Product circulation support method and system

Abstract

To support determination of a circulation scenario applied to each individual of a product.SOLUTION: A product circulation support method is executed by a calculation machine system comprising: a processor; and a storage unit. The storage unit holds product constitution information indicating multiple components forming a product, and circulation pattern information indicating multiple circulation strategies for resource circulation which can be applied for multiple components. The product circulation support method includes: a first procedure in which a processor generates multiple circulation scenarios in which the circulation strategies applied for respective components forming the product, are determined, on the basis of the product constitution information and the circulation pattern information; and a second procedure in which the processor calculates an environmental load when each of the multiple circulation scenarios is applied and the product is used for a prescribed period, and a cost.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to technology that supports product circulation. [Background technology]

[0002] Techniques for evaluating the environmental impact of a product are described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-252271 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-203138 (Patent Document 2).

[0003] Patent Document 1 states that the system "includes an LOM memory unit which stores a life cycle option model which models the resource circulation of a product over its life cycle; an LFM memory unit which stores a life cycle flow model which models the flow of the product between a number of processes; a BCM memory unit which stores a business constraint model which models the resource circulation of the product based on the option model and the flow model so as to satisfy specified constraints when implementing resource circulation; an environmental load memory unit which stores the basic unit used for calculating the environmental load; and a life cycle simulation unit which repeats the process of aggregating the environmental load for each unit period of the process based on each of the aforementioned models."

[0004] Patent document 2 states, "Information regarding reuse and recycling items is stored, and this information is used to select reuse and recycling items that can be converted into new products from recovered products. Life cycle modeling is performed to combine the selected reuse and recycling items to assemble the new products. In order to predict the recovery amount of reuse and recycling items using the life cycle model, the recovery distribution of products to be reused is approximately predicted as a superposition of two or more arbitrary shapes, and at least one of the arbitrary shapes is set to have a peak at the product value life or product useful life, and the environmental impact and costs borne in the case of reuse or recycling are evaluated based on the prediction results." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-252271 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-203138 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, factors such as worsening environmental problems and resource depletion, coupled with the promotion of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and changes in consumer perceptions, have created a demand for an environmentally conscious circular economic system rather than the linear economy of the past.

[0007] Considering the environment is extremely important in a circular economy. Reusing resources and minimizing waste reduces the burden on the environment. This can prevent various problems such as resource depletion, air pollution, and increased waste disposal costs.

[0008] There are various circular strategies for circulation, including reuse, which reuses products as they are, repair, which repairs and reuses them, refurbishing, which repairs reusable parts and sells them to other customers as the same product, remanufacturing, which repairs reusable parts and transforms them into a different product, and recycling, which returns products to the material level.

[0009] LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is used as a method to evaluate the impact of environmental loads on a product's entire life cycle, from design to use and disposal. LCA statically evaluates the environmental load using representative values ​​for each phase.

[0010] In addition, there is a method called Life cycle simulation (LCS) that evaluates not only the product life cycle but also the dynamic environmental load and economic efficiency of the entire product life cycle and the entire social system surrounding it. LCS represents the entire product life cycle using statistical and mathematical models and simulates its behavior.

[0011] Here, LCA and LCS focus on the life cycle of the entire product of the same type, not on each individual product. In reality, even in products of the same type, the configuration of parts may differ from one product to another, and the usage status of each part (for example, how the user uses the product, such as the frequency of use, or whether each part is new or refurbished, etc.) may differ, so the environmental load and costs, etc., resulting from the subsequent handling of the product may differ from one product to another. For this reason, it was difficult to use conventional LCA and LCS to make decisions from the perspective of product use in a circulation scenario, such as whether each product should be reused, repaired, refurbishing, remanufactured, recycled, or continued to be used as is. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve at least one of the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a product circulation support method executed by a computer system having a processor and a storage device, wherein the storage device holds product configuration information indicating a plurality of parts that constitute a product, and circulation pattern information indicating a plurality of circulation strategies for resource circulation that can be applied to the plurality of parts, and the product circulation support method is characterized in including: a first step in which the processor generates a plurality of circulation scenarios that define circulation strategies to be applied to each of the parts that constitute the product based on the product configuration information and the circulation pattern information; and a second step in which the processor applies each of the plurality of circulation scenarios to calculate the environmental impact and cost when the product is used for a specified period of time. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to assist in determining the circulation scenario to be applied to each individual product.

[0014] Other objects, configurations and advantages than those mentioned above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a product circulation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a computer system for implementing a product circulation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a circulation pattern for each part held by the product circulation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is an explanatory diagram of product configuration information held by the product circulation support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 3 is an explanatory diagram of substitute part information and substitute product information held by the product circulation support system according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is an explanatory diagram of a part residual value evaluation model held by the product circulation support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a parts configuration influence characteristic model held by the product circulation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is an explanatory diagram of product usage characteristics held by the product circulation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 3 is an explanatory diagram of an environmental load value table held by the product circulation support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] 3 is an explanatory diagram of a cost table held by the product circulation support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is an explanatory diagram of recommendation rules held by the product circulation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the product circulation support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of a scenario recommended by the product circulation support system of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a scenario recommended by the product circulation support system of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a product circulation support system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] The product circulation support system 100 is composed of a product circulation scenario simulation unit 101, a product circulation scenario generation unit 102, and a simulation result recommendation unit 103. The product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 includes a product configuration information generation / update unit 104, a salvage part residual value assessment unit 105, and an environmental load / cost estimation simulation unit 106. The functions of these units will be described later (see FIG. 2, etc.).

