Commodity item retrieval system and commodity item retrieval method

Abstract

To provide a commodity item retrieval system to support the consideration of countermeasures against supply chain troubles.SOLUTION: The commodity item retrieval system comprises a processing part and a storage part. The storage part holds component information indicating item of an article composing the article and article specification information indicating the specification of the article. The processing part identifies the item specified by users and the item of the articles containing the articles of the specified item as the component, as a retrieval target item based on the component information, calculates the similarity of the components between the article of the retrieval target item and the article of the other item based on the component information, identifies the items of one or more articles similar to the articles of the retrieval target item as a similar item based on the similarity of the component information, generates rank information representing the possibility height that the article of the similar item can replace the article of the retrieval target item based on the article specification information, and outputs the similar item based on the rank information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for supporting searches for parts and the like supplied by suppliers. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing risk of supply chain disruptions due to disasters, etc. In order to mitigate the impact of any disruption that may occur in the supply chain, it is necessary to take measures in peacetime, such as finding alternative items and their suppliers to replace the items being supplied.

[0003] As a technique for searching for items such as parts, there exist conventional techniques such as those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-122512 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-213525 (Patent Document 2).

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes the following technology (see abstract): "First, data on an assembly and the subassemblies and parts contained in the assembly are extracted from a product structure data storage device, the hierarchical structure of the assemblies and subassemblies is detected, and the similarity for all combinations of assemblies and subassemblies is calculated from the detected hierarchical structure. The hierarchical structures of the assemblies and subassemblies and the similarity for each combination of assemblies and subassemblies are stored in a similarity data storage device. When an assembly or subassembly for which similarity is to be determined is input via an input device, a similar assembly or subassembly is searched for from the similarity data storage device, and the searched assemblies and subassemblies are displayed on a display device" (see abstract).

[0005] Patent document 2 describes a technology in which "a similarity index with the search criteria product is calculated based on the composition of each product and the time required to produce each product. Also, it is determined whether the validity period of the items that make up each product overlaps with the validity period of the search criteria item. An evaluation cost is calculated based on the calculated similarity index and whether the validity periods overlap, and the product and its evaluation cost are output" (see abstract). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-122512 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-213525 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] When searching for items that may be able to substitute for an item (target item), it is conceivable to search for items (similar items) that are highly similar to the target item based on the configuration of the target item. In this case, it is expected that a wider range of items with potential substitutes can be searched for by also searching for items that are highly similar to items that include the target item (for example, if the target item is a part, then products that are configured using that part). However, such a search method has not been disclosed in the past.

[0008] Even if a similar item is found, it may be difficult to substitute the similar item for the target item depending on the relationship of the specifications between the similar item and the target item. For example, generally, it tends to be more difficult to substitute a similar item that is a lower compatible item than a so-called higher compatible item of the target item. Estimating such a higher / lower compatible relationship based on information obtainable from a supplier has not been disclosed in the past. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides an item search system having a processing unit and a memory unit, wherein the memory unit holds constituent item information indicating items of items that constitute an item and item specification information indicating specifications of the item, and the processing unit identifies, based on the constituent item information, an item specified by a user and items of items that include the specified item as a component, as search target items, calculates a similarity of constituent items between the search target item and other items based on the constituent item information, identifies one or more items that are similar to the search target item as similar items based on the similarity of the constituent items, generates rank information indicating a likelihood that the similar item can substitute for the search target item based on the item specification information, and outputs the similar items based on the rank information. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, in addition to the similarity of the products, compatibility based on the product specifications is also taken into consideration to extract items that are more likely to be substitutable, thereby supporting the consideration of measures against supply chain failures. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear through the description of the following examples. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an item search system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of configuration item information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of item information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of case information held by an item search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of specification information held by an item search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6]2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of target item information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of search target item list information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of item / specification-specific case count information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of similar search result information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of relative evaluation information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of ranking information held by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first example of a similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second example of a similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a third example of similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a fourth example of similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a fifth example of similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0013] In this embodiment, the selection of a substitute for an item is supported in response to the risk of supply chain interruption. Examples of the target items include, but are not limited to, products, parts, or materials such as automobiles, electrical products, mechanical products, elevators, trains, aircraft, generators, control devices, control panels, storage devices, network storage such as NAS (Network Attached Storage), servers, and water treatment devices.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an item search system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] The item search system 1 comprises an item search device 10 and a user terminal 20 of each company, each of which is communicatively connected via a network CN. The user terminal 20 of each company comprises an input unit 21, a display unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The user terminal 20 is an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer) and is operated by a user of the item search service provided by the item search device 10. The communication unit 23 transmits or receives information between devices connected via the network CN. The input unit 21 accepts information input to the user terminal 20 via an input device such as a keyboard or touch panel. The display unit 22 outputs information to an output device such as a display.

[0016] The network CN communicatively connects the item search device 10 and the user terminal 20. The network CN is, for example, any of a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and a communication network that uses a general public line such as the Internet in part or in whole.

[0017] The item search device 10 is an information processing device such as a PC or a server computer. The item search device 10 includes a processing unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 14, an output unit 15, and a communication unit 16.

[0018] The processing unit 11 includes a search target item list generating unit 110 , an item-specification information generating unit 111 , a similar item generating unit 112 , and a rank information generating unit 113 .

[0019] The search target item list generation unit 110 identifies search target items based on target items received from a user, and generates a list of them. The item-specification information generation unit 111 generates information that associates an item with the required specifications of the project for which the item was provided. The similar item generation unit 112 evaluates the similarity between the search target item and other items, and identifies items similar to the search target item. The rank information generation unit 113 generates rank information indicating the substitutability of items based on information related to the specifications of the items. Details of the processing of each of these units will be described later (see FIG. 12, etc.).

