Information processing apparatus

Abstract

To properly allocate recycle materials to companies participating in respective processes of recycling.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises a control unit configured to: acquire respective past processing results, current load states, stock quantities, and required quantities of recycle materials of a plurality of companies constituting a supply chain for manufacturing products through a plurality of processes utilizing recycle materials; generate combinations of companies such that loads on the companies corresponding to the respective processes are equal to or less than a predetermined load according to the past processing results, the current load states, the stock quantities, the required quantities of recycle materials of the companies corresponding to the respective processes of the plurality of processes as the recycle materials are produced; and output information related to the period and quantity of delivery of the recycle materials to terminals of the respective companies corresponding to the generated combinations of companies.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that a collector inputs collected product information using a communication means, and notifies a remanufacturing plant or a recycling center that collects specific collected parts of collected products based on the collected product information. Patent Document 2 discloses that a collector who collects products sold to users inputs collected product information using a communication means, collects specific collected parts of collected products at a remanufacturing plant or a recycling center based on the collected product information, and notifies users, distributors, retailers, etc. of the process of product collection. Patent Document 3 discloses that a trader grasps distribution information including at least one of purchase information, shipping information, inventory information, and aggregation / processing information of used products or processed products of used products held by other traders other than its immediate upstream and downstream business partners, and adjusts at least one of its purchase amount, shipping amount, and inventory amount based on the distribution information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-288312 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2002-273399 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2002-166258 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to appropriately allocate recycled materials to companies involved in each recycling process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device having a control unit configured to perform the following operations: acquire past processing results, current load situation, inventory amount, and required amount of recycled material of each of multiple companies that make up a supply chain that manufactures products through multiple processes using recycled materials; generate combinations of companies corresponding to each process in the multiple processes according to the generation of recycled material, such that the load of the companies corresponding to each process is below a predetermined load according to the past processing results, the current load situation, the inventory amount, and the required amount of recycled material; and output information regarding the delivery time and delivery amount of the recycled material to the terminals of each of the companies corresponding to the generated combinations of companies.

[0006] Further, other aspects of the present invention are an information processing method for causing a computer to execute the above-described information processing, a program for causing a computer to execute this information processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium on which this program is non-temporarily stored. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, recycled materials can be appropriately allocated to companies involved in each recycling process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of each of a company terminal and a server that configure the system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a table configuration of a company information DB. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed in a server according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5]10 is a flowchart showing a process executed in a server according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In order to recycle an item, multiple companies may be involved. For example, after an item is discarded, it is recycled through multiple processes, but since each process has a lead time and yield, it may be difficult for downstream companies to predict when and how much recycled material will be delivered. Also, if a large amount of recycled material is delivered to one company at once, there is a risk that the processing will not be able to keep up, which could affect downstream processes. This makes it difficult for each company to make a production plan for the product. On the other hand, if the amount and delivery time of recycled material delivered to each company could be standardized and each company could be notified in advance of the amount and delivery time of recycled material to be delivered, it would be easier for each company to make a production plan.

[0010] Therefore, a control unit provided in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure acquires the past processing results of each of a plurality of companies constituting a supply chain that manufactures products through a plurality of processes using recycled materials, the current load status, inventory amount, and the required amount of the recycled materials. The supply chain is a series of processes having a plurality of processes that produce new products using recycled materials. The supply chain may be, for example, a supply chain that recycles batteries installed in vehicles to manufacture new batteries. The number of companies corresponding to each process is not limited to one. In the following, the items delivered to each company are described as recycled materials, and the items produced by each company are described as products. Therefore, each company receives recycled materials from a company in a previous process, produces products using the recycled materials, and delivers the products to a company in a subsequent process. In this way, items are recycled through a plurality of processes.

[0011] The past processing results may include information on the time when a product was produced using recycled materials and the amount of the product produced. The past processing results may also include yield and lead time. The current load status, inventory amount, and required amount of recycled materials at a certain company are information on the amount of recycled materials to be delivered to the company at the present time. The current load status may be, for example, a ratio of the current processing amount to the maximum possible processing amount. The current inventory amount is the amount of recycled materials held by each company. The amount of recycled materials may be expressed by mass or volume. The current required amount of recycled materials is the amount of recycled materials required to produce products at each company. For example, when a certain company produces goods by mixing recycled materials and new materials at a predetermined ratio, the required amount of recycled materials is calculated from the amount of products to be produced at the company. The control unit acquires the past processing results and the current load status, inventory amount, and required amount of recycled materials from, for example, a terminal of each company.

