Production system for home electric appliances and production method for the home electric appliances

Abstract

To provide a production system for home electric appliances which allows use of a recycled material so as to reach a desired use rate.SOLUTION: A production system 100 comprises: an application device 11 for applying, to at least one component 40 of a first component 41 containing a recyclable material at a first use rate and a second component 42 containing the recyclable material at a second use rate different from the first use rate, an identification part capable of identifying the component 40; an identification device 12 for identifying the component 40 on the basis of the identification part; and a production device 13 for producing home electric appliances 60 including a first home electric appliance 61 including the first component 41 in a first mounted part and a second home electric appliance 62 including the second component 42 in a second mounted part where the first component 41 may also be mountable. In the production device 13, on the basis of an identification result due to the identification device 12, the first component 41 is mounted in the first home electric appliance 61, and the second component 42 is mounted in the second home electric appliance 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a home appliance production system and a home appliance production method. [Background technology]

[0002] As part of corporate environmental initiatives, it is expected that companies will need to understand the extent to which recycled materials are used in the home appliances they manufacture, and that they will need to use more recycled materials. Also, according to a survey by the Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan, even consumers who are highly environmentally conscious and engage in "ethical consumption activities" tend to look for home appliances that use a lot of recycled materials to be at the same price and function as similar home appliances that do not. According to this, it is not acceptable to reduce the performance of parts and home appliances that use recycled materials, and it is preferable to maintain a certain level of quality.

[0003] However, recycled materials such as recycled resins vary widely in their physical properties, and uniform management of the amount of recycled material used (mixture amount) leads to variations in the physical properties. For this reason, for example, recycled resins may be used alone or mixed with virgin materials to adjust the physical properties, making management complicated.

[0004] Patent Document 1 states that "next to the resin material display section 2 labeled "ABS," "PC," etc., which has traditionally been provided on a resin product unit 1, a reuse count display section 3 showing how many times the resin material has been reused to date, or an energy recovery display section 4 showing that the resin material is eligible for energy recovery, is provided to improve recycling efficiency." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-309110 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The invention described in Patent Document 1 takes into consideration the improvement of recyclability of used parts. However, it does not take into consideration issues at the production stage of the parts. That is, by using parts having, for example, the same shape but with different usage rates of recycled materials, the same type of home appliances with, for example, different model numbers may be produced. Therefore, for example, refrigerators with different usage rates (for example, different model numbers) may exist in the same type of home appliance. If a part that is thought to have a desired usage rate is mistakenly used when in fact it has a different usage rate, the usage rate of recycled materials in the finally obtained home appliance may differ. The problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a production system and a production method for home appliances that can use recycled materials to achieve a desired usage rate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The production system of the present disclosure includes an applying device that applies an identification part that can identify a first part, the first part including a recycled material at a first usage rate, or a second part including the recycled material at a second usage rate different from the first usage rate, to at least one of the first part and the second part, the second part including the recycled material at a second usage rate different from the first usage rate, and an identification device that identifies the part based on the identification part, and a production device that produces a first home appliance having the first part at a first attachment part and a second home appliance having the second part at a second attachment part to which the first part can also be attached, and the production device attaches the first part to the first home appliance and the second part to the second home appliance based on the identification result by the identification device. Other solutions will be described later in the description of the embodiment of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a production system of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sheet molding device used for molding resin. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a part molding device used for molding resin. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification part provided on a refrigerator as a home electric appliance. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification part provided on a refrigerator as a home electric appliance. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification unit provided on a refrigerator as a home electric appliance according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification unit provided on a refrigerator as a home electric appliance according to another embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the location of an identification part provided on a refrigerator as a home electric appliance according to still another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a container provided in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification part provided on a vacuum cleaner as a home electric appliance. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification part provided on an air purifier as a home appliance. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification part provided on a washing machine as a home appliance. [Figure 13] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device that controls the production system. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a flow chart illustrating a production method of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a form for carrying out the present disclosure (referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of one embodiment, other embodiments applicable to the one embodiment will also be described as appropriate. The present disclosure is not limited to the following one embodiment, and different embodiments can be combined with each other or modified as desired without significantly impairing the effects of the present disclosure. In addition, the same symbols will be used for the same members, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, the same names will be used for members having the same functions. The contents shown are merely schematic, and for the sake of illustration, changes may be made from the actual configuration within a range that does not significantly impair the effects of the present disclosure, and some members may be omitted or modified between drawings. In addition, the same embodiment does not necessarily need to have all the configurations.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a production system 100 of the present disclosure. The production system 100 is a system that produces a home appliance 60 using recycled materials such as recycled resin. The production system 100 produces the home appliance 60 by using not only recycled materials but also unused materials (unused materials, such as unused resin (virgin material)). However, the production system 100 may produce the home appliance 60 by using only virgin materials or only recycled materials. The home appliance 60 is not limited to any home appliance that includes a part 40 that can be manufactured using recycled materials, and may be, for example, the refrigerator in FIG. 8, the washing machine in FIG. 12, the air purifier in FIG. 11, the vacuum cleaner in FIG. 10, or the like. In the present disclosure, the recycled material is, for example, recycled resin, and the production system 100 produces the part 40 and the home appliance 60 by appropriately using recycled resin and virgin materials in combination.