[0019] Furthermore, the product circulation support system 100 holds a circulation pattern for each part 107, product configuration information (Bill of Material, BOM) 108, alternative part information / alternative product information 109, a part residual value assessment model 110, recommendation rules 111, an environmental load value table 112, a cost table 113, product usage characteristics 114, and a part configuration impact characteristic model 115. These will be described in detail later.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computer system that realizes the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] The product circulation support system 100 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 1 can be realized by a computer system. Fig. 2 shows a computer system 200 as an example of the computer system.

[0022] The computer system 200 includes a processor 201, a memory (main storage device) 202, an auxiliary storage device 203, an output device 204, an input device 205, and a communication interface (I / F) 206. The above components are connected to each other via a bus. The memory 202 and the auxiliary storage device 203 are storage devices that store programs and data used by the processor 201.

[0023] The memory 202 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and is mainly used to hold programs and data being executed. The processor 201 executes various processes according to the programs stored in the memory 202. The processor 201 operates according to the programs to realize various functional units (for example, the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101, the product circulation scenario generation unit 102, and the simulation result recommendation unit shown in FIG. 1).

[0024] The auxiliary storage device 203 is configured with a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and is used to store programs and data for a long period of time. For example, the circulation pattern 107 to the part configuration influence characteristic model 115 for each part may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 203.

[0025] The processor 201 may be comprised of a single processing unit or multiple processing units and may include single or multiple arithmetic units or multiple processing cores. The processor 201 may be implemented as one or more central processing units, microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, state machines, logic circuits, graphic processing units, systems on a chip, and / or any device that manipulates signals based on control instructions.

[0026] The programs and data stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 are loaded into the memory 202 at the time of start-up or when necessary, and the programs are executed by the processor 201, thereby carrying out various processes of the computer system 200.

[0027] The input device 205 is a hardware device for a user to input instructions and information, etc. The output device 204 is a hardware device that presents various images for input and output, such as a display device or a printing device. The communication I / F 206 is an interface for connection to the network 140.

[0028] The computer system 200 may include two or more processors 201. The functions of the system of this embodiment may be implemented in a plurality of computer systems 200. In this case, the plurality of computer systems 200 communicate with each other via a network. For example, some of the functions of the system of this embodiment may be implemented in one computer system 200, and the other parts may be implemented in another computer system 200.

[0029] For example, the computer system 200 may be a PC owned by a user of the product circulation support system 100 (for example, a user of a product who is planning to use the functions of the product circulation support system 100 to determine future handling of the product), or may be a server accessed by the user via a network. In the latter case, the computer system 200 may be a virtual server on the cloud. In the latter case, the computer system 200 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by computer resources on the cloud.

[0030] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the circulation pattern 107 for each part held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The circulation pattern 107 for each part includes information indicating a strategy for incorporating each of the parts constituting the product into a circular economy and the timing of execution of actions based on the strategy. Information indicating multiple strategies and execution timings of actions for one part may be included, in which case any one of the multiple strategies can be selected. The above information may be predetermined for each part constituting the product, for example.

[0032] The circulation pattern 107 for each part shown in Fig. 3 includes part name 301, part specifications 302, circulation strategy 303, circulation frequency 304, and part replacement method 305. Part name 301 is a name that identifies each part. Part specifications 302 indicate the specifications of each part. Circulation strategy 303 and circulation frequency 304 indicate the strategy to be applied to each part to incorporate each part into resource circulation, and the timing (e.g., execution frequency) of actions based on the strategy. Part replacement method 305 indicates the replacement method when each part is replaced according to circulation strategy 303 (i.e., when the action based on the circulation strategy includes part replacement).

[0033] Here, examples of the circulation strategy 303 include continuous use, reuse, repair, refurbishing, remanufacturing, and recycling.

[0034] Continuous use means continuing to use the product as is. Parts for which the circulation strategy 303 is continuous use are not taken out of the original product and are used continuously as is.

[0035] Reuse is the reuse of a product as is. When the time determined by the circulation frequency 304 arrives for a part whose circulation strategy 303 is reuse, the part is removed from the original product, repaired if necessary, and then sold to another user. In this case, a replacement part for the removed part is incorporated into the original product, and the use of the original product continues.

[0036] The replacement part may be a part of the same type as the removed part, or a different type of part that can replace the removed part. The replacement part may be a new product (i.e., an unused part), or a part that has already been used (for example, a remanufactured part taken from another product).

[0037] Repair is to repair and reuse a product. When the time determined by the circulation frequency 304 arrives, a part whose circulation strategy 303 is repair is taken out of the original product, repaired, and then reassembled into the original product and used by the original user. In this case, a replacement part is not necessary.

[0038] Refurbishment is the repair of reusable parts and selling them to another user as the same product. When the time determined by the circulation frequency 304 arrives, the parts whose circulation strategy 303 is refurbished are removed from the original product and combined with other parts to manufacture a product of the same type as the original product, which is then sold to another user. As in the case of reuse, replacement parts are incorporated into the original product and it continues to be used, or if other parts are not available, the original product is discarded.