[0020] The memory unit 12 stores configuration item information 120, item information 121, case information 122, specification information 123, target item information 124, search target item list information 125, case number information by item / specification 126, similar search result information 127, relative evaluation information 128, and ranking information 129.

[0021] The input unit 14 is displayed and operated, for example, on a screen, and accepts information input to the item search device 10 via an input device such as a keyboard, a touch panel, or a mouse.

[0022] The output unit 15 outputs, for example, screen information including the results of a predetermined process to an output device such as a display.

[0023] The communication unit 16 transmits and receives information to and from a user terminal 20 connected via a network CN.

[0024] Next, the information stored in the storage unit 12 will be explained in order.

[0025] The configuration item information 120 is information indicating the configuration of each item (product, part, etc.), and corresponds to a so-called BOM (Bill Of Materials).

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the component item information 120 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] The component item information 120 includes parent item 120a, child item 120b, and quantity 120c. These indicate the item of an item such as a product or part, the items of items that compose it, and the quantity of each item. For example, the first and second records of the component item information 120 in FIG. 2 indicate that a product of item "X" (hereinafter, this will also be simply referred to as "product X"; the same applies to products of other items) is composed of one part of item "A" (hereinafter, this will also be simply referred to as "part A"; the same applies to parts of other items) and one part B. The third and fourth records indicate that part A is composed of three parts D and one part E.

[0028] In this embodiment, each item may be described as a "product," "intermediate item," "part," etc., but these are for convenience and are not necessarily fixed terms. For example, the above-mentioned product X may be a part that constitutes another product, and part A may be composed of lower-level parts. For this reason, in this embodiment, the same item may be described as a "product," an "intermediate item," or a "part" depending on its relationship with other items.

[0029] The item information 121 is information regarding the specifications of each item.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the item information 121 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The item information 121 includes an item 121a, a category 121b, an item 121c, a value 121d, and a unit 121e. The item 121a indicates the item of each item. The category 121b, the item 121c, the value 121d, and the unit 121e respectively indicate the category, item, value, and unit of the specifications of each item.

[0032] 3 shows, as an example, information about part B. Specifically, as information about the design of the specifications of part B, information is stored indicating that part B has a length of 0.8 meters, a width of 0.1 meters, a height of 2 meters, a weight of 25 kilograms, and a volume of 0.16 cubic meters. Furthermore, as information about procurement of the specifications of part B, information is stored indicating that the purchase price of part B is 15,000 yen and the procurement lead time is 30 days.

[0033] 3 shows "design" and "procurement" as examples of categories, other categories such as "manufacturing" may be further included. Examples of specifications in the "manufacturing" category 121b include standard work hours and manufacturing conditions during manufacturing.

[0034] Although FIG. 3 shows information about part B as an example, the item information 121 also stores information about other items registered in the component item information 120.

[0035] Case information 122 is information relating to cases that have been handled in the past.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the case information 122 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The case information 122 includes a case 122a and a product 122b. The case 122a is information for identifying a case that was handled in the past. The product 122b is information for identifying a product that was provided (e.g., sold) to a customer in a case that was handled in the past.

[0038] The specification information 123 is information relating to specifications required in cases handled in the past.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the specification information 123 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The specification information 123 includes a case 123a, a specification item 123b, and a specification value 123c. The case 123a is information for identifying a case that has been handled in the past. The specification item 123b and the specification value 123c indicate the item and the value of the specification requested by the customer in each case, respectively.

[0041] Here, the examples shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 will be described. In this example, for a past case called "Order1", the customer of the case requested a value of "100" for the specification item "S001" and a value of "A" for the specification item "S002". In response, the customer was provided with product X. On the other hand, for a past case called "Order2", the customer requested values ​​of "200" and "B" for the specification items "S001" and "S002", respectively, and in response, the customer was provided with product Y. In this way, by referring to the case information 122 and the specification information 123, the specifications requested by the customer and the products provided to the customer can be associated with each other.

[0042] The above-mentioned configuration item information 120, item information 121, case information 122, and specification information 123 may be stored, for example, in the database 30, and may be read out and stored in the memory unit 12 when processing is performed by the item search device 10.

[0043] The target item information 124 is information that indicates the target item of the process specified by the user.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the target item information 124 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] The target item information 124 includes a target item 124a. The target item 124a indicates an item to be processed that is input by the user. In the example of Fig. 6, B is stored as the target item 124a. This indicates that, for example, a supply problem has occurred for part B due to a disaster or the like, or that the user is trying to search for a part to replace part B, assuming that such a problem has not yet occurred but will occur in the future.

[0046] The search target item list information 125 is information indicating items to be searched for based on a user specification.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the search target item list information 125 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] The search target item list information 125 includes search target items 125a and hierarchical levels 125b. The search target items 125a indicate items that are the targets of a search by the item search device 10. The hierarchical levels 125b indicate the hierarchical levels to which each item belongs.

[0049] Fig. 7 shows, as an example, search target item list information 125 when part B is specified by the user as the processing target as shown in Fig. 6. In this case, first, "B" is stored as search target item 125a, and "0" is stored as the corresponding hierarchical level 125b. Here, by referring to the component item information 120 shown in Fig. 2, it is found that part B is one of the components of product X. Therefore, in search target item list information 125, "X" is further stored as search target item 125a, and "+1" is stored as the corresponding hierarchical level 125b.

[0050] Here, "+1" in hierarchical level 125b indicates that product X belongs to the hierarchy one level above part B (i.e., "X" is the direct parent item of "B" in component item information 120). Although not illustrated in Fig. 2, if product X is a part that constitutes a higher-level product, the item of the higher-level product is stored as search target item 125a, and "+2" is stored as hierarchical level 125b corresponding to the higher-level product.