[0012] Furthermore, the control unit generates a combination of companies corresponding to each process among the plurality of processes in accordance with the generation of the recyclable material, such that the load of the companies corresponding to each process is equal to or less than a predetermined load, in accordance with the past processing results, the current load situation, the inventory amount, and the required amount of the recyclable material. The predetermined load is determined so that the load on each company is not excessive. This predetermined load may be input from a terminal of each company, or may be input by an operator who manages the supply chain. When a problem occurs, the control unit generates a combination of companies corresponding to each process so that the load on each company is equal to or less than a predetermined load. This combination can be generated using statistical methods such as regression analysis or machine learning models. By allocating recycled materials according to the generated combination, it is possible to prevent the load on each company from becoming excessively large and to level out the processing.

[0013] The control unit then outputs information regarding the delivery time and amount of the recycled material to the terminal of each of the companies corresponding to the generated combination of companies. The information regarding the delivery time and amount of the recycled material corresponding to each company may be generated using a statistical method such as regression analysis or a machine learning model. The control unit may also generate information regarding the delivery time and amount of the recycled material together with the combination of companies. The information output by the control unit may include an instruction to display the delivery time and amount of the recycled material on the display of the terminal of each company. In this way, the delivery time and amount can be notified in advance to each company to which the recycled material is delivered, making it easier for each company to make production plans for products.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. In addition, the following embodiments can be combined as much as possible.

[0015] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a supply chain according to the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, a scene is assumed in which new batteries are manufactured by recycling automobile batteries. Companies corresponding to the supply chain shown in FIG. 1 include a company that performs recycling judgment, a company that performs detoxification crushing and sorting, a company that refines black mass, a company that manufactures active materials, and a company that manufactures batteries.

[0016] The company that makes the recycling judgment is a company that handles the process of judging whether or not a battery is eligible for recycling. For example, if the degree of deterioration of the battery's performance is low, it may be possible to install the battery in another vehicle as is, or to disassemble the battery and use it for other purposes without recycling it. Therefore, the company that makes the recycling judgment judges whether or not the battery should be crushed and recycled. The company that makes the recycling judgment delivers the batteries that are judged to be recycled to a company that performs the downstream process of crushing and sorting the batteries to make them harmless.

[0017] A company that performs detoxification crushing and sorting is a company that performs the process of detoxifying batteries by heat treatment, crushing the batteries, and sorting the black mass. The company that performs detoxification crushing and sorting delivers the black mass to a company that refines the black mass, which is the downstream company.

[0018] Black mass refining companies are companies that handle the process of separating and refining lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc. from black mass. Black mass refining companies deliver the refined substances such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc. to downstream companies that manufacture active materials.

[0019] A company that manufactures active materials is a company that handles the process of manufacturing active materials used in batteries from lithium, etc. The company that manufactures active materials delivers the active materials to a company that manufactures batteries, which is a downstream company.

[0020] A battery manufacturing company is a company that manufactures batteries from active materials to make batteries that can be installed in automobiles. The battery manufacturing company delivers the manufactured batteries to a downstream company, for example, a company that manufactures automobiles.

[0021] It should be noted that there may be multiple companies that make recycling decisions, multiple companies that crush and separate waste to make it harmless, multiple companies that refine black mass, multiple companies that manufacture active materials, and multiple companies that manufacture batteries.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 1, a system according to an example of this embodiment includes a server 30 and a plurality of company terminals 20. The server 30 acquires information on processing results, current load status, inventory amount, required amount of recyclable materials, and company location from a terminal (company terminal 20) corresponding to each company. Then, when recyclable materials are generated, the server 30 determines a combination of companies corresponding to each process based on this information. The server 30 is an example of an information processing device.

[0023] The server 30 and each company terminal 20 are connected to each other via a network. The network may be a global public communication network such as the Internet, and may be a Wide Area Network (WAN) or other communication network. The network may also include a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, or a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0024] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of each of the company terminal 20 and the server 30 constituting the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The server 30 has a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication module 33, an input device 34, and a display 35.

[0025] The server 30 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), a main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.), and an auxiliary storage device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.). The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, it is possible to realize various functions (software modules) that meet a predetermined purpose, as described below. However, some or all of the modules may be realized as hardware modules by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0026] The control unit 31 is a calculation unit that executes a predetermined program to realize various functions of the server 30. The control unit 31 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 31 may also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a cache memory, and the like. The control unit 31 will be described in detail later.

