as transactions in blocks. These blocks are linked together and stored and managed in chronological order on each node device. The recognition of a new block is achieved through consensus processing within the distributed network. Each block in the blockchain stores the hash value of the previous block. If a block is tampered with, the hash value changes, therefore the hash values ​​of subsequent blocks also need to be changed. Therefore, by employing blockchain technology, a highly secure and tamper-resistant system can be built.

[0164] The blockchain network 2502 is composed of node devices 2520a, 2520b, 2520c, and 2520d. Figure 14 In the example shown, four node devices are illustrated as node devices included in the blockchain network 2502, but the number of node devices can be arbitrarily set, and can be three or less or more than five. Node devices 2520a, 2520b, 2520c, and 2520d have the same structure. In one embodiment, when node devices 2520a, 2520b, 2520c, and 2520d are referred to as node device 2520 without distinguishing them from each other, they are collectively referred to as node device 2520.

[0165] Node device 2520, as an example, may be one or more computing systems 10 and / or other computers. In this case, computing system 10 communicates separately with a portion of multiple communication terminals used by the seller and / or buyer of the product, decentralizedly managing the increase or decrease in emissions of environmentally impacting substances (e.g., emission allowances).

[0166] As a variation, blockchain network 2502 can be replaced by other structures that store and process data, such as server devices, cloud computing, or edge computing. Alternatively, blockchain network 2502 can be used alone, or any combination of blockchain network 2502, server devices, cloud computing, or edge computing can be used.

[0167] Network N consists of wireless and wired networks. Examples of networks include the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), mobile phone networks, wireless LAN, 5G (fifth generation), 4G (fourth generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), WiMax (Global Microwave Access Interoperability) (registered trademark), infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), wired LAN, telephone lines, power line networks, and networks based on IEEE 1394, etc.

[0168] Figure 15 This illustrates the structure of the blockchain network 2502 involved in a variation of this embodiment. Figure 15 In the example shown, each node device 2520 in the blockchain network 2502 serves as the main functional structure, possessing a transaction information acquisition unit 2600, an authentication unit 2608, a consensus formation processing unit 2610, and a storage unit 2612. These functions are implemented, for example, by the control unit (processor) of each node device 2520 reading and executing computer programs stored in the storage device.

[0169] Figure 16 This illustrates an example of a data structure for transaction information stored in storage unit 2612, as described in a variation of this embodiment. It should be noted that... Figure 16 The data structure shown is an example; transaction information can use any data structure.

[0170] The transaction information involved in this variation includes identification information as event information. The transaction information involved in this variation can be recorded as a block containing event information corresponding to the increase or decrease of emissions of environmentally impacting substances.

[0171] In this variation, node device 2520 manages the transfer and assignment of increases or decreases in environmental impact substance emissions as "transaction information." In the example shown in this figure, the transaction information specifies the transfer date and time, transferee, transferor, and quantity information. The transferee and transferor information is used to establish a correlation when the increase or decrease in environmental impact substance emissions from this transfer is further used in other transfers.

[0172] Here, the transferee's or assignor's information may include the hash value of the public key of the counterparty in the transaction. The hash value of the public key specified as the counterparty's information may be the destination (address) for the increase or decrease of environmental impact substances emissions specified in the outflow.

[0173] It should be noted that transaction information may contain one or more event information. As described below, transaction information is verified through consensus processing, and after being recognized, it is stored as a structure called a block in the blockchain. It should also be noted that the structure of transaction information is not limited to... Figure 16 Examples can be of any structure.

[0174] The transaction information acquisition unit 2600 acquires information from event information concerning one or more events that should be recorded in the blockchain. The transaction information acquisition unit 2600 then aggregates the acquired event information concerning one or more events into a set of transaction information.

[0175] The transaction information acquisition unit 2600 can aggregate event information about a predetermined number of events that can be recorded in the storage space of each block into a set of transaction information. Alternatively, the transaction information acquisition unit 2600 can aggregate one or more event information acquired within a predetermined period into a set of transaction information. Or, the transaction information acquisition unit 2600 can include event information about a single event in the transaction information and allocate a block for each event.

[0176] exist Figure 16 In the example, transaction information T01 includes an event that occurs based on the generation of 100 kg (quantity information) of emission reduction limit at the reduction generator "XXX" (identification information "emission limit generation 000"), and an event that occurs based on the transfer of the emission reduction limit (CO2 100 kg) from "XXX" to "YYY" (identification information "emission limit transfer 001").