[0051] The item / specification-specific job count information 126 is information that associates an item with the required specifications in the job for which the item of that item was provided, and the number of jobs.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the item / specification-specific case count information 126 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] The item / specification-specific case count information 126 includes item 126a, specification item 126b, specification value 126c, case count 126d, and ratio 126e. Item 126a indicates the item of each item (product, part, etc.). Specification item 126b and specification value 126c indicate the item and its value of the required specification in the case for which each item was provided. Case count 126d and ratio 126e indicate the number of cases and its ratio corresponding to each item and the specification value of each item.

[0054] Item 126a indicates the item of each item. Specification item 126b and specification value 126c are specification items and their values ​​corresponding to each item. As already explained, these are associated via cases based on case information 122 and specification information 123. Number of cases 126d and proportion 126e indicate the number of cases and their proportion corresponding to the combination of the above item, specification item and specification value.

[0055] 8 indicates that product X was provided in "55" cases where the specification value of the item "S001" was "100" and that the proportion of the number of cases "55" to the total number of cases in which product X was provided was 80%. Similarly, the second record indicates that product X was not provided in any cases in which the specification value of the item "S001" was "200".

[0056] The similarity search result information 127 includes information regarding the results of the similarity search performed by the item search device 10 .

[0057] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the similar search result information 127 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] The similar search result information 127 includes search target items 127a, similar items 127b, BOM similarity evaluation index 1 _127c, BOM similarity evaluation index 2 _127d, BOM similarity evaluation index 3 _127e, BOM similarity evaluation index 4 _127f, BOM similarity overall evaluation 127g, and specification similarity 127h.

[0059] Search target item 127a is an item of an item that is a target of a similarity search, and corresponds to an item held in search target item 125a of search target item list information 125. Similar item 127b is an item of an item whose similarity with the item that is a target of a similarity search has been evaluated. BOM similarity evaluation index 1_127c to BOM similarity evaluation index 4_127f indicate the results of evaluating the similarity between the item indicated by search target item 127a and the item indicated by similar item 127b, based on configuration item information 120. As will be described later, item search device 10 performs four types of similarity evaluation based on configuration item information 120, and stores the results as BOM similarity evaluation index 1_127c to BOM similarity evaluation index 4_127f.

[0060] The BOM similarity overall evaluation 127g shows the overall evaluation result obtained by summarizing the results of the similarity evaluations of the above four forms. The specification similarity 127h shows the result of evaluating the similarity of the specifications corresponding to each item. The above overall evaluation and the evaluation of the similarity of use will be described later.

[0061] The relative evaluation information 128 is information that relatively evaluates the specifications of each of the products in a combination of the product that is the subject of the similarity search and the product whose similarity has been evaluated.

[0062] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the relative evaluation information 128 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] The relative evaluation information 128 includes search target item 128a, similar item 128b, category 128c, item 128d, and relative value 128e. Search target item 128a is an item of an article that is the target of a similarity search, and corresponds to an item held in search target item 125a of search target item list information 125. Similar item 128b is an item of an article whose similarity to the article that is the target of a similarity search has been evaluated. The combination of the value of search target item 128a and the value of similar item 128b corresponds to the combination of the value of search target item 127a and the value of similar item 127b in similarity search result information 127.

[0064] The category 128c, the item 128d, and the relative value 128e respectively indicate the category, the item, and the relative value of the information on the specifications of the product. Here, the relative value is the value of the specification of the product indicated by the similar product 128b expressed as a relative value to the value of the specification of the product indicated by the search target product 128a.

[0065] For example, the first record of the relative evaluation information 128 shown in Fig. 10 indicates that, among the information regarding the design of part C, the length value is 1.5 times the length of part B. For example, if the length of part B is 0.8 meters as shown in Fig. 3, the length of part C is 1.2 meters.

[0066] The ranking information 129 includes information regarding a rank that evaluates the likelihood that the search target item can be substituted with a similar item based on the item specifications.

[0067] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the ranking information 129 held by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] The ranking information 129 includes a search target item 129a, a similar item 129b, rank information (design) 129c, rank information (procurement) 129d, rank information (manufacturing) 129e, and rank information overall evaluation 129f.

[0069] Search target item 129a is the item of the object of the similarity search, and corresponds to the item held in search target item 125a of search target item list information 125. Similar item 129b is the item of the object evaluated for similarity to the object of the similarity search. The combination of the value of search target item 129a and the value of similar item 1289 corresponds to the combination of the value of search target item 127a and the value of similar item 127b of similar search result information 127.

[0070] Rank information (design) 129c, rank information (procurement) 129d, and rank information (manufacturing) 129e are information indicating the rank calculated based on the relative values ​​of the specifications related to design, procurement, and manufacturing, which are held in relative evaluation information 128, for the combination of the item indicated by search target item 128a and the item indicated by similar item 128b.

[0071] Here, the rank is a specification for evaluating the possibility of substituting one item for another item. In this embodiment, the higher the rank value, the higher the possibility of substitution. Specific examples of the ranks shown in FIG. 11 will be described later.

[0072] Next, the processing executed by the processing unit 11 will be described.

[0073] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] First, the processing unit 11 acquires information necessary for processing (step S01). For example, the processing unit 11 acquires necessary information from the database 30 via the network CN and the communication unit 16, generates configuration item information 120, item information 121, case information 122, and specification information 123, and stores them in the storage unit 12.