[0027] The memory unit 32 is a means for storing information, and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The memory unit 32 stores programs executed by the control unit 31, data used by the programs, etc. A database (company information DB321) is constructed in the memory unit 32, and information collected from each company terminal 20 is stored in the database. The memory unit 32 also stores a calculation model that outputs a combination of companies that process recyclable materials.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the table configuration of the company information DB 321. The company information DB 321 stores information on processing results, load status, stock amount, required amount, and location, linked to a company ID. The company ID is identification information unique to a company or a company terminal 20. The processing results are the past processing results of the company, and include information on, for example, yield and lead time. The load status is the current load status of the company, and includes, for example, It may be a ratio of the current processing amount to the maximum processing amount possible in the company. The inventory amount is the current inventory amount of recyclable materials in the company. The required amount is the current required amount of recyclable materials in the company, and is the amount of recyclable materials required for processing in the company. The location is the location of the company and the location where the recyclable materials are delivered. In the following, information related to the processing record, load status, inventory amount, required amount, and location, linked to the company ID, is collectively referred to as company information. The company information is information related to the amount of recyclable materials to be delivered to the company at the current time. The company information may also include other parameters related to the amount of recyclable materials to be delivered to the company at the current time. The control unit 31 receives company information from the company terminal 20 at predetermined time intervals and stores it in the company information DB 321.

[0029] The communication module 33 is a communication interface for connecting the server 30 to a network. The communication module 33 may be configured to include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The server 30 can perform data communication with the corporate terminal 20 via the communication module 33.

[0030] The input device 34 is a means for accepting an input operation performed by an operator. Specifically, the input device 34 is a device for inputting data such as a mouse and a keyboard. The display 35 is a means for presenting information to the operator. The input device 34 and the display 35 may be integrally configured as, for example, a touch panel display.

[0031] Note that the specific hardware configuration of the server 30 may be such that components are omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0032] Next, the company terminal 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication module 23, an input device 24, and a display 25. The control unit 21 is a calculation unit that executes a predetermined program to realize various functions of the company terminal 20. The control unit 21 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 21 may also include a RAM, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a cache memory, and the like.

[0033] The memory unit 22 is a means for storing information, and is composed of storage media such as RAM, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, etc. The memory unit 22 stores the programs executed by the control unit 21, data used by the programs, etc. The memory unit 22 also stores past processing results, the current load status, the current inventory amount, the current required amount of recyclable materials, and the location of the company.

[0034] The communication module 23, the input device 24, and the display 25 are similar to the communication module 33, the input device 34, and the display 35 of the server 30, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0035] The control unit 21 of the company terminal 20 acquires the company information from an operator via the input device 24, for example, or from a manufacturing device owned by the company. Then, the control unit 21 of the company terminal 20 transmits the company information to the server 30 at predetermined time intervals.

[0036] Next, the control unit 31 of the server 30 will be described in detail. When a recyclable material is generated, the control unit 31 of the server 30 determines a combination of companies that will process the recyclable material in each process based on the company information acquired from the company terminal 20. The control unit 31 determines the combination of companies, for example, by using a calculation model. The calculation model determines the combination of companies related to the generated recyclable material. This is a model that inputs information on the recycling process and company information as input data, and outputs a combination of companies as output data. The information on recycled materials includes information on the location of generation of recycled materials and the amount of recycled materials generated. This model may be a machine learning model. The output combination of companies may include multiple companies corresponding to one process. As another example, the combination of companies may be output using a statistical method such as regression analysis. The calculation model outputs the combination of companies so that the load of each company is equal to or less than a predetermined load. As another example, the calculation model may output the combination of companies so that the load of each company is uniform, for example.

[0037] In addition, in the above calculation model, the amount and delivery time of the recyclable material delivered to each company are also output. Then, the control unit 31 may notify the corresponding company terminal 20 of the amount and delivery time of the recyclable material delivered.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed in the server 30 according to the first embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is executed at predetermined time intervals in the server 30. The following description will be given on the assumption that necessary information has already been stored in the company information DB 321.

[0039] In step S101, the control unit 31 determines whether or not a recycled material is generated. For example, when an automobile is discarded, a recycled material is generated when the recycled material is discarded in any process. For example, when an automobile is discarded, the server 30 is notified from a terminal of an automobile dealer or dismantling company that a recycled material has been generated. This notification includes information on the amount of recycled material and the place of generation. As another example, when a battery discarded overseas is imported, the server 30 is notified from a terminal of the importer that a recycled material has been generated. In addition, when a recycled material is generated as waste material in each process, the corresponding company terminal 20 notifies the server 30 that a recycled material has been generated. If a positive determination is made in step S101, the process proceeds to step S102, and if a negative determination is made, the routine is terminated.

[0040] In step S102, the control unit 31 acquires company information. The company information may be read from the company information DB 321, or each company terminal 20 may be requested to transmit the company information. Next, in step S103, the control unit 31 acquires a combination of companies by inputting information about recycled materials and the company information into a calculation model. Then, in step S104, the control unit 31 notifies the company terminal 20 corresponding to the acquired combination of companies of the delivery amount and delivery time of the recycled materials.