[0039] Remanufacturing is the repair of reusable parts and their transformation into another product. When the time determined by the circulation frequency 304 arrives for a part whose circulation strategy 303 is remanufacturing, it is removed from the original product and combined with other parts to produce a different type of product from the original product, which is then sold to a different user. As in the case of reuse, replacement parts are incorporated into the original product to continue its use, or if other parts are not available, the original product is discarded.

[0040] Recycling is the process of returning a product to the material level. When a part whose circulation strategy 303 is Recycle arrives at the time determined by the circulation frequency 304, it is removed from the original product, disassembled into its materials, and reused. As with reuse, replacement parts are incorporated into the original product to continue its use, or the original product is discarded if no other parts are available.

[0041] In the example of Figure 3, two circulation patterns are registered for part a1: remanufacturing once every three years and remanufacturing once every six years. In either case, part a1 is replaced with a remanufactured product equivalent to part a1 at the time of remanufacturing.

[0042] Similarly, in the example of Figure 3, three patterns are registered as the circulation pattern for part b1. In the first pattern, part b1 is repaired after five years, three years after that, one year after that, and then every year thereafter. In this case, part b1 is repaired and continues to be used in the original product, so there is no part replacement. In the second pattern, part b1 is remanufactured once every five years and replaced with a new product. In the third pattern, part b1 is repaired after five years, discarded another five years after that, and replaced with a refurbished product.

[0043] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the product configuration information 108 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] The product configuration information 108 includes information covering the parts and the like that constitute a product for each product type. FIG. 4 shows information on the parts of a certain product type as an example. This product is composed of unit a, unit b, unit c, part d, part e, etc. Unit a is composed of parts a1, a2, and a3. Part a2 is composed of parts a2-1 and a2-2. Other units and parts may be composed of lower-level parts in the same manner. In this way, the product configuration information 108 includes information on each part, such as its part number, parent part number (i.e., the part number of the higher-level part, unit, or product that is composed of that part), child part number (i.e., the part number of the lower-level part that constitutes that part), product name, specifications, quantity, etc.

[0045] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the substitute part information / substitute product information 109 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] The substitute part information / substitute product information 109 includes information on parts that can be used as substitutes for parts removed from an original product for reuse, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or recycling. Specifically, the substitute part information / substitute product information 109 includes part name 501, part specifications 502, replaceable part name 503, substitute part specifications 504, substitute part type 505, remaining life of the substitute part 506, and substitute part quality information 507.

[0047] Part name 501 is a name that identifies a part that was built into the original product and will be removed in the future to be replaced with an alternative part. Part specifications 502 indicate the specifications of the part to be replaced. Substitutable part name 503 is a name that identifies an alternative part to the part to be replaced. Alternative part specifications 504 indicate the specifications of the alternative part. Alternative part type 505 is information that indicates the type of alternative part, for example, whether it is a refurbished product, a new product, or a reused product. Alternative part remaining life 506 indicates the remaining life of the alternative part at the time of replacement. Alternative part quality information 507 indicates the quality of the alternative part.

[0048] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the part residual value assessment model 110 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] The part residual value assessment model 110 indicates the residual value according to the operating status of each part, for example, the expected price when the part is sold as a refurbished product. In general, the longer the number of times or the operating time of a product, the lower the residual value of the parts that make up the product, but how low it becomes (i.e., the residual value characteristics) depends on the nature of the parts, the usage pattern, etc.

[0050] The example in Figure 6 shows the residual value characteristics of parts a1 and b2. For both parts, the residual value decreases as the operating time or number of operations increases, but for part a1, the decrease in residual value is gradual at first, and then the residual value decreases rapidly once the operating time or number of operations reaches a certain level. In contrast, for part b2, the residual value decreases in a manner that is roughly inversely proportional to the operating time or number of operations.

[0051] Although a graph is shown in FIG. 6 as an example of part residual value assessment model 110, the actual part residual value assessment model 110 may be tabular data showing the residual value versus operating time or number of operations, or may be a mathematical formula, and the format is not limited.

[0052] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the part configuration influence characteristic model 115 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Operating a product causes environmental loads, such as power consumption and the associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The magnitude of this environmental load (e.g., power consumption or CO2 emissions) may depend on the combination of parts that make up the product. The part configuration impact characteristic model 115 includes information that associates a combination of the operating status (e.g., operating time or number of operations) of multiple parts that make up the product with an increase in the environmental load.

[0054] 7 shows, as an example, the increase in environmental load corresponding to the combination of the operating time of part a1 and the operating time of part a2. In this example, the increase in environmental load corresponding to the combination of the operating time of part a1 and the operating time of part a2 is displayed in a three-dimensional graph. For example, when calculating the environmental load of a certain product using a predetermined method, if the product includes a combination of parts a1 and a2, the increase in environmental load corresponding to each operating time identified based on the graph shown in FIG. 7 is added to the calculated environmental load to calculate the environmental load of the product.

[0055] Even for parts constituting the same product, the operating time, operating count, etc. may differ depending on whether the part is a refurbished product or a new product, whether it has been replaced, etc. The part configuration influence characteristic model 115 includes information indicating the increase in environmental load corresponding to the combination of the operating statuses of multiple parts. In general, the increase in the operating time or operating count of each part tends to increase the increase in environmental load.