[0075] Next, the processing unit 11 accepts the target item from the user (step S02). For example, the processing unit 11 acquires the information on the target item input by the user to the input unit 21 of the user terminal 20 via the communication unit 23, the network CN, and the communication unit 16, and stores the information in the storage unit 12 as the target item information 124.

[0076] Next, the search target item list generating unit 110 of the processing unit 11 creates a search target item list (step S03). For example, the search target item list generating unit 110 refers to the target item information 124 and the constituent item information 120 to create a search target item list that includes the target item acquired in step S02 as well as items that include the target item as a part of a constituent item, and stores the search target item list information 125 in the storage unit.

[0077] Next, the item-specification information generating unit 111 and the similar item generating unit 112 of the processing unit 11 execute step S04 for each of the search target items included in the list generated in step S03. In step S04, for example, the similar item generating unit 112 refers to the configuration item information 120 and compares the configuration items of the item of the search target item with the configuration items of other items to calculate the similarity based on the configuration items. At this time, the similar item generating unit 112 performs, for example, four forms of similarity evaluation, stores the results as BOM similarity evaluation index 1_127c to BOM similarity evaluation index 4_127f of the similarity search result information 127, and further stores the result of an overall evaluation based on them as BOM similarity overall evaluation 127g. Details of this process will be described later (see Figs. 13 to 16).

[0078] In step S04, the item-specification information generating unit 111 further generates item-specification-specification case count information 126 with reference to the case information 122 and specification information 123, calculates the similarity between the product specifications of the search target item and the product specifications of other items based on the information, and stores the result as specification similarity 127h in similar search result information 127. Details of this process will be described later (see FIG. 17).

[0079] Next, the rank information generating unit 113 of the processing unit 11 adds information indicating the relative rank of the item of the article whose similarity has been evaluated (similar item) to the target item (step S05). Details of this process will be described later.

[0080] Finally, the processing unit 11 outputs the list of similar items with the added rank information to the user (step S06). For example, the processing unit 11 may transmit the list of similar items with the added rank information to the user terminal 20 via the communication unit 16, the network CN, and the communication unit 23, and the display unit 22 of the user terminal 20 may display the list. An example of the information to be displayed will be described later (see FIG. 18).

[0081] Next, a detailed example of the similarity evaluation based on the constituent items performed by the similar item generation unit 112 in step S04 will be described. For example, when the user inputs "B" as the target item as shown in FIG. 6, and "B" and "X" one level above it are specified as search target items as shown in FIG. 7, the similar item generation unit 112 executes step S04 for "B". At this time, the similar item generation unit 112 performs similarity evaluations of four forms for "B" and performs an overall similarity evaluation by summarizing the results of these similarity evaluations. Furthermore, the similar item generation unit 112 executes step S04 for "X". At this time, the similar item generation unit 112 performs similarity evaluations of four forms for "X" and performs an overall similarity evaluation by summarizing the results of these similarity evaluations.

[0082] First, the similarity evaluation performed for "B" will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0083] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first example of a similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0084] Specifically, the first form of similarity evaluation performed on the search target item "B" will be described with reference to FIG. 13. In the first form, the hierarchical structure and quantity information of the constituent items are used as is. In this example, the search target item B is an intermediate product that constitutes product X. One product X is composed of one intermediate product A and one intermediate product B. One intermediate product A is composed of three parts D and one part E. One intermediate product B is composed of two parts F and one part G.

[0085] 13 shows product Y as a target of similarity search with intermediate product B. One product Y is composed of one intermediate product A and one intermediate product C. One intermediate product C is composed of two parts F and one part H.

[0086] In reality, each item generally contains many more components, but for the sake of simplicity, all items other than the nine items A through I have been omitted here.

[0087] Here, an example of the first mode for evaluating the similarity between intermediate product A, intermediate product C, and product A and intermediate product B will be described. First, as described above, intermediate product B is composed of two parts F and one part G. In this case, the constituent items of intermediate product B are expressed as a 1 row × 9 column matrix (0,0,0,0,0,2,1,0,0) in which the elements are the numbers of items A to I.

[0088] Similarly, the components of intermediate products A and C are represented by a 1 row x 9 column matrix of (0,0,0,3,1,0,0,0,0) and (0,0,0,0,0,2,0,1,0), respectively. On the other hand, the components of product Y are represented by a 2 row x 9 column matrix consisting of (1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0) at the first level and (0,0,0,3,1,2,0,1,0) at the second level.

[0089] In this case, in step S04, the similar item generation unit 112 calculates the similarity between these items based on their constituent items by comparing the matrices representing the respective constituent items of intermediate item A, intermediate item C, and product Y with the matrix representing the constituent items of intermediate item B. The similarity can be calculated by any method, such as cluster analysis, regression analysis, or hierarchical linear model, and the specific method is not limited. For example, the exponential function e^(-k × (Euclidean distance between two matrices)) may be calculated as the similarity using a constant value k.

[0090] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a second example of similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] Specifically, the second form of similarity evaluation performed for the search target item "B" will be described with reference to Fig. 14. In the second form, the hierarchical structure of the constituent items is expressed in one level, and the quantity information is used as is. The configurations of product X and product Y illustrated in Fig. 14 are the same as those in the example of Fig. 13.

[0092] In this example, the constituent items of intermediate products B, A, and C are each represented by the same matrix as those constituent items in the first form. Meanwhile, the constituent items of product Y are represented by a 1 row x 9 column matrix (1,0,1,3,1,2,0,1,0) that combines the first and second hierarchies in the first form. Specifically, each element of the matrix generated in the second form is the total number of items that make up product Y for each item, regardless of hierarchies.

[0093] In this case as well, the calculation of the similarity in step S04 can be performed by applying a method similar to the similarity calculation of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13 to the matrix shown in FIG.