[0011] The production system 100 includes a molding device 10 , an application device 11 , an identification device 12 , and a production device 13 .

[0012] The molding device 10 in FIG. 1 is a device that uses at least one of recycled resin and virgin material to mold the part 40 in FIG. 4 (the first part 41 and the second part 42 are, for example, an inner box of a refrigerator, etc.) to be attached to the attachment part 70 (for example, an outer panel of a refrigerator) of the home appliance 60 in FIG. 8. The molding device 10 includes a first molding device 101 that molds the first part 41 and a second molding device 102 that molds the second part 42. The second molding device 102 is the same as the first molding device 101 except that the part 40 to be molded is different. The first part 41 and the second part 42 can be attached to the same attachment part 70 because they have the same shape and structure, for example, but are made of different materials. Specifically, the first part 41 contains the recycled material at a first usage rate, while the second part 42 contains the recycled material at a second usage rate different from the first usage rate (usually the same recycled material as the first part 41).

[0013] Part 40 is, for example, an inner box, a rear panel, a chilled box, a resin container, etc., attached to a refrigerator. Part 40 may have different amounts of recycled material used (i.e., usage rates) depending on manufacturing conditions such as the type, model number, manufacturing lot, and manufacturing location of home appliance 60 (including first home appliance 61 and second home appliance 62) in Fig. 8 to which part 40 is attached. First home appliance 61 and second home appliance 62 are, for example, home appliances of the same type but with different model numbers.

[0014] The recycled material usage rate can be calculated, for example, according to the method described in JIS C 9911:2014 "Methods for calculating and displaying resource reuse indicators for electrical and electronic equipment." Also, the notation in part 40 can be implemented by aligning with ISO 1043-1:2011, displaying the resource reuse indicator as a minimum content rate (%), and displaying the resource reuse mass (kg) as a minimum content as well.

[0015] 2 is a schematic diagram of a sheet molding apparatus 30 used for molding resin. The molding apparatus 10 includes the sheet molding apparatus 30 and a part molding apparatus 31 (FIG. 3) that molds a part 40 using a sheet (laminate 27) molded by the sheet molding apparatus 30.

[0016] The sheet molding device 30 uses, for example, pellets 21 of virgin material and pellets 23 of recycled resin to mold a laminate 27 of a sheet 271 made of virgin material and a sheet 272 made of recycled resin. The sheet molding device 30 includes extrusion molding machines 22 and 24, a feed block 25 for melting the resin, and a T-die 26. The pellets 21 are supplied to the extrusion molding machine 22, and the pellets 23 are supplied to the extrusion molding machine 24. The pellets 21 and 23 are melted in the extrusion molding machines 22 and 24. In the feed block 25, the molten resins join together. In the T-die 26, the joined resins are extruded into a sheet, thereby obtaining a laminate 27.

[0017] When the sheet molding device 30 is used, the usage rate of the recycled material can be changed, for example, by changing the relative ratio of the thickness of the sheet 271 made of virgin material and the sheet 272 made of recycled resin. For example, if the sheet 271 (virgin material) is made thicker relative to the sheet 272 (recycled resin), the usage amount of the virgin material increases relatively, and the usage rate of the recycled material decreases. On the other hand, if the sheet 272 (recycled resin) is made thicker relative to the sheet 271 (virgin material), the usage amount of the virgin material also decreases relatively, and the usage rate of the recycled material increases. Also, if the sheet 271 (virgin material) is used without the sheet 272 (recycled resin), the usage rate of the recycled material in the part 40 is 0%, and if the sheet 271 (virgin material) is used without the sheet 271 (virgin material), the usage rate of the recycled material in the part 40 is 100%.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a part molding device 31 used for molding resin. The part molding device 31 is a molding device based on a resin molding method that can produce locally different thicknesses, such as a vacuum molding device. Thus, the part 40 (the first part 41 and the second part 42) is molded by a resin molding method that can produce locally different thicknesses. Here, the specific locations where the thicknesses are locally different, the specific thicknesses, and the like vary greatly depending on the shape of the mold 32, molding conditions, and the like. Therefore, since it is not realistic to express locally different states, the part 40 is specified by the production method.

[0019] The part molding device 31 includes a mold 32 having a surface shape of the part 40, an air intake passage 33 formed in the mold 32, and an air intake device (not shown) that draws air through the air intake passage 33. The laminate 27 is placed along the surface of the mold 32, and air is sucked through the air intake passage 33, for example, until it reaches a vacuum, whereby the laminate 27 is molded into the shape of the desired part 40.