[0056] In reality, there may be some combinations of parts that are effective in reducing environmental impact. For such combinations, the increase in environmental impact may be a negative value. In addition, it may actually depend on a combination of three or more parts. In such cases, the correspondence between the operating status of three or more parts and the increase in environmental impact is expressed by a multidimensional graph.

[0057] As with the part residual value assessment model 110 shown in FIG. 6, the format of the part configuration influence characteristic model 115 is not limited, and may be, for example, tabular data or a mathematical formula.

[0058] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the product usage characteristics 114 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Even for products of the same type, the characteristics of usage (e.g., how the user uses the product, the frequency of use, etc.) differ depending on the individual product, and therefore the rate at which the parts that make up the product deteriorate also differs, and as a result, the environmental load may also differ. Product usage characteristics 114 include information indicating the characteristics of usage for each part of an individual product (e.g., operating conditions such as operating time, operating frequency, and number of times of operation).

[0060] 8 includes a product part name 801, an operation time 802, an operation frequency 803, and an operation count 804. The product part name 801 is a name that identifies a part (e.g., a unit, a part, etc.) that constitutes a product. The operation time 802, the operation frequency 803, and the operation count 804 indicate the operation time, operation frequency, and cumulative operation count of each part, respectively.

[0061] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the environmental load value table 112 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] The use of a product generates environmental loads such as power consumption and CO2 emissions, but in addition, actions taken to incorporate the product into resource circulation, such as replacing parts, also cause environmental loads. The environmental load value table 112 includes information on the environmental load values ​​resulting from such actions for resource circulation.

[0063] 9 includes a type 901, a circulation content 902, and an environmental load value 903. The type 901 indicates the target of an action for resource circulation (e.g., a unit or a part) and the action (e.g., replacement, regeneration, disposal, etc.). The circulation content 902 indicates a circulation strategy corresponding to the action (e.g., repair, remanufacturing, etc.). The environmental load value 903 indicates the magnitude of the environmental load caused by the action (e.g., the amount of power consumption or CO2 emissions).

[0064] In the example of FIG. 9, the environmental load value when replacing part a1 for remanufacturing, the environmental load value when regenerating an alternative part for part a1 for remanufacturing, and the environmental load value when discarding part a1 are registered.

[0065] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the cost table 113 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] The cost table 113 includes information on costs attributable to actions for resource circulation. The cost table 113 shown in Fig. 10 includes a type 1001, circulation content 1002, and cost 1003. The type 1001 indicates the object of the action for resource circulation (e.g., unit or part) and the action (e.g., replacement, regeneration, disposal, etc.), and is similar to the type 901 in the environmental load value table 112 (Fig. 9). The circulation content 1002 indicates the circulation strategy corresponding to the action (e.g., repair, remanufacturing, etc.). The cost 1003 indicates the magnitude of the cost attributable to the action (e.g., monetary amount).

[0067] In the example of FIG. 10, the cost of replacing part a1 for remanufacturing, the cost of obtaining a substitute part for part a1 for remanufacturing, and the cost of discarding part a1 are registered.

[0068] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a recommendation rule 111 held by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] As described later, the product circulation support system 100 generates multiple scenarios (also referred to as product circulation scenarios) that define the content and timing of actions to be taken to incorporate products into resource circulation, calculates the environmental impact and cost of each scenario, and recommends at least one of the scenarios based on the results. The recommendation rules 111 include rules to be applied when making a recommendation.

[0070] 11 includes a recommended scenario name 1101 and a recommendation decision 1102. The recommended scenario name 1101 is a name for identifying a rule for deciding a scenario to be recommended. The recommendation decision 1102 indicates the content of the rule for deciding a scenario to be recommended.

[0071] FIG. 11 shows, as examples, a first rule for recommending a scenario with the smallest environmental load, a second rule for recommending a scenario with the smallest cost, and a third rule for recommending a scenario with a good balance between environmental load and cost. The first rule recommends a scenario with the smallest cumulative environmental load value after a predetermined period (shown as X years in the figure). The second rule recommends a scenario with the smallest cumulative cost after a predetermined period. The third rule recommends a scenario with the smallest harmonic mean of the cumulative environmental load value and the cumulative cost.

[0072] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] For example, when a user tries to decide how to handle an individual product that the user is using, the processing of the product circulation support system 100 is executed to support the decision. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, a "product" refers to a specific individual product of a certain type (e.g., an individual product owned or managed by a user).

[0074] First, the product circulation scenario generating unit 102 generates a product circulation scenario (step 1201). For example, the product circulation scenario generating unit 102 identifies the constituent units and parts of a target product (e.g., an individual product used by a user) by referring to the product configuration information 108. Then, the product circulation scenario generating unit 102 generates a product circulation scenario by assigning a circulation strategy to each of the identified parts by referring to the circulation pattern 107 for each product.

[0075] At this time, as shown in the example of Figure 3, multiple circulation strategies may be registered for each part, so multiple product circulation scenarios can be generated by changing the circulation strategy to be selected. For example, it is possible to generate a product circulation scenario that includes a circulation strategy to remanufacture part a1 once every three years, and a product circulation scenario that includes a circulation strategy to remanufacture part a2 once every six years. The same applies to other parts, and multiple product circulation scenarios can be generated by combining the circulation strategies that can be selected for each part.