[0177] Transaction information T02 includes the event that occurred when “YYY” acquired an emission reduction limit (CO2 100kg) from “XXX” (identification information “Emission Limit Acquisition 002”) and the event that occurred when the emission reduction limit (CO2 100kg) was further transferred from “YYY” to “XYZ” (identification information “Emission Limit Transfer 011”).

[0178] Certification Department 2608 grants certification for the generation and transfer of such emission limits. Certification Department 2608 grants certification when it is confirmed that the emissions of environmentally impacting substances have been actually reduced (e.g., alternative resources have been used correctly).

[0179] Figure 17 This illustrates an example of the data structure of the blockchain stored in the storage unit 2612, which is involved in a variation of this embodiment. Figure 17 It is a diagram representing the structure of the (N+1)th block in a block sequence arranged in chronological order.

[0180] The "header" of a block can store, for example, the digest, timestamp, target, and random number of the Nth block.

[0181] The "summary of the Nth block" stores, for example, identification information used by each node device 2520 and terminal device 2510 on the blockchain network to uniquely identify the Nth block. The hash value of the block can be used as a summary of the Nth block, for example.

[0182] The "timestamp" stores the timestamp attached when the block was created or information related to the block number.

[0183] "Target" and "random number" are values ​​used, for example, when performing consensus-forming processes using algorithms such as PBFT (Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance) or Endorsement-Ordering-Validation. "Target" is a value related to the difficulty of the consensus-forming process. "Random number" is an arbitrary value created through the consensus-forming process when a block is created.

[0184] The consensus formation process performed by the consensus formation processing unit 2610 is described in detail. In the consensus formation process, the consensus formation processing unit 2610 discovers a random number based on the digest (hash value) of the (N+1)th block. When a suitable random number is found, it is stored and the (N+1)th block is created. The consensus formation processing units 2610 of each blockchain node (node ​​device 2520) performing the consensus formation process repeatedly perform the digest calculation of the block header while changing the value of the random number, with the aim of discovering the suitable random number.

[0185] Furthermore, in the case of a private or consortium-based blockchain, a structure that does not require consensus formation can also be adopted.

[0186] In the example in this diagram, multiple transaction details are stored in the "body" of the block. However, this is not the case; a single transaction detail can also be stored in the "body." Transaction details stored in a block have the same timestamp data.

[0187] It should be noted that the structure of the block is not limited to Figure 17 Examples can be of any structure.

[0188] According to this variation, the computing system 10 can store event information in the blockchain network 2502. Thus, the computing system 10 can securely store event information and prevent tampering. Furthermore, the computing system 10 can use the event information securely stored in the form of transaction information to prove the process by which the reduction limits for environmentally impacting substances are generated and traded.

[0189] Various embodiments of the present invention can be described with reference to flowcharts and block diagrams, where a block may represent (1) a stage of a process for performing an operation or (2) a segment of a device having the function of performing an operation. Specific stages and segments may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuitry, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuitry. Programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuitry, which includes logic AND, logic OR, logic XOR, logic NAND, logic NOR, and other logic operations, flip-flops, registers, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and other memory elements.

[0190] Computer-readable media can include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executable by a suitable device. As a result, a computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein will have the following product: the product contains instructions executable for creating means to perform the operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable media include floppy disks (registered trademark), magnetic disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile optical disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc (registered trademark), memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, etc.

[0191] Computer-readable instructions may include either source code or object code, which is described in any combination of one or more programming languages, including: assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), Java (registered trademark), C++, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0192] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, provided locally or remotely via a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, and executed to create means for performing the operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors may include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0193] Figure 18 Examples of computer 2200 that can embody various aspects of the present invention, either wholly or in part, are shown. Programs installed on computer 2200 enable computer 2200 to function as an operation associated with an apparatus or one or more segments of such apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention, or to perform such operation or such segments, and / or to perform processes or stages of processes according to embodiments of the present invention. Such programs can be executed by CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2212 to cause computer 2200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0194] The computer 2200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2212, RAM 2214, a graphics controller 2216, and a display device 2218, which are interconnected via a main controller 2210. The computer 2200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 2222, a hard disk drive 2224, a DVD-ROM drive 2226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the main controller 2210 via an input / output controller 2220. The computer also includes conventional input / output units such as a ROM 2230 and a keyboard 2242, which are connected to the input / output controller 2220 via an input / output chip 2240.