[0020] 3, for example, at the corners of the mold 32, the laminate 27 is pulled during vacuum forming, making the laminate 27 locally thinner, forming a thin portion 34. On the other hand, for example, at other parts than the corners of the mold 32, the laminate 27 is less likely to be pulled than the thin portion 34 even during vacuum forming, and therefore a thick portion 35 that is thicker than the thin portion 34 is formed. For this reason, the first part 41 and the second part 42, such as an inner box, have the thin portion 34 and the thick portion 35 that are locally different in thickness. The identification portion 50 is provided in the thick portion 35, as will be described in detail later.

[0021] In the case of laminate 27, it is preferable to use the side using the virgin material for hygienic purposes such as placing food on it. For example, when laminate 27 is used for an inner box, it is preferable to place the layer using the virgin material on the inner surface side (the side visible to the user) of the inner box.

[0022] 2 and 3, any molding method and molding device, such as injection molding, can be used. Also, it is not always necessary to use pellets.

[0023] Returning to FIG. 1, the application device 11 applies an identification portion 50 capable of identifying the part 40 (at least one of the first part 41 or the second part 42) molded by the molding device 10. For example, the identification portions 50 shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 and 9 to 12 can be regarded as identification marks capable of distinguishing between the first part 41 and the second part 42. The application device 11 includes a first application device 111 that applies the identification portion 50 to the first part 41, and a second application device 112 that applies the identification portion 50 to the second part 42. The second application device 112 is the same as the first application device 111 except that the part 40 to which the identification portion 50 is applied is different.

[0024] The identification unit 50 includes at least one of, for example, a wireless communication (RFID) tag, a barcode, a two-dimensional code (QR code (registered trademark), etc.), or character information. By including at least one of these, it is possible to identify whether the part 40 to which the identification unit 50 is attached is the first part 41 or the second part 42. The identification unit 50 may include a plurality of types. For example, metal may interfere with radio waves used for wireless communication. For this reason, in one home appliance 60, a part other than a wireless communication tag such as a two-dimensional code may be used as the identification unit 50 around metal members, and a wireless communication tag may be used as the identification unit 50 around resin members.

[0025] The wireless communication tag is capable of reading information recorded therein using, for example, a wireless communication reader. Also, the two-dimensional code can be photographed with, for example, a camera, and information associated with the two-dimensional code can be read out through image analysis. Furthermore, text information can also be photographed with, for example, a camera, and information associated with the two-dimensional code can be read out through image analysis.

[0026] The identification unit 50 includes information linked to each part 40. This makes it possible to identify, based on the information, whether the part 40 to which the identification unit 50 linked to the information is attached is a first part 41 or a second part 42. Note that the identification unit 50 may include the same information for parts 40 that have the same recycled material usage rate, type, etc., or may include different information for each part 40.

[0027] The identification unit 50 further includes information relating to the identification of the part 40 to which the identification unit 50 has been applied. This makes it possible to identify the part 40 using the identification unit 50 as a clue. In this case, the information included in the identification unit 50 is specifically, for example, the name of the part 40, the installation location of the part 40, the product code of the home appliance 60 in which the part 40 is used, the model number of the part 40, and the like.

[0028] The identification portion 50 further includes information regarding the history of the component 40 to which the identification portion 50 has been applied. This makes it possible to understand the history of the application of the identification portion 50 by using the identification portion 50 as a clue.

[0029] The history includes, for example, at least one of the following: the number of times the material constituting the part 40 to which the identification portion 50 has been attached has been used, the specific components of the material, the amount of each of the materials used in the case of the part 40 including a plurality of materials, the usage rate of recycled material that may be included in the part 40 (the ratio (usage rate) of recycled resin used in manufacturing the part 40), the production time of the part 40, and the production location of the part 40. By including at least one of these, it is possible to trace back the past state of the part 40, and, for example, to efficiently manage the part 40, recycle the part 40, etc.

[0030] It should be noted that there may be an overlap between information relating to the identification of part 40 and information relating to the history of part 40. For example, the percentage of recycled material used in part 40 identifies a physical property, namely the percentage of recycled material used in part 40, while also being information relating to the history of part 40, namely, how much recycled material was used in the manufacture of part 40.

[0031] The identification unit 50 can directly include each of the above information. For example, the above information can be written into a wireless communication tag, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, or the like. The above information can also be displayed as characters. Furthermore, the above information and a code may be stored in a database (not shown) in association with each other, and the code may be written into the identification unit 50. In this way, the above information can be obtained from the code read out from the identification unit 50 and the database.

[0032] The specific configuration of the applying device 11 can be appropriately determined depending on the type of the identification unit 50. For example, if the identification unit 50 is a wireless communication tag, the wireless communication tag can be placed on the surface of the component 40 or built into the component 40. For this reason, the applying device 11 is, for example, a placement device that performs placement (e.g., attachment) on the surface of the component 40 or places (e.g., embeds) the wireless communication tag inside the component 40 during the manufacture of the component 40. If the identification unit 50 is, for example, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, character information, or the like, the identification unit 50 can be applied by, for example, printing with ink or processing the surface of the component 40 (for example, providing irregularities, burning the surface using laser light, or the like).