[0094] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a third example of similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] Specifically, the third form of similarity evaluation performed for the search target item "B" will be described with reference to Fig. 15. In the third form, the hierarchical structure of the constituent items is used as is, but the quantity information is not used, and instead, information indicating the presence or absence of the item is used. The configurations of product X and product Y illustrated in Fig. 15 are the same as the example in Fig. 13.

[0096] In this example, the components of intermediate product B are represented by a 1 row x 9 column matrix (0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0), whose elements are values ​​indicating the presence or absence of each of items A to I (absent: 0, present: 1).

[0097] Similarly, the components of intermediate products A and C are represented by a 1 row x 9 column matrix of (0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0) and (0,0,0,0,0,1,0,1,0), respectively. On the other hand, the components of product Y are represented by a 2 row x 9 column matrix consisting of (1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0) at the first level and (0,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,0) at the second level.

[0098] In this case as well, the calculation of the similarity in step S04 can be performed by applying a method similar to the similarity calculation of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13 to the matrix shown in FIG.

[0099] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a fourth example of similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] Specifically, the fourth form of similarity evaluation performed for the search target item "B" will be described with reference to Fig. 16. In the fourth form, the hierarchical structure of constituent items is expressed in one layer, and information indicating the presence or absence of the item is used instead of information on the number of items. The configurations of product X and product Y illustrated in Fig. 16 are the same as those in the example in Fig. 13.

[0101] In this example, the components of intermediate products B, A, and C are each represented by the same matrix as those components in the third form. On the other hand, the components of product Y are represented by a 1 row by 9 column matrix (1,0,1,1,1,1,0,1,0), in which each element of the matrix indicating the components of product Y in the second form is replaced by a value indicating the presence or absence of each item.

[0102] In this case as well, the calculation of the similarity in step S04 can be performed by applying a method similar to the similarity calculation in the first mode shown in FIG. 13 to the matrix shown in FIG.

[0103] In step S04, the similar item generation unit 112 performs the similarity evaluation of the four forms of the search target item "B" as described above, and then performs an overall evaluation of the similarity based on the results of these evaluations. For example, as shown in the first record of the similar search result information 127 shown in Fig. 9, if the results of the similarity evaluation of the first to fourth forms between intermediate products B and C are "0.6", "0.7", "0.6", and "0.7", respectively, the sum of these values ​​may be weighted in a predetermined manner, and the total value may be calculated as the overall evaluation result.

[0104] In the example of FIG. 9, the results of the similarity evaluations of the first to fourth forms are multiplied by weighting coefficients "8", "4", "2", and "1", respectively, and the total is calculated as "9.5" as the overall evaluation result. In this example, the weight of the similarity based on the matrix including the number of members of each item is set higher than the weight of the similarity based on the matrix not including the number of members (i.e., indicating only the presence or absence of an item), and the weight of the similarity based on the matrix reflecting the hierarchical structure of the constituent items is set higher than the weight of the similarity based on the matrix not reflecting the hierarchical structure. However, such weighting is only an example, and weighting different from the above may be performed, for example, all similarities may be weighted the same. In addition, although the above example shows an example of performing similarity evaluations of the first to fourth forms, only one of them may be performed, or any combination of multiple of them may be performed.

[0105] The similar item generation unit 112 may calculate a comprehensive evaluation value of the similarity between intermediate item B, which is the search target item, and each of the compared items, and may register the compared item whose evaluation value meets a predetermined criterion as similar items 127b in the similar search result information 127. For example, the compared item whose comprehensive evaluation value is greater than the predetermined criterion may be regarded as a similar item, or a predetermined number of the compared item whose comprehensive evaluation values ​​are at the top may be regarded as similar items.

[0106] As a result, for example, if intermediate product B and intermediate product C are evaluated to be similar, it may be confirmed whether intermediate product C can be used as a substitute for intermediate product B by additional processing. For example, when comparing the constituent items of intermediate product B and intermediate product C, they have in common that they contain two parts F, but they differ in that intermediate product B contains one part G while intermediate product C contains one part H. For this reason, it may be confirmed whether intermediate product C after additional processing satisfies the same requirements as intermediate product B by additionally processing intermediate product C using part G instead of part H. In this way, it is possible to narrow down the targets for consideration of whether or not intermediate product C can be substituted based on the similarity of the constituent items.

[0107] Next, the similarity evaluation performed for "X" will be described with reference to FIG.

[0108] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a fifth example of similarity evaluation based on configuration items executed by the item search device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0109] Specifically, the first form of similarity evaluation performed for the search target item "X" will be described with reference to Fig. 17. As shown in Fig. 13, in the first form, the hierarchical structure and number information of the constituent items are used as is. Moreover, the configurations of product X and product Y illustrated in Fig. 17 are the same as the example in Fig. 13. Therefore, the constituent items of product Y, intermediate product A, and intermediate product C are each expressed by the matrix shown in Fig. 13. The constituent items of product X are expressed by a 2 row x 9 column matrix consisting of (1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0) on the first hierarchical level and (0,0,0,3,1,2,1,0,0) on the second hierarchical level.

[0110] In this case as well, the calculation of the similarity in step S04 can be performed by applying a method similar to the similarity calculation of the first mode shown in FIG. 13 to the matrix shown in FIG.