[0195] CPU 2212 operates according to the program stored in ROM 2230 and RAM 2214, thereby controlling each unit. Graphics controller 2216 acquires image data generated by CPU 2212 from frame buffers or other storage provided in RAM 2214 or from its own storage, and displays the image data on display device 2218.

[0196] Communication interface 2222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. Hard disk drive 2224 stores programs and data used by CPU 2212 within computer 2200. DVD-ROM drive 2226 reads programs or data from DVD-ROM 2201 and provides programs or data to hard disk drive 2224 via RAM 2214. IC card drive reads programs and data from IC card and / or writes programs and data to IC card.

[0197] ROM 2230 stores boot programs and / or programs dependent on the hardware of computer 2200 that are executed by computer 2200 when activated. Input / output chip 2240 can also connect various input / output units to input / output controller 2220 through various parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, etc.

[0198] The program is provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 2201 or an IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable medium and installed in a hard disk drive 2224, RAM 2214, or ROM 2230, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by a CPU 2212. The information processing described in these programs is read into the computer 2200, resulting in cooperation between the program and the aforementioned various types of hardware resources. An apparatus or method can be configured by performing operations or processing of information according to the use of the computer 2200.

[0199] For example, when communication is performed between computer 2200 and an external device, CPU 2212 can execute a communication program loaded into RAM 2214 and instruct communication processing on communication interface 2222 based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 2212, communication interface 2222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in a recording medium such as RAM 2214, hard disk drive 2224, DVD-ROM 2201, or IC card, sends the read transmission data to the network, or writes received data received from the network to a receive buffer processing area provided on the recording medium, etc.

[0200] CPU 2212 can read all or necessary portions of files or databases stored on external recording media such as hard disk drive 2224, DVD-ROM drive 2226 (DVD-ROM 2201), IC card, etc., into RAM 2214, and perform various types of processing on the data in RAM 2214. CPU 2212 then writes the processed data back to the external recording media.

[0201] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, are stored in the recording medium and can be processed. The CPU 2212 can perform various types of processing on data read from RAM 2214, as described throughout this disclosure and specified by a sequence of program instructions, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branches, unconditional branches, information retrieval / replacement, etc., and write the results back to RAM 2214. Furthermore, the CPU 2212 can retrieve information from files, databases, etc., in the recording medium. For example, if the recording medium stores multiple entries, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, the CPU 2212 can retrieve from the multiple entries an entry that matches a condition and specifies the attribute value of the first attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in that entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0202] The programs or software modules described above can be stored on or near computer 2200 on a computer-readable medium. Alternatively, recording media such as hard disks or RAM provided in a dedicated communication network or a server system connected to the Internet can be used as computer-readable media to provide the programs to computer 2200 via the network.

[0203] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. As will be understood from the claims, such modifications or improvements may also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0204] It should be noted that the execution order of actions, processes, steps, and stages in the apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, specification, and drawings can be implemented in any order, as long as it is not specifically expressed as "before" or "prior to," and the output of an earlier process is not used in a later process. Regarding the flow of actions in the claims, specification, and drawings, even if terms such as "firstly" or "next" are used for convenience, it does not mean that they must be performed in that order. The reference to "A and / or B" can mean "A, B, or A and C." The reference to "A, B, and / or C" can mean "any one of A, B, and C, or any combination of two or more of them."

[0205] Label Explanation

[0206] 10. Computing System

[0207] 20 Production Entities

[0208] 22 Auxiliary Systems

[0209] 30 materials

[0210] 40 products

[0211] 110 Resource Selection Department

[0212] Unit Conversion Department 120

[0213] 130 Balance Calculation Section

[0214] 133 Target Acquisition Department

[0215] 136 Manufacturing Planning Revision Department

[0216] 140 Emissions Calculation Section

[0217] 145 Control Department

[0218] 150 Display Unit

[0219] 300 checkboxes

[0220] 610 Bill of Materials

[0221] 620 Balanced Bill of Materials

[0222] 630 Project Selection Window

[0223] 640 Unit Selection Window

[0224] 650 Object Selection Window

[0225] Total Emissions Display (660)