[0033] The identification part 50 shown in Figs. 4 to 7 and Figs. 9 to 12 may be directly applied to the surface of the part 40 (e.g., the inner box of a refrigerator), or, for example, the identification part 50 fixed to a base material in advance may be attached to the surface of the base material via an adhesive. In this case, the identification part 50 is preferably arranged so that the base material and the surface of the part 40 are connected via an adhesive. This makes it possible to easily apply the identification part 50. The base material to which the identification part 50 is fixed is preferably made of the same material as the material constituting the part 40 (preferably the material constituting the part to which the identification part 50 is applied). This improves recyclability when recycling the part 40 including the identification part 50.

[0034] On the other hand, the ink of the identification part 50 used for printing is preferably, for example, an ink of a type that becomes invisible when heated. By using such ink, the ink of the identification part 50 provided on the inner box of the refrigerator using the foaming device 133 described below can be made invisible by the foaming heat of the urethane foam filling during the manufacturing process. In addition, the ink may be, for example, an ink that is not visible when used normally by a user, but can be made visible by a visualization process such as irradiation with light such as ultraviolet light or heating. However, when the identification part 50 is placed in a place that is not visible to a user when used normally by the user, the identification part 50 does not need to be in an invisible state (for example, the ink does not disappear) in the home appliance 60 after shipment.

[0035] 1 applies the identification unit 50 to the part 40 at a location that is difficult to see when a user normally uses the home appliance 60. This makes it difficult for the user to notice the identification unit 50, thereby preventing the user from feeling uncomfortable.

[0036] The application device 11 applies the identification portion 50 to the relatively thick portion of the component 40 having a portion whose thickness differs from the other portions. In this way, for example, it is possible to suppress light transmission and suppress unevenness of the resin material, making it difficult for a user to notice the identification portion 50. The relatively thick portion is, for example, the thick portion 35 (FIG. 3).

[0037] The home appliance 60 produced by the production system 100 is, for example, but not limited to, at least one of the refrigerator in Fig. 8, the washing machine in Fig. 12, the vacuum cleaner in Fig. 10, and the air purifier in Fig. 11. These appliances contain a lot of resin, so the use of recycled materials can improve the resin usage rate.

[0038] 4 and 5, the location of the identification unit 50 provided on a refrigerator as home appliance 60 will be described as an example. First, Fig. 4 is a view of a resin inner box provided in the refrigerator as seen from the front side of the refrigerator, and Fig. 5 is a view of the inner box shown in Fig. 4 as seen from the rear side of the refrigerator. The inner box is formed, for example, by using the above-mentioned vacuum forming device (Fig. 3).

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the identification portion 50 is provided on the thick portion 35 which is configured, for example, in a flat plate shape. Because the thick portion 35 has a thick wall, it is difficult for the user to see through it when viewed from the front side. This makes it difficult for the user to notice the identification portion 50. Furthermore, the identification portion 50 is provided on the back side of a drawer-type storage container 67 (FIG. 8) provided in the refrigerator. Since the storage container 67 is not normally removed from the refrigerator by the user, it is difficult for the user to see the thick portion 35 in the first place. Therefore, from this viewpoint as well, it is difficult for the user to notice the identification portion 50.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 5, the identification portion 50 is provided on the surface on the rear side of the inner box. A user does not see the rear side of the inner box during normal use of the refrigerator. This also makes it difficult for a user to notice the identification portion 50 from this viewpoint. Note that an air passage through which cool air flows, a fan, a heat exchanger, and the like, all of which are not shown in Figs. 4 and 5, are arranged on the rear side of the inner box. It is preferable that the identification portion 50 is provided in a location that does not obstruct the flow of cool air.

[0041] 6 and 7, a location of an identification unit 50 provided on a refrigerator as a home appliance 60 of another embodiment will be described as an example. Fig. 7 is a view of a resin inner box provided in a refrigerator of another embodiment as viewed from the front side of the refrigerator, and Fig. 7 is a view of the inner box shown in Fig. 6 as viewed from the back side of the refrigerator.

[0042] The location of the identification portion 50 is different from the examples shown in Figs. 4 and 5 above. In the examples shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the identification portion 50 is provided on the rear surface of the inner box so as to face a machine room 611 (Fig. 8) that houses a compressor and the like provided in the refrigerator. Since the machine room 611 is installed at the bottom of the refrigerator, it is difficult for a user to visually recognize a part of the inner box that is located on the front side of the machine room 611. This makes it difficult for a user to notice the identification portion 50. In addition, the identification portion 50 is provided on the rear side of a drawer-type storage container 68 (Fig. 8, located on the front side of the machine room 611) provided in the refrigerator. Since the storage container 68 is not usually removed from the refrigerator by a user, it is difficult for a user to visually recognize the thick portion 35 in the first place. This also makes it difficult for a user to notice the identification portion 50 from this viewpoint.