[0111] Although the second to fourth forms of similarity evaluation performed for the search target item "X" are not shown, they can be performed in the same manner as described above with reference to Figs. 13 to 17. That is, in the second form of similarity evaluation, the same calculation as that shown in Fig. 14 is performed except that the constituent items of product X are expressed in a 1-row x 9-column matrix of (1,1,0,3,1,2,1,0,0). In the third form of similarity evaluation, the same calculation as that shown in Fig. 15 is performed except that the constituent items of product X are expressed in a 2-row x 9-column matrix consisting of (1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0) in the first layer and (0,0,0,1,1,1,1,0,0) in the second layer. In the fourth form of similarity evaluation, the same calculation as that shown in Fig. 16 is performed except that the constituent items of product X are expressed in a 1-row x 9-column matrix of (1,1,0,1,1,1,1,0,0).

[0112] In step S04, the similar item generation unit 112 performs the similarity evaluation of the four forms of the search target item "X" as described above, and then performs an overall evaluation of the similarity based on the evaluation results. This can be performed in the same manner as the overall evaluation of the search target item "B" already described. For example, as shown in the third record of the similar search result information 127 shown in FIG. 9, if the results of the similarity evaluation of the first to fourth forms between product X and product Y are "0.7", "0.8", "0.7", and "0.8", respectively, the sum of these values ​​may be weighted by a predetermined amount, for example, and the result of the overall evaluation may be calculated.

[0113] In the example of Fig. 9, the results of the similarity evaluations of the first to fourth forms are multiplied by weighting factors of "8", "4", "2", and "1", respectively, and the total is calculated as "11.0". As already explained, this weighting factor is merely one example.

[0114] As in the case of a search targeting intermediate product B, the similar item generation unit 112 may calculate a comprehensive evaluation value of the similarity between product X, which is the item to be searched, and each of the items to be compared, and may register the items of the compared items whose evaluation value satisfies a predetermined criterion in the similar search result information 127 as similar items 127b.

[0115] As a result, for example, if product X and product Y are evaluated to be similar, it can be confirmed whether customer requirements are met by supplying product Y, which does not use intermediate product B, instead of product X, which uses intermediate product B, and if so, product Y can be supplied as a substitute. Alternatively, when comparing the components of product X and product Y, they have in common that they both contain one intermediate product A, but differ in that product X contains one intermediate product B while product Y contains one intermediate product C. For this reason, it is possible to perform additional processing on product X using intermediate product C instead of intermediate product B, and confirm whether product X after the additional processing meets customer requirements. In this way, it is possible to narrow down the targets for consideration of whether or not substitution is possible based on the similarity of the components.

[0116] Next, a detailed example of the similarity evaluation based on the required specifications performed by the similar item generation unit 112 in step S04 will be described.

[0117] The similar item generation unit 112 infers the relationship between items and specifications by referring to the configuration item information 120, the case information 122, and the specification information 123. For example, the similar item generation unit 112 associates the items of the goods (specifically, the products and the parts that constitute them, etc.) provided in each case with the required specifications from the customer in each case, and counts the frequency of occurrence of the required specification values ​​for each item (e.g., the number of cases). An example of information thus collected is the number of cases information by item and specification 126 shown in FIG. 8.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 8, when the number of cases of the specification value "100" of the specification item "S001" of product X is "55" and the number of cases of the specification value "200" of the specification item "S001" is "0", a matrix can be generated in which the number of cases of each specification value of each specification item is an element. Similar matrices can be generated for each item constituting product X, product Y, and each item constituting product Y. The similar item generation unit 112 can evaluate the similarity of specifications between items by calculating the similarity of the generated matrices. This calculation of similarity can be performed by any method, as in the calculation of similarity based on component items described above.

[0119] Next, a detailed example of the ranking performed by rank information generating unit 113 in step S05 will be described.

[0120] 9 is obtained, the rank information generating unit 113 compares the specification values ​​of the product indicated by the search target product 127a with the specification values ​​of the product indicated by the corresponding similar product 127b, item by item, and records the results as relative evaluation information 128. For example, between intermediate products B and C, length, width, height, weight, etc. may be compared as specification values ​​related to design, and the purchase price, procurement lead time (LT), etc. may be compared as specification values ​​related to procurement.

[0121] For example, when comparing the lengths of the two, if the length of the former is 0.8 meters and the length of the latter is 1.2 meters, "1.5" is recorded as the corresponding relative value 128e. Similarly, if the width of the former is 0.1 meters and the width of the latter is 0.2 meters, "2.0" is recorded as the relative value 128e for width. If the purchase price of the former is 150,000 yen and the purchase price of the latter is 180,000 yen, "1.2" is recorded as the relative value 128e for purchase price. If the procurement LT of the former is 30 days and the procurement LT of the latter is 30 days, "1.0" is recorded as the relative value 128e for procurement LT.

[0122] Then, the rank information generating unit 113 calculates rank information (design) 129c based on the relative values ​​of the design specification values ​​between the intermediate products B and C, and records it in the ranking information 129. For example, the rank information generating unit 113 may calculate an average value of relative values ​​of design items such as length and width as the rank information (design) 129c. Similarly, the rank information generating unit 113 calculates rank information (procurement) 129d based on the relative values ​​of the procurement specification values, and calculates rank information (manufacturing) 129e based on the relative values ​​of the manufacturing specification values, and records each in the ranking information 129.

[0123] Furthermore, the rank information generating unit 113 calculates a rank information overall evaluation 129f based on the rank information (design) 129c, the rank information (procurement) 129d, and the rank information (manufacturing) 129e between the intermediate products B and C, and records the calculated rank information overall evaluation 129f in the ranking information 129. For example, the average value of the rank information (design) 129c, the rank information (procurement) 129d, and the rank information (manufacturing) 129e may be calculated as the rank information overall evaluation 129f.

[0124] The rank information generation unit 113 performs the same process as described above for all combinations of the values ​​of the search target item 127a and the values ​​of the similar items 127b, calculates rank information (design) 129c, rank information (procurement) 129d, rank information (manufacturing) 129e, and rank information overall evaluation 129f, and records them in the ranking information 129.