[0226] 2200 Computers

[0227] 2201 DVD-ROM

[0228] 2210 Main Controller

[0229] 2212 CPU

[0230] 2214 RAM

[0231] 2216 Graphics Controller

[0232] 2218 Display devices

[0233] 2220 Input / Output Controller

[0234] 2222 Communication Interface

[0235] 2224 Hard Drive

[0236] 2226 DVD-ROM drive

[0237] 2230 ROM

[0238] 2240 Input / Output Chip

[0239] 2242 Keyboard

[0240] 2500 Information Processing System

[0241] 2502 Blockchain Network

[0242] 2510a~c Terminal devices

[0243] Node devices 2520a~d

[0244] 2600 Transaction Information Acquisition Department

[0245] 2608 Certification Department

[0246] 2610 Consensus Formation and Processing Department

[0247] 2612 Storage Department

Claims

1. A computing system, wherein, The computing system includes a balance calculation unit, which calculates resource income and expenditure information based on the production volume of the product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product. The resource income and expenditure information represents the material income and expenditure between the production volume of the product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product.

2. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein, The calculation system also includes an emission calculation unit, which calculates the emission of environmental impact substances accompanying the production of the product based on the resource income and expenditure information.

3. The computing system according to claim 2, wherein, The resource income and expenditure information is the amount of resource loss obtained by subtracting the production volume of the product from the amount of the resource. The emission calculation unit calculates the emission amount of the environmental impact substance based on the resource loss amount and the emission coefficient of the resource involved in the resource loss amount.

4. The computing system according to claim 3, wherein, The emission calculation unit calculates the amount of environmental impact substances emitted from the resource loss based on the resource loss and the emission coefficient of the resources involved in the resource loss. Based on the quantity of the resources and the emission coefficient of each resource, the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from the use of the resources are calculated.

5. The computing system according to claim 4, wherein, The resources include the raw materials used in the production of the product and the energy used in the production of the product.

6. The computing system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein, The resource consumption amount is obtained by subtracting the production quantity of the product from the total amount of raw materials used in the production of the product.

7. The computing system according to claim 3, wherein, The emission calculation unit divides the resource loss into the disposal amount for each resource disposal method. The amount of environmental impact substances emitted is calculated based on the amount disposed of by each of the resource disposal methods and the emission coefficient of each of the resource disposal methods.

8. The computing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The unit conversion department unifies the units of measurement for resources across multiple resources by converting the units of measurement for those resources. The balance calculation unit calculates resource income and expenditure information based on the amount of resources converted by the unit conversion unit.

9. The computing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The balance calculation unit calculates the resource income and expenditure information based on the bill of materials, which represents the resources used in the production of the product.

10. The computing system according to claim 9, wherein, The computing system also includes a resource selection unit, which selects resources from the resources included in the bill of materials for calculating the resource income and expenditure information. The balance calculation unit calculates the resource income and expenditure information for the resources selected by the resource selection unit.

11. The computing system according to claim 10, wherein, The resource selection unit will select the resources specified by the user as the resources used to calculate the resource income and expenditure information.

12. The computing system according to claim 10, wherein, The resource selection unit selects the resources that are common to the units in the bill of materials as the resources used to calculate the resource income and expenditure information.

13. The computing system according to claim 10, wherein, The resource selection unit selects resources for calculating the resource income and expenditure information based on the product.

14. The computing system according to claim 9, wherein, The computing system also includes a display unit that displays the resources used in the production of the product and information on the income and expenditure of those resources.

15. A program executed by a computer, causing the computer to function as a computing system according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A calculation method that uses a computing system to calculate resource income and expenditure information, wherein the resource income and expenditure information is a balance between the production quantity of a product and the amount of resources used in the production of that product, wherein... The calculation method also includes a balance calculation stage, which calculates resource income and expenditure information based on the production volume of the product and the amount of resources used in the production of the product.

17. The calculation method according to claim 16, wherein, The calculation method further includes an emission calculation stage, which calculates the emission of environmental impact substances accompanying the production of the product based on the resource income and expenditure information.

18. The calculation method according to claim 17, wherein, The resource income and expenditure information is the amount of resource loss obtained by subtracting the production volume of the product from the amount of the resource. In the emission calculation stage, the emission of the environmental impact substance is calculated based on the resource loss and the emission coefficient of the resource involved in the resource loss.

19. The calculation method according to claim 18, wherein, In the emission calculation stage, Based on the resource loss and the emission coefficient of the resources involved in the resource loss, the environmental impact material emissions originating from the resource loss are calculated. Based on the quantity of the resources and the emission coefficient of each resource, the emissions of environmental impact substances originating from the use of the resources are calculated.

20. The calculation method according to claim 19, wherein, The resources include the raw materials used in the production of the product and the energy used in the production of the product.

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