[0076] Next, the product configuration information generating / updating unit 104 of the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 generates product configuration information one year after the relevant year from each product circulation scenario and the product configuration information for the relevant year (the initial value is the current time when this process is being executed, and is incremented by one year thereafter) (step 1202). For example, when there is a part that will be replaced within one year based on a certain product circulation scenario, the product configuration information generating / updating unit 104 identifies an alternative part for that part based on the alternative part information / alternative product information 109. Then, the product configuration information generating / updating unit 104 updates the product configuration information 108 for the relevant year with the identified alternative part, thereby generating product configuration information 108 for one year after the relevant year.

[0077] Next, the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 executes steps 1203 and 1204. These steps may be executed in parallel.

[0078] In step 1203, the recovered parts residual value assessment unit 105 of the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 calculates the residual value (i.e., trade-in price) of the recovered parts. Specifically, the recovered parts residual value assessment unit 105 identifies all parts that will be replaced within one year from the current year based on the product circulation scenario. Then, based on the product usage characteristics 114, the recovered parts residual value assessment unit 105 identifies the usage status of each part recovered from the product by replacement. Then, based on the identified usage status and the part residual value assessment model 110, the recovered parts residual value assessment unit 105 identifies the residual value of each part recovered from the product by replacement and calculates their total.

[0079] In step 1204, the environmental load / cost estimation simulation unit 106 of the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 calculates the impact of changing the part. Specifically, the environmental load / cost estimation simulation unit 106 specifies the operation time or operation count for each combination of the alternative part specified in step 1202 and other parts, based on the product usage characteristics 114. Then, the environmental load / cost estimation simulation unit 106 calculates the increase or decrease in the environmental load value based on the specified operation time or operation count and the part configuration impact characteristic model 115.

[0080] Next, the environmental load / cost accumulation simulation unit 106 accumulates the environmental load and cost of the product configuration information generated in step 1202 one year later based on the calculation results of steps 1203 and 1204, and based on the environmental load value table 112 and the cost table 113 (step 1205).

[0081] For example, the environmental load / cost integration simulation unit 106 may refer to the product configuration information 108 to identify the units and parts that constitute the individual product that is the subject of calculation, and refer to the product usage characteristics 114 to identify the operating status of each part (unit, part, etc.) of the individual product, and calculate the running environmental load value and running costs of the individual product for the year from the current year to one year later, based on the operating status of each part, etc.

[0082] Furthermore, the environmental load / cost estimation simulation unit 106 refers to the environmental load value table 112 and the cost table 113 to calculate the environmental load value and cost resulting from actions (e.g., replacement and recycling of parts for remanufacturing) performed in the year based on the product circulation scenario in the year.

[0083] The environmental load / cost integration simulation unit 106 may then calculate the cost for the year by subtracting the residual value of the recovered parts calculated in step 1203 from the calculated running cost, and further adding the cost attributable to the actions taken in the year based on the product circulation scenario. The environmental load / cost integration simulation unit 106 may also calculate the environmental load value for the year by adding the increase in the environmental load value calculated in step 1204 (or subtracting the decrease in the environmental load value) to the calculated running environmental load value, and further adding the environmental load value attributable to the actions taken in the year based on the product circulation scenario.

[0084] Next, the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 judges whether the processing of steps 1202 to 1205 has been completed for the entire period (step 1206). For example, when integrating environmental loads and costs for a period from the present time to six years from now, the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 judges whether the integration of environmental loads and costs six years from now has been completed. If not completed (step 1206: No), the processing returns to step 1202, the relevant year is incremented by one, and steps 1202 to 1204 are executed.

[0085] If the processing of steps 1202 to 1205 has been completed for the entire period (step 1206: Yes), the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 judges whether the processing of steps 1201 to 1205 has been completed for all scenarios (step 1207). If the processing of steps 1201 to 1205 has not been completed for at least any of the multiple product circulation scenarios generated in step 1201 (step 1207: No), the product circulation scenario simulation unit 101 executes steps 1202 to 1205 for the product circulation scenarios that have not yet been completed.

[0086] When the processing of steps 1201 to 1205 has been completed for all of the multiple product circulation scenarios generated in step 1201 (step 1207: Yes), the simulation result recommendation unit 103 recommends an optimal plan from the cumulative simulation results of each product circulation scenario based on the recommendation rule 111 (step 1208).

[0087] For example, if the minimum environmental load scenario is adopted, a product circulation scenario with the smallest cumulative environmental load value obtained by simulation is recommended. On the other hand, if the minimum environmental load scenario is adopted, a product circulation scenario with the smallest cumulative cost value obtained by simulation is recommended. If the balanced scenario is adopted, a product circulation scenario with the best balance between the environmental load value and cost obtained by simulation (for example, the smallest harmonic mean of the two) is recommended.

[0088] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of a scenario recommended by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0089] Fig. 13 shows, as an example, product circulation scenarios recommended in step 1208 in Fig. 12 when the minimum environmental load scenario is adopted. That is, of the multiple product circulation scenarios generated in step 1201, the product circulation scenario that minimizes the accumulated environmental load after a predetermined period (e.g., six years) is recommended. In this example, the accumulated cost value is not taken into consideration.