[0125] Here, the rank is an evaluation index of the degree of substitutability based on the specifications of an item. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, the rank information overall evaluation 129f of intermediate product C, which is a similar item to intermediate product B, which is the item to be searched, is "1.42", which indicates that the rank of intermediate product C is higher than the rank of intermediate product B. In other words, it is estimated that intermediate product B is a superior compatible product of intermediate product C, and there is a high possibility that intermediate product C can substitute for intermediate product B.

[0126] For example, when comparing a case in which the size of intermediate product C is larger than the size of intermediate product B with a case in which the size of intermediate product C is smaller than the size of intermediate product B, it can generally be expected that the former case is more likely to allow intermediate product C to be used in place of intermediate product B through additional processing than the latter case. For this reason, the rank is calculated to be higher when the size of intermediate product C is larger than the size of intermediate product B.

[0127] However, for example, in cases where it is easier to perform additional processing to increase the size of intermediate product C, for example by adding a spacer, than to perform additional processing to reduce the size of intermediate product C, the rank may be calculated to be higher when the size of intermediate product C is smaller than the size of intermediate product B.

[0128] If the rank of Intermediate Product C relative to Intermediate Product B is greater than 1, then Intermediate Product C is presumed to be a superior compatible product of Intermediate Product B, and if it is less than 1, then Intermediate Product C is presumed not to be a superior compatible product of Intermediate Product B. This also applies to ranks based on information from other categories, which will be described later.

[0129] Similarly, when the purchase price of intermediate product C is higher than the purchase price of intermediate product B, it is generally expected that intermediate product C has higher performance or quality than intermediate product B, and there is a high possibility that intermediate product C can be used in place of intermediate product B. The same is true when the procurement LT of intermediate product C is longer than the procurement LT of intermediate product B; since intermediate product C is generally estimated to have undergone a more complicated manufacturing process than intermediate product B, it is expected that intermediate product C has higher performance or quality and there is a high possibility that intermediate product C can be used in place of intermediate product B. For this reason, when the purchase price of intermediate product C is higher than the purchase price of intermediate product B and when the procurement LT of intermediate product C is longer than the procurement LT of intermediate product B, the rank is calculated to be higher.

[0130] Similarly, if the standard work time for manufacturing intermediate product C is longer than the standard work time for manufacturing intermediate product B, it is generally estimated that intermediate product C has undergone a more complicated manufacturing process than intermediate product B, and it is therefore expected that intermediate product C has a high performance or quality and is therefore highly likely to be usable in place of intermediate product B. For this reason, if the standard work time for manufacturing intermediate product C is longer than the standard work time for manufacturing intermediate product B, the rank is calculated to be higher.

[0131] Standard work time, etc., is generally information that only the manufacturer knows. In contrast, the size of the item, procurement cost, procurement LT, etc., are generally information that can be obtained by anyone other than the manufacturer. According to the above method, the rank can be calculated based on such obtainable specification information.

[0132] The above-mentioned method of calculating the rank is merely an example, and other calculation methods may be adopted. For example, the values ​​of each item may be expressed in a Pareto diagram, and ranking may be performed using ABC analysis or the like. Furthermore, when calculating the rank of each category such as design, procurement, and manufacturing, a weighted average using a predetermined weighting factor may be performed instead of simply averaging the relative values ​​of each item. Similarly, when calculating an overall evaluation from the ranks of each category, a weighted average using a predetermined weighting factor may be performed.

[0133] Next, an example of information displayed in the process shown in FIG. 12 will be described.

[0134] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0135] Similar item search screen 1800 shown in FIG. 18 is displayed, for example, by display unit 22 of user terminal 20. Similar item search screen 1800 includes an input information area 1801 and a search result area 1804. Input information area 1801 includes a target item input section 1802 and a similar item search button 1803. The user inputs a target item in target item input section 1802 (step S02). In the example of FIG. 18, "B" has been input as the target item. Then, when the user operates the similar item search button 1803, the processing from step S03 onwards is executed for target item "B."

[0136] Search result area 1804 includes a level input section 1805, a search target item input section 1806, a search result display section 1807, and an item information display section 1808. The user inputs information specifying one of the search target items generated from the input target item into level input section 1805 and search target item input section 1806.

[0137] The search result display section 1807 displays the search results based on the specified search target item. In the example of FIG. 18, the search results when the search target item "X" is specified are displayed. Specifically, the evaluation results of the similarity between product X and another item similar to it (e.g. product Y) and the evaluation results of the rank are displayed. The evaluation results of the similarity include the evaluation results of the similarity of four forms based on the configuration items, the overall evaluation result thereof, and the evaluation result of the similarity based on the requirement specifications of the project. The evaluation results of the rank include the evaluation based on the specification values ​​of the design, procurement, and manufacturing categories among the specifications of the item, and the overall evaluation result thereof.

[0138] The item information display section 1808 displays information about the search target item and similar items. In the example of FIG. 18, information about the search target item "X" and an item "Y" similar to it is displayed. Specifically, the constituent items of the product of each item and the appearance are displayed. For the appearance, the user may select, for example, either a three-dimensional (3D) model or a two-dimensional (2D) drawing, or instead of these, a part specification sheet or the like may be displayed.

[0139] By referring to this information, the user can select candidate items to replace the specified target item. In this way, items that are highly likely to be able to replace the target item are extracted and displayed based on the similarity of the configuration items, the similarity of the project's required specifications, and rank, and further, related information (appearance, etc.) is also displayed, thereby supporting the user's consideration of alternative items.