[0041] As described above, according to this embodiment, the control unit 31 determines a combination of companies that will process the recycled materials so that the load on each company for processing the recycled materials is below a predetermined load. This eliminates uneven loads on each company, making it possible to shorten the time required for recycling. In addition, each company is notified of the amount and timing of delivery of the recycled materials, making it easier for each company to make production plans. In this way, recycled materials can be appropriately allocated to companies involved in each recycling process.

[0042] <Second embodiment> In the second embodiment, when multiple combinations of companies are obtained, the user specifies which combination to determine. Therefore, the control unit 31 accepts the designation of the combination of companies from the user. Then, the control unit 31 notifies the company terminal 20 corresponding to the combination of companies selected by the user of the delivery amount and delivery time of the recycled material. The user may be, for example, an operator of the server 30. The user specifies the combination of companies via the input device 34.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a process executed in the server 30 according to the second embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 5 is executed at predetermined time intervals in the server 30. The following description is based on the assumption that necessary information has already been stored in the company information DB 321. Steps that execute the same process as the routine shown in Fig. 4 are given the same reference numerals and will not be described.

[0044] In the routine shown in FIG. 5, when the process of step S103 is completed, the process proceeds to step S201. In step S201, the control unit 31 accepts a designation of a combination of companies from the user. The control unit 31, for example, causes the display 35 to display all of the combinations of companies acquired in step S103. Furthermore, the control unit 31 may, for example, cause the display 35 to display selection buttons so that the user can select any combination from among the displayed combinations of companies. The user selects a combination of companies by clicking any of the selection buttons via the input device 34. In response to this click, the control unit 31 accepts the selection of the combination of companies.

[0045] Then, in step S202, the control unit 31 notifies the company terminal 20 corresponding to the combination of companies accepted in step S201 of the delivery amount and delivery time of the recyclable material.

[0046] In this way, the user can specify a combination of companies that will deliver the recycled materials from among the combinations of companies acquired by the control unit 31. This allows the delivery destinations of the recycled materials to be adjusted to some extent. For example, it is possible to give priority to a specific company or to companies located in a specific area.

[0047] <Third embodiment> In the third embodiment, when determining the combination of companies to supply recycled materials, the cost, CO 2 The amount of CO emissions and the recycling rate are also taken into consideration. The cost is, for example, the amount per unit mass when processing recycled materials. 2 Emissions are the amount of CO per unit mass when processing recycled materials. 2 The recycling rate is the ratio of recycled materials contained in the company's products. The control unit 31 of the server 30 2 A combination of companies is generated so that at least one of the emissions and the recycling rate falls within a predetermined range. 2A lower amount of waste or a higher recycling rate may be preferentially selected.

[0048] For example, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and regulations can The cost or CO2 reduction required to complete a final product (e.g. battery) using recycled materials 2 There may be cases where you are required to keep the amount of waste generated below a certain value, or to keep the recycling rate above a certain value. In such cases, the overall cost, CO 2 The combination of companies may be determined so that the amount of waste generated or the recycling rate satisfies the conditions specified by the KPI or laws and regulations.

[0049] In this case, the cost corresponding to each company, CO 2 The information on the amount of waste generated or the recycling rate is included in the company information and is stored in the company information DB 321. The calculation model stored in the storage unit 32 is 2 By further inputting the amount of waste or the recycling rate, it is configured to output a combination of companies.

[0050] In this way, the cost, CO 2 Even if conditions are set for the amount of waste or the recycling rate, it is possible to obtain a suitable combination of companies.

[0051] <Other embodiments> The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present invention. The processes and means described in this disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs. In addition, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 System 20 Corporate terminals 30 Servers 31 Control Unit 32 Storage section

Claims

1. Acquiring the past processing results of each of a plurality of companies constituting a supply chain that manufactures products through a plurality of processes using recycled materials, as well as the current load status, inventory amount, and required amount of the recycled materials; generating a combination of companies corresponding to each process among the plurality of processes according to the generation of the recyclable materials, such that the load of the companies corresponding to each process is equal to or less than a predetermined load according to the past processing results, the current load situation, the inventory amount, and the required amount of the recyclable materials; outputting information regarding the delivery time and delivery amount of the recycled materials to the terminals of each of the companies corresponding to the generated combination of companies; An information processing device comprising a control unit configured to execute the above.

2. The control unit is receiving a combination of companies designated by a user from among the combinations of companies corresponding to each of the processes in response to the existence of a plurality of combinations of companies; outputting information regarding the delivery time and delivery amount of the recyclable materials to terminals of each of the companies corresponding to the combination of companies designated by the user; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit generates the combination of companies using a model in which the location where the recycled materials are generated, the amount of the recycled materials generated, the past processing results, the current load status, the inventory amount, and the required amount of the recycled materials are input data, and the combination of companies is output data. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

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

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