[0090] In the product circulation scenario of FIG. 13, among the parts constituting the target product, part a1 is replaced after 3 years and after 6 years, and the replaced part a1 is remanufactured (indicated as "remanufactured" in the figure). Part a2 is replaced after 6 years, and the replaced part a2 is remanufactured. Part a3 is replaced with a new part after 2 years, and the replaced part a3 is remanufactured. Part b1 is replaced after 3 years, and the replaced part is recycled. The target product may actually be composed of more parts, in which case the product circulation scenario includes a circulation strategy to be applied to each part, but for convenience of explanation, the target product will be described here as being composed of the above four parts (the same applies to FIG. 14 described later).

[0091] In the example of Fig. 13, the cumulative value of the environmental load for each year is shown in a stacked bar graph, and the cumulative value of the cost for each year is shown in a line graph. An example of the cumulative value of the environmental load will now be described. The initial value of the environmental load may be, for example, the environmental load caused by the manufacturing of the target product.

[0092] The accumulated environmental load value after one year of use (i.e., the accumulated environmental load value after the first year) is calculated by adding the initial environmental load value to the environmental load value calculated for the following one year. The environmental load value for the one year is calculated, for example, based on the running environmental load according to the operating status of each part. At this time, an increase in the environmental load value corresponding to a combination of multiple parts is added (or a decrease is subtracted) based on the part configuration influence characteristic model 115.

[0093] The accumulated environmental load value for two years of use is calculated by adding the accumulated environmental load value for one year of use to the environmental load value calculated for the following year. The environmental load value for the year is calculated, for example, based on the running environmental load according to the operating status of each part. Also, based on the part configuration impact characteristic model 115, an increase in the environmental load value corresponding to a combination of multiple parts is added (or a decrease is subtracted). In general, as the increase in the environmental load value tends to increase as the operating time of a part increases, the environmental load value for the following year tends to be greater than the environmental load value for the previous year.

[0094] However, in the product circulation scenario shown in Fig. 13, part a3 is replaced with a new part when the usage period is two years, and the replaced part a3 is used for remanufacturing. For this reason, the operating time and the like of part a3 are reset, so there is a possibility that the increase in the environmental load value will be small. On the other hand, as shown in the environmental load value table 112, an environmental load will be generated for the replacement and remanufacturing of part a3, and the corresponding environmental load value will increase. The above increase and decrease in the environmental load value will be reflected in the environmental load value for that one year.

[0095] Thereafter, in the same manner, for each year, the environmental load value is calculated and accumulated based on the running environmental load value corresponding to the operating status of the product and the increase or decrease in the environmental load value based on the part configuration impact characteristic model 115 and the environmental load value table 112 corresponding to the actions taken in that year based on the product circulation scenario.

[0096] A detailed explanation of the accumulated cost values ​​will be omitted, but like the accumulated environmental load values, the environmental load values ​​are calculated and accumulated for each year based on the running costs according to the product's operating status and the increase in costs based on cost table 113 according to the actions taken in that year based on the product circulation scenario.

[0097] However, when calculating the cost, the residual value when the part is replaced is also used. For example, when the service life is two years, part a3 is replaced, so the residual value of part a3 at that time is identified based on part residual value assessment model 110, and the price is subtracted from the cost calculated based on the running cost, etc.

[0098] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a scenario recommended by the product circulation support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0099] Fig. 14 shows, as an example, product circulation scenarios recommended in step 1208 in Fig. 12 when the minimum cost scenario is adopted. That is, of the multiple product circulation scenarios generated in step 1201, the product circulation scenario that minimizes the accumulated cost value after a predetermined period (e.g., six years) is recommended. In this example, the accumulated value of the environmental load is not taken into consideration.

[0100] In the product circulation scenario in Figure 14, among the parts that make up the target product, part a1 is replaced after six years, and the replaced part a1 is remanufactured. Part a2 is replaced after six years, and the replaced part a2 is remanufactured. Part a3 is repaired after two years and six years. Part b1 is replaced with a new part after six years, and the replaced part b1 is discarded.

[0101] The method of calculating the accumulated environmental load and the accumulated cost in the example of Fig. 14 is the same as that described with reference to Fig. 13. However, since the product circulation scenario shown in Fig. 14 is different from that shown in Fig. 13, the actions taken in each year based on the product circulation scenario are different, and as a result, the calculated accumulated environmental load and accumulated cost values ​​are different from those shown in Fig. 13.

[0102] The product circulation support system 100 may present information such as that shown in FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 to the user. The user can refer to this information to determine whether or not to execute the recommended product circulation scenario. For example, when the product circulation support system 100 recommends multiple product circulation scenarios based on multiple rules included in the recommendation rules 111, the user may refer to them to select a desired product circulation scenario. Alternatively, when the product circulation support system 100 recommends one product circulation scenario based on one rule included in the recommendation rules 111, the user may determine whether the recommended scenario is appropriate, and if it is determined to be inappropriate, may specify another rule and instruct the recommendation of a product circulation scenario again.

[0103] This makes it possible to evaluate what results would be obtained by applying a circulation strategy to each component that makes up a product in terms of environmental impact and cost, and helps determine an appropriate product circulation scenario.