[0043] Fig. 8 illustrates, as an example, the location of the identification unit 50 provided on a refrigerator as a home appliance 60 of yet another embodiment. The refrigerator includes, for example, a storage compartment 613 that divides the inside of a storage compartment 612. The storage compartment 613 can be formed by placing, for example, a resin container 64 in the storage compartment 612. The storage compartment 613 is, for example, a chilled compartment. The container 64 is colored and transparent. A light source 65 that irradiates light into the inside of the storage compartment 612 is provided above the storage compartment 613.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the container 64 provided in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8. The container 64 is box-shaped with an opening on the front side of the refrigerator. The container 64 has a door (not shown) on the front side of the refrigerator to cover the opening, and a user can put food and the like in and take it out of the storage compartment 613 by opening the door. The identification unit 50 is provided on the outer bottom surface of the container 64. As described above, the light source 65 is provided above the container 64. Therefore, even if light is irradiated from the light source 65 to the upper surface of the container 64, no shadow of the identification unit 50 is cast. This makes it difficult for a user to notice the identification unit 50.

[0045] 9, the identification portion 50 may be provided on the left or right side surface or the back surface of the container 64. However, the identification portion 50 is preferably provided on the outer surface of the container 64.

[0046] Furthermore, the location of the identification feature 50 in the refrigerator is not limited to the examples in Fig. 4 to Fig. 9. For example, the identification feature 50 may be provided on a part of the inner box with which the drawer-type door 66 (Fig. 8) comes into contact when the door 66 is placed in the inner box, on the surface on the rear side of the door 66, on the inner surface (rear side surface) of the rear panel 69 (Fig. 8), or the like.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification unit 50 attached to a vacuum cleaner as a home appliance 60. The identification unit 50 is provided, for example, on the inner surface of a head provided on the vacuum cleaner. The head is made of, for example, a black, light-opaque resin. This makes it difficult for a user to notice the identification unit 50. If the identification unit 50 is a wireless communication tag, it is preferably attached to a location (for example, the head, extension tube, etc.) away from electrical components such as a motor.

[0048] 11 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification unit 50 provided on an air purifier as a home appliance 60. The identification unit 50 is provided, for example, on the inner surface of a front panel provided on the front side of the air purifier. The front panel is made of, for example, a white, light-opaque resin. This makes it difficult for a user to notice the identification unit 50.

[0049] 12 is a diagram illustrating the location of an identification unit 50 provided on a washing machine as a home appliance 60. The identification unit 50 is provided on the inner surface of an operation panel provided on the top surface of the washing machine. The operation panel is made of, for example, a white, light-opaque resin. This makes it difficult for a user to notice the identification unit 50.

[0050] In the case of a washing machine, water is used. It is preferable to provide the identification unit 50 at the upper part of the washing machine so that the identification unit 50 is not unintentionally erased or soiled by water. However, if the identification unit 50 is intentionally provided in a place where water is likely to splash on it and the identification unit 50 is printed with ink that disappears with water, the identification unit 50 can be easily erased by the user during use after shipment.

[0051] 1, the identification device 12 is a device that identifies the part 40 (whether the first part 41 or the second part 42) based on the identification portion 50 attached to the part 40 (at least one of the first part 41 or the second part 42). The specific configuration of the identification device 12 can be, for example, the items described in the above-mentioned attachment device 11, and may be, for example, a wireless communication reader, a camera, etc.

[0052] The production device 13 in FIG. 1 produces a home appliance 60 (including a first home appliance 61 and a second home appliance 62) using a part 40. The first home appliance 61 includes a first part 41 at a first attachment part 71. For example, when the first home appliance 61 is a refrigerator and the first part 41 is a resin inner box, the first attachment part 71 is, for example, an attachment part 70 ( FIG. 8 ) provided at the front end of the refrigerator for attaching the inner box to, for example, a metal outer box. The attachment part 70 is, for example, a bolt, a nut, a claw provided on the outer box, or the like. The second home appliance 62 includes a second part 42 at a second attachment part 72 to which the first part 41 can also be attached. The second attachment part 72 is the same as the first attachment part 71. Therefore, the first part 41 and the second part 42 are interchangeable.

[0053] In the production device 13, the first part 41 is attached to the first home appliance 61 and the second part 42 is attached to the second home appliance 62 based on the identification result by the identification device 12. In this way, it is possible to prevent misassembly of the parts 40 and to achieve a desired usage rate of recycled materials in the home appliance 60. The attachment may be performed only by a machine (e.g., a robot), or may be performed by the production device 13 as a whole with, for example, human intervention. As an example of the latter, it can be performed by an operator gathering the desired parts 40 used in the desired home appliance 60 at a predetermined position in a factory, and a machine, for example, grabbing the parts 40 at the predetermined position and attaching them to the attachment portion 70.

[0054] In addition, during assembly, if the identification unit 50 includes the product code of the home appliance 60 to which the part 40 is to be attached, the product code may be checked, for example, using the identification device 12, the confirmation device 132, etc., to confirm whether the product code corresponds to the home appliance 60 being manufactured.