[0104] Furthermore, the system according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

[0105] (1) A product circulation support method executed by a computer system (e.g., a product circulation support system 100 realized by the computer system 200) having a processor (e.g., a processor 201) and a storage device (e.g., at least one of a memory 202 and an auxiliary storage device 203), the storage device holds product configuration information indicating a plurality of parts constituting a product (e.g., product configuration information 108), and circulation pattern information indicating a plurality of circulation strategies for resource circulation that can be applied to the plurality of parts (e.g., circulation pattern 107 for each product), the product circulation support method including a first procedure (e.g., step 1201) in which the processor generates a plurality of circulation scenarios that define a circulation strategy to be applied to each of the parts constituting the product based on the product configuration information and the circulation pattern information, and a second procedure (e.g., steps 1202 to 1205) in which the processor applies each of the plurality of circulation scenarios to calculate the environmental load and the cost when the product is used for a predetermined period of time.

[0106] This can help determine the circulation scenario to apply to a product based on the configuration of each individual product.

[0107] (2) A product circulation support method as described in (1) above, wherein the circulation pattern information includes one or more combinations of an applicable circulation strategy (e.g., circulation strategy 303) and a timing of an action based on the circulation strategy (e.g., circulation frequency 304) for each of the plurality of parts, and in the first step, the processor generates the circulation scenario by determining, based on the circulation pattern information, an applicable circulation strategy and a timing of an action based on the circulation strategy for each of the plurality of parts constituting the product, and in the plurality of circulation scenarios, the circulation strategy or the timing of the action based on the circulation strategy determined for at least one of the parts is different.

[0108] This generates multiple circulation scenarios with different environmental loads and costs, providing a variety of options for determining the appropriate circulation scenario.

[0109] (3) A product circulation support method as described in (2) above, wherein the storage device further holds environmental load information (e.g., environmental load value table 112) indicating the environmental load resulting from an action based on the circulation strategy, and cost information (e.g., cost table 113) indicating the cost resulting from an action based on the circulation strategy, and in the second step, the processor calculates the environmental load and the cost based on the environmental load information and the cost information, thereby calculating the environmental load and the cost when an action based on the circulation strategy is performed at a time determined based on the circulation scenario (e.g., step 1205).

[0110] This allows the environmental impact and costs of each individual product's circulation scenario to be properly calculated.

[0111] (4) A product circulation support method as described in (3) above, wherein the storage device further retains product usage characteristic information (e.g., product usage characteristic 114) indicating the operating status of the plurality of parts that constitute the product, and in the second step, the processor calculates the environmental load and the cost based on the product usage characteristic information (e.g., step 1205).

[0112] This allows the environmental impact and costs of each individual product's circulation scenario to be properly calculated.

[0113] (5) A product circulation support method as described in (4) above, wherein the storage device further holds part configuration impact characteristic information (e.g., part configuration impact characteristic model 115) that matches a combination of the operating statuses of two or more of the parts with the environmental load, and in the second step, the processor calculates the environmental load based on the product utilization characteristic information and the part configuration impact characteristic information (e.g., step 1204).

[0114] This allows the environmental impact and costs of each individual product's circulation scenario to be properly calculated.

[0115] (6) A product circulation support method as described in (4) above, wherein the storage device further retains part residual value information (e.g., part residual value model 110) that corresponds operating status and residual value for each of the plurality of parts, and in the second step, when an action taken based on the circulation strategy at a time determined based on the circulation scenario includes replacement of the part, the processor calculates the residual value of the part to be replaced based on the product utilization characteristic information and the part residual value information (e.g., step 1203), and calculates the cost based on the residual value (e.g., step 1205).

[0116] This allows the environmental impact and costs of each individual product's circulation scenario to be properly calculated.

[0117] (7) A product circulation support method as described in (4) above, wherein the product usage characteristic information includes at least one of the operation time (e.g., operation time 802), operation frequency (e.g., operation frequency 803), and operation count (e.g., operation count 804) of each of the plurality of parts constituting the product as the operation status of the plurality of parts constituting the product.

[0118] This allows the environmental impact and costs of each individual product's circulation scenario to be properly calculated.

[0119] (8) A product circulation support method as described in (2) above, wherein, for each combination of the applicable circulation strategy included in the circulation pattern information and the timing of action based on that circulation strategy, the circulation strategy includes at least one of continued use, repair, reuse, refurbishing, remanufacturing, and recycling.

[0120] This allows the environmental impact and costs of each individual product's circulation scenario to be properly calculated.

[0121] (9) The product circulation support method described in (1) above, wherein the storage device further stores a recommendation rule (e.g., recommendation rule 111) that determines the circulation scenario to be recommended based on the environmental load and the cost, and the product circulation support method further includes a third step (e.g., step 1208) in which the processor outputs information recommending the circulation scenario determined based on the recommendation rule and the calculated environmental load and cost.

[0122] This makes it possible to recommend appropriate circulation scenarios based on predetermined rules.

[0123] (10) The product circulation support method described in (9) above, wherein the recommendation rules include at least one of a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that minimizes the environmental load, a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that minimizes the cost, and a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that optimizes the balance between the environmental load and the cost.

[0124] This makes it possible to recommend appropriate circulation scenarios based on predetermined rules.

[0125] (11) In the product circulation support method described in (10) above, the rule for recommending the circulation scenario that optimizes the balance between the environmental load and the cost is a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that minimizes the harmonic mean of the environmental load and the cost.

[0126] This makes it possible to recommend appropriate circulation scenarios based on predetermined rules.

[0127] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-mentioned embodiment has been described in detail for a better understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations described. Also, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

[0128] In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole by hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as a program, table, file, etc. that realizes each function can be stored in a storage device such as a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a computer-readable non-transitory data storage medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0129] In addition, the control lines and information lines are shown as those considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 100 Product circulation support system 101 Product Circulation Scenario Simulation Department 102 Product Circulation Scenario Generation Department 103 Simulation Results Recommendation Section 104 Product configuration information generation / update department 105 Salvage Parts Residual Value Assessment Department 106 Environmental Impact and Cost Estimation Simulation Department 107 Circulation pattern for each part 108 Bill of Materials (BOM) 109 Replacement parts information / Replacement product information 110 Parts Residual Value Assessment Model 111 Recommendation Rules 112 Environmental Load Value Table 113 Cost Table 114 Product usage characteristics 115 Part configuration effect characteristic model

Claims

1. A product circulation support method executed by a computer system having a processor and a storage device, comprising: the storage device holds product configuration information indicating a plurality of parts constituting a product, and circulation pattern information indicating a plurality of circulation strategies for resource circulation applicable to the plurality of parts; The product circulation support method includes: a first step of generating, by the processor, a plurality of circulation scenarios that define circulation strategies to be applied to each of the parts that constitute the product, based on the product configuration information and the circulation pattern information; A product circulation support method characterized in that it includes a second step in which the processor applies each of the multiple circulation scenarios to calculate the environmental impact and cost when the product is used for a specified period of time.

2. The product circulation support method according to claim 1, the circulation pattern information includes, for each of the plurality of parts, one or more combinations of an applicable circulation strategy and a timing of an action based on the circulation strategy; In the first step, the processor generates the circulation scenario by determining, for each of the plurality of parts constituting the product, a circulation strategy to be applied and a timing of an action based on the circulation strategy, based on the circulation pattern information; A product circulation support method, characterized in that the circulation strategy or the timing of an action based on the circulation strategy determined for at least one of the parts differs in the multiple circulation scenarios.

3. The product circulation support method according to claim 2, the storage device further holds environmental load information indicating an environmental load caused by an action based on the circulation strategy, and cost information indicating a cost caused by an action based on the circulation strategy; A product circulation support method characterized in that in the second step, the processor calculates the environmental load and cost based on the environmental load information and the cost information, by calculating the environmental load and cost when an action based on the circulation strategy is taken at a time determined based on the circulation scenario.

4. The product circulation support method according to claim 3, the storage device further stores product usage characteristic information indicating an operating status of the plurality of parts constituting the product; A product circulation support method, characterized in that in the second step, the processor calculates the environmental load and the cost based on the product usage characteristic information.

5. The product circulation support method according to claim 4, the storage device further stores part configuration influence characteristic information that associates a combination of the operation statuses of two or more of the parts with the environmental load; A product circulation support method, characterized in that in the second step, the processor calculates the environmental load based on the product usage characteristic information and the part configuration impact characteristic information.

6. The product circulation support method according to claim 4, the storage device further stores part residual value information that associates an operating status with a residual value for each of the plurality of parts; A product circulation support method characterized in that in the second step, when an action taken based on the circulation strategy at a time determined based on the circulation scenario includes replacement of the part, the processor calculates the residual value of the part to be replaced based on the product utilization characteristic information and the part residual value information, and calculates the cost based on the residual value.

7. The product circulation support method according to claim 4, A product circulation support method, characterized in that the product usage characteristic information includes at least one of the operating time, operating frequency, and operating count of each of the multiple parts that constitute the product as the operating status of the multiple parts that constitute the product.

8. The product circulation support method according to claim 2, A product circulation support method, characterized in that for each combination of the applicable circulation strategy and the timing of action based on that circulation strategy contained in the circulation pattern information, the circulation strategy includes at least one of continued use, repair, reuse, refurbishing, remanufacturing, and recycling.

9. The product circulation support method according to claim 1, the storage device further holds a recommendation rule that determines the circulation scenario to be recommended based on the environmental load and the cost; The product circulation support method is characterized in that it further includes a third step in which the processor outputs information recommending the circulation scenario determined based on the recommendation rules and the calculated environmental load and cost.

10. The product circulation support method according to claim 9, A product circulation support method characterized in that the recommendation rules include at least one of a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that minimizes the environmental load, a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that minimizes the cost, and a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that achieves an optimal balance between the environmental load and the cost.

11. The product circulation support method according to claim 10, A product circulation support method, characterized in that the rule for recommending the circulation scenario that optimizes the balance between the environmental load and the cost is a rule for recommending the circulation scenario that minimizes the harmonic mean of the environmental load and the cost.

12. A product circulation support system having a processor and a storage device, the storage device holds product configuration information indicating a plurality of parts constituting a product, and circulation pattern information indicating a plurality of circulation strategies for resource circulation applicable to the plurality of parts; The processor, generating a plurality of circulation scenarios that define circulation strategies to be applied to each of the parts that constitute the product based on the product configuration information and the circulation pattern information; A product circulation support system characterized by applying each of the multiple circulation scenarios to calculate the environmental impact and cost when the product is used for a specified period of time.

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