[0055] The production device 13 is a mixed production device that produces a first home appliance 61 and a second home appliance 62 on the same production line. In this type of production device, for example, parts 40 used in home appliances 60 of the same type but different model numbers (types) are handled. For this reason, misassembly is likely to occur. Therefore, by using a confirmation device 132 described below, misassembly can be suppressed. In addition, a lineup of multiple home appliances 60 that emphasize a high recycled material usage rate and home appliances 60 that emphasize product performance can be prepared, and a single production device 13 can allocate parts 40 to the home appliances 60 while taking into consideration physical properties, usage rate, etc. This allows for efficient use of recycled materials.

[0056] In particular, in the case of mixed production, if parts 40 with different recycled material usage rates are mixed up at the production site of a certain home appliance 60, the recycled material usage rate and physical properties of a certain model number may unintentionally differ from the so-called catalog specifications. However, by attaching parts 40 to the home appliance 60 based on the identification results by the identification device 12, the recycled material usage rate and physical properties can be made to match the catalog specifications.

[0057] The production equipment 13 includes an assembly device 131, a confirmation device 132, and a foaming device 133. The confirmation device 132 is provided in the production system 100, but may be provided independently of the production equipment 13.

[0058] 1 assembles a first home electric appliance 61 using a first part 41, and assembles a second home electric appliance 62 using a second part 42. The assembly can be performed by attaching the first part 41 to a first attachment portion 71, and attaching the second part 42 to a second attachment portion 72.

[0059] The confirmation device 132 in FIG. 1 confirms the usage rate of recycled materials in the first home appliance 61 produced by the production device 13 (particularly the assembly device 131) and the usage rate of recycled materials in the second home appliance 62. By providing the confirmation device 132, it is possible to confirm whether the usage rate of recycled materials in the home appliance 60 to be shipped is the desired usage rate. The confirmation result (e.g., whether the usage rate of recycled materials is as desired or not) is output to, for example, an output device (e.g., a monitor, etc.). If the usage rate of recycled materials is not as desired, the production device 13 may be stopped, for example, and the home appliance 60 that is not as desired may be removed from the production device 13.

[0060] When the identification unit 50 includes information regarding the usage rate of recycled materials, the usage rate can be confirmed by directly reading it. On the other hand, there are cases where the identification unit 50 does not include information regarding the usage rate of recycled materials, but includes information regarding values ​​that allow the usage rate of recycled materials to be calculated, such as the amount of recycled materials used, the amount of virgin materials used, and the usage rate of virgin materials. In this case, for example, the mass of the part 40 may be read out from the parts list as appropriate (the confirmation device 132 may actually measure the mass of the part 40), and the usage rate of recycled materials may be calculated from the read out mass and the information identified by the identification unit 50. The usage rate of recycled materials can then be confirmed using the calculated usage rate.

[0061] In the production device 13, the first part 41 and the second part 42 are attached based on the identification unit 50 as described above. Therefore, misassembly is unlikely to occur, and the usage rate of recycled materials in the home appliance 60 is usually as desired (for example, catalog value, design data value). However, for example, in the production system 100, a process involving manual intervention may be performed. Even if no manual intervention is required, for example, a malfunction may occur in the devices (for example, the application device 11, the identification device 12, etc.) provided in the production system 100. In these cases, for example, a misassembly may occur, such as the second part 42 being attached to the first attachment portion 71. Therefore, in consideration of such a possibility, the confirmation device 132 is provided. The confirmation device 132 can eliminate these possibilities, and the reliability of the production system 100 can be particularly improved.

[0062] The confirmation can be performed, for example, by identifying the identification unit 50 of each part 40 after assembling at least a part of the home appliance 60. That is, based on the information contained in the identification unit 50, the type of part 40 (such as first part 41 or second part 42) and the usage rate of recycled materials in the part 40 can be determined. This makes it possible to confirm whether the usage rate of recycled materials is as desired. From the viewpoint of ease of identification, it is preferable that the identification unit 50 is a wireless communication tag, and the identification unit 50 is identified by wireless communication from outside the home appliance 60.

[0063] It is preferable that the confirmation device 132 in FIG. 1 confirms the usage rate of the recycled material before the process of making the home appliance 60 in a state where it cannot be disassembled. As a result, if the usage rate of the recycled material is not the desired usage rate, the home appliance 60 can be disassembled and the correct parts 40 can be used to reproduce the correct home appliance 60. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the yield of the home appliance 60 due to the usage rate of the recycled material not being the desired usage rate. In the example of the present disclosure, the confirmation device 132 confirms before the foaming device 133 injects urethane foam between the outer box and the inner box. In addition, if the assembly process continues after foaming, confirmation may be performed again at the stage where the final assembly is completed.

[0064] The confirmation device 132 is preferably provided when human intervention is involved in the production process of the home appliance 60. The confirmation device 132 preferably checks the usage rate of recycled materials after a process performed manually. This makes it possible to eliminate "human error" caused by manual work, which is relatively more prone to errors than complete mechanization. In the example of the present disclosure, confirmation is performed after a process in which an assembly device 131 (e.g., a robot) attaches the parts 40, which have been collected by workers at a predetermined position in a factory, to the attachment portion 70. Note that the confirmation device 132 does not need to be provided when no human intervention is involved in the production process of the home appliance 60.

[0065] The confirmation device 132 confirms the usage rate of each recycled material by identifying the identification part 50 of the first part 41 after at least a part of the first home appliance 61 is assembled, and the identification part 50 of the second part 42 after at least a part of the second home appliance 62 is assembled. In this confirmation, when the confirmation device 132 is unable to identify the identification part 50, the confirmation device 132 treats the part 40 to which the identification part 50 has been added, assuming that the usage rate of recycled material is a predetermined fixed value (e.g., 0).

[0066] When a high recycled material usage rate is advertised in, for example, a catalog, a television commercial, etc., if the actual usage rate in the shipped home appliance 60 is lower than the catalog value, design data value, etc., there are cases where the claim is mistaken for an inappropriate claim. For this reason, when it is impossible to identify the identification part 50, the confirmation device 132 assumes that the usage rate of recycled materials in the part 40 to which the identification part 50 is attached is within an allowable range of a predetermined fixed value, thereby preventing the actual usage rate in the shipped home appliance 60 from being lower than the catalog value, and preventing the claim from being mistaken for an inappropriate claim.

[0067] The predetermined fixed value is, for example, 0 as described above, but may be determined appropriately depending on the purpose.

[0068] In addition, cases where it is impossible to identify the identification unit 50 include, for example, a case where the identification by the confirmation device 132 cannot be read due to a reading error, a case where the identification unit 50 is not applied for some reason (machine failure, intentional non-application, etc.), etc.

[0069] Foaming device 133 in Fig. 1 is a device that injects urethane foam between the outer box and the inner box of a refrigerator after the usage rate has been confirmed by confirmation device 132. By injecting urethane foam, it becomes impossible to disassemble the refrigerator and reuse the inner box, etc. Therefore, since confirmation device 132 confirms that the specification rate of recycled materials is the desired usage rate, it becomes possible to proceed to the subsequent process. After passing through foaming device 133, exterior parts are attached to the refrigerator, it is inspected, it is packed, etc., and it is shipped from the factory.

[0070] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device 200 that controls the production system 100. The control device 200 may constitute at least a part of the production system 100 (for example, the confirmation device 132, etc.). The control device 200 is configured to include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 1001, a random access memory (RAM) 1002, a read only memory (ROM) 1003, an interface (I / F) 1004, a bus 1005, etc. The CPU 1001, the RAM 1002, the ROM 1003, and the interface (I / F) 1004 are connected via, for example, the bus 1005. The control device 200 is realized by developing a predetermined control program (for example, the production method of the present disclosure) stored in the ROM 1003 into the RAM 1002 and executing it by the CPU 1001. Signals and information are exchanged between the control device 200 and various devices (such as servers), an external network, etc., in terms of hardware, through the interface 1004.

[0071] Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the production method of the present disclosure. The production method of the present disclosure is a production method for home appliance 60, and can be executed, for example, using production system 100 (Fig. 1). Therefore, the description of Fig. 14 will also refer to Fig. 1 as appropriate. The production method of the present disclosure includes steps S1 to S9.

[0072] In step S1 (resin molding process, part molding process), molding is performed using unused resin (virgin material) and recycled resin (recycled material). In the example of the present disclosure, the molding device 10 performs two-layer molding to obtain a laminated body 27 (FIG. 2). Furthermore, in step S1, the laminated body 27 is used to mold a part 40, which is made up of, for example, part 1 (inner box), part 2 (rear panel), part 3 (chilled box), and part 4 (other parts) that are provided in a refrigerator. The parts 1 to 4 are parts 40 that are commonly used in the same type of home appliance 60, i.e., a refrigerator. Therefore, for example, the part 1 (inner box) has a structure that can be commonly attached to refrigerators of different model numbers. Then, as will be described later in detail, for each of the parts 1 to 4, products A to D (described later) that can be attached to refrigerators of different model numbers with different usage rates of recycled material are produced depending on, for example, the model number and manufacturing time of the refrigerator.

[0073] Step S2 (application step) is a step of applying an identification portion 50 that can identify part 40 to at least one of parts 40, namely, first part 41 containing recycled material at a first usage rate, or second part 42 containing recycled material at a second usage rate different from the first usage rate. Step S2 can be performed by, for example, application device 11. In step S2, identification portion 50 is applied to each of parts 1 to 4.

[0074] Step S3 (identification step) is a step of identifying part 40 based on identification unit 50. Step S3 can be executed by, for example, identification device 12. In step S3, products A, B, C, and D with different recycled material usage rates are identified for each of parts 1 to 4. For example, no recycled material is used in product A. The recycled material usage rate in product B is 25%. The recycled material usage rate in product C is 50%. The recycled material usage rate in product D is 100%.

[0075] Step S4 (production step) is a step of producing a home appliance 60 including a first home appliance 61 having a first part 41 attached to a first attachment portion 71 (FIG. 8) and a second home appliance 62 having a second part 42 attached to a second attachment portion 72 (FIG. 8) to which the first part 41 can also be attached. Step S4 can be executed by, for example, the production device 13 (for example, the assembly device 131). In step S4, based on the identification result in step S3, the first part 41 is attached to the first home appliance 61, and the second part 42 is attached to the second home appliance 62. In this way, the home appliance 60 is assembled.

[0076] Step S5 (confirmation step) is a step of confirming the usage rate using the recognition unit 50. Step S6 (confirmation step) is a step of judging whether or not the usage rate confirmed based on the recognition unit 50 is within a set range (e.g., a catalog value). Steps S5 and S6 can be executed, for example, by the production device 13 (e.g., the confirmation device 132). If it is within the set range in step S6 (Yes), the production device 13 (e.g., the foaming device 133) executes a foaming process in step S7, and the appropriate inspection, packaging, and delivery processes are performed (step S9). On the other hand, if it is not within the set range (No), correction work is performed in step S8. Specifically, the assembled home appliance 60 is disassembled, and step S5 is performed again.

[0077] In the production system 100 and production method disclosed hereinabove, the first part 41 is attached to the first home appliance 61, and the second part 42 is attached to the second home appliance 62, based on the identification result of the identification unit 50. This makes it possible to prevent misassembly and ensure that the usage rate of recycled materials in the shipped home appliance 60 is a desired usage rate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 10 Molding equipment 100 Production System 101 1st molding device 102 Second molding device 11. Application device 111 First application device 112 Second application device 12 Identification device 13 Production Equipment 131 Assembly Equipment 132 Verification device 133 Foaming device 21 Pellets 22 Extrusion molding machine 23 Pellets 24 Extrusion molding machine 25 Feedblock 26 T-die 27 Laminate 271 seats 272 seats 30 Sheet forming device 31 Parts molding equipment 32 Mold 33 Intake passage 34 Thin section 35 Thick wall part 40 parts 41 1st Part 42 2nd Part 50 Identification section 60 Home appliances 61 Home appliances 1 611 Machine room 612 Storage Room 613 Storage Room 62 Second home appliances 64 Container 65 Light source 66 Doors 67 Storage Container 68 Storage Container 69 Rear Panel 70 Mounting part 71 First mounting part 710 Mounting part 72 Second mounting part S2 Step (Addition Process) S3 Step (Identification Process) S4 Step (production process)

Claims

1. an application device that applies an identification portion to at least one of a first part including a recycled material at a first usage rate and a second part including the recycled material at a second usage rate different from the first usage rate, the identification portion being capable of identifying the part; an identification device for identifying the part based on the identification unit; a production device that produces a home electric appliance including: a first home electric appliance having the first part on a first attachment part; and a second home electric appliance having the second part on a second attachment part to which the first part can also be attached; In the production device, the first part is attached to the first household electrical appliance, and the second part is attached to the second household electrical appliance, based on an identification result by the identification device. A home appliance production system comprising:

2. A confirmation device is provided for confirming the usage rate of the recycled material in the first home electric appliance produced by the production device and the usage rate of the recycled material in the second home electric appliance.

2. The home appliance production system according to claim 1 .

3. The confirmation device confirms the usage rate before the step of making the home appliance in a non-disassembleable state.

3. The home appliance production system according to claim 2.

4. The verification device includes: confirming the usage rate of the recycled material by identifying the identification portion of the first part after assembly of at least a part of the first household electric appliance and the identification portion of the second part after assembly of at least a part of the second household electric appliance; When the identification part cannot be identified by the confirmation device, the part to which the identification part is attached is handled on the assumption that the usage rate of the recycled material is a predetermined fixed value.

3. The home appliance production system according to claim 2.

5. the identification unit includes information associated with each of the components, The identification unit further includes information regarding the identification of the part to which the identification unit is attached, The identification portion further includes information regarding the history of the part to which the identification portion is applied.

2. The home appliance production system according to claim 1 .

6. The history includes at least one of the number of times the material constituting the part is used, the specific components of the material, the amount of each material used in the case of the part 40 including a plurality of materials, the usage rate of the recycled material, the production time of the part, and the production location of the part.

6. The home appliance production system according to claim 5.

7. The application device applies the mark to the part at a location that is difficult to see when a user of the home appliance uses the part in a normal manner.

2. The home appliance production system according to claim 1 .

8. The production device is a production device for mixed production that produces the first home electric appliance and the second home electric appliance on the same production line.

2. The home appliance production system according to claim 1 .

9. the part is molded by a resin molding method in which the thickness may vary locally, The application device applies the identification portion to the relatively thicker portion of the component having a portion whose thickness is different from other portions.

2. The home appliance production system according to claim 1 .

10. a step of providing an identification portion capable of identifying a first part, the first part including a recycled material at a first usage rate, or a second part, the second part including the recycled material at a second usage rate different from the first usage rate; an identification step of identifying the part based on the identification unit; a production process for producing a home electric appliance including a first home electric appliance having the first part on a first attachment part, and a second home electric appliance having the second part on a second attachment part to which the first part can also be attached, In the production step, the first part is attached to the first household electrical appliance, and the second part is attached to the second household electrical appliance, based on the identification result in the identification step. A method for producing a home appliance, comprising:

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