[0140] Furthermore, the system according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

[0141] (1) An item search system (e.g., item search system 1), comprising a processing unit (e.g., processing unit 11) and a storage unit (e.g., storage unit 12), wherein the storage unit holds constituent item information (e.g., constituent item information 120) indicating items of items constituting an item, and item specification information (e.g., item information 121) indicating specifications of the item, wherein the processing unit, based on the constituent item information, identifies an item designated by a user and an item of an item including the designated item as a component, as search target items (e.g., step S03), calculates a similarity of constituent items between the search target item and other items based on the constituent item information, identifies one or more items similar to the search target item as similar items based on the similarity of the constituent items (e.g., step S04), generates rank information indicating a high possibility that the similar item can substitute for the search target item based on the item specification information (e.g., step S05), and outputs the similar items based on the rank information (e.g., step S06).

[0142] This makes it possible to extract items with a higher degree of substitutability by considering not only the degree of similarity between items, but also compatibility based on the item specifications. Furthermore, by searching not only the item specified by the user, but also items that contain that item as a component, it is possible to extract a wider range of items with a higher degree of substitutability. This makes it possible to support the consideration of measures against supply chain failures.

[0143] (2) An item search system as described in (1) above, wherein the constituent item information includes information on the hierarchical structure and number of items that constitute an item, and the processing unit, in calculating the similarity of the constituent items, performs at least one of a first type of similarity calculation based on the number of items in each hierarchy (e.g., Figure 13 or Figure 17), a second type of similarity calculation based on the number of items regardless of the hierarchy (e.g., Figure 14), a third type of similarity calculation based on the presence or absence of items in each hierarchy (e.g., Figure 15), and a fourth type of similarity calculation based on the presence or absence of items regardless of the hierarchy (e.g., Figure 16).

[0144] This makes it possible to evaluate the similarity based on the configuration items with high accuracy.

[0145] (3) In the item search system described in (2) above, when the processing unit performs multiple similarity calculations from the first type of similarity calculation to the fourth type of similarity calculation, the processing unit weights each calculation result to calculate an overall similarity.

[0146] This makes it possible to evaluate the similarity based on the configuration items with high accuracy.

[0147] (4) In the item search system described in (1) above, the memory unit further holds case information (e.g., case information 122) indicating the items of items provided in a case received in the past, and required specification information (e.g., specification information 123) indicating the required specifications from a customer for the case, and the processing unit calculates the similarity of the required specifications between the item to be searched and other items based on the case information and the required specification information, and identifies the similar items based on the similarity of the constituent items and the similarity of the required specifications (e.g., step S04).

[0148] This makes it possible to accurately evaluate the similarity of items by taking into account the required specifications of past projects.

[0149] (5) In the item search system described in (4) above, the processing unit calculates the number of cases corresponding to the combination of the item of the provided item and the value of the required specifications based on the case information and the required specification information, and calculates the similarity of the required specifications based on the calculated number of cases (e.g., step S04).

[0150] This makes it possible to accurately evaluate the similarity of items by taking into account the required specifications of past projects.

[0151] (6) An item search system as described in (1) above, wherein the item specification information includes information on at least one of the categories of specifications regarding the design of the item, specifications regarding the procurement of the item, and specifications regarding the manufacture of the item, and the processing unit generates the rank information for each category (e.g., step S05).

[0152] This allows compatibility based on the specifications of the article to be evaluated with high accuracy.

[0153] (7) An item search system as described in (6) above, wherein the specifications relating to the design of the item include a size of the item, the specifications relating to the procurement of the item include at least one of a procurement cost and a procurement lead time of the item, and the specifications relating to the manufacture of the item include a standard work time for the manufacture of the item.

[0154] This makes it possible to accurately evaluate compatibility based on the specifications of the article from the obtainable information.

[0155] (8) In the item search system described in (7) above, the rank information includes information indicating whether the similar item is presumed to be a superior compatible item of the search target item, and the processing unit generates the rank information for the design category to indicate that the similar item is presumed to be a superior compatible item of the search target item when the size of the similar item is larger than the size of the search target item, generates the rank information for the procurement category to indicate that the similar item is presumed to be a superior compatible item of the search target item when the procurement cost of the similar item is larger than the procurement cost of the search target item and when the procurement lead time of the similar item is larger than the procurement lead time of the search target item, and generates the rank information for the manufacturing category to indicate that the similar item is presumed to be a superior compatible item of the search target item when the standard work time for manufacturing the similar item is larger than the standard work time for manufacturing the search target item (e.g., step S05).

[0156] This makes it possible to accurately evaluate compatibility based on the specifications of the article from the obtainable information.

[0157] (9) In the item search system described in (7) above, the processing unit calculates overall rank information by weighting the rank information for each category.

[0158] This makes it possible to accurately evaluate compatibility based on the specifications of the article from the obtainable information.

[0159] 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.

[0160] 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.

[0161] 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]

[0162] 1. Product search system 10 Item search device 11 Processing section 12 Storage section 14, 21 Input section 15 Output section 16, 23 Communications Department 20 User terminal 22 Display section CN Network

Claims

1. An item search system, A processing unit and a storage unit, The storage unit holds component item information indicating items of components of an item and item specification information indicating specifications of the item, The processing unit includes: Identifying, as search target items, an item designated by a user and an item including the designated item as a component, based on the component item information; Calculate a similarity of components between the search target item and other items based on the component information; Identifying one or more items similar to the search target item as similar items based on the similarity of the configuration items; generating rank information indicating a degree of likelihood that the similar item can substitute for the search target item based on the item specification information; An item search system that outputs the similar items based on the rank information.

2. 2. The item search system according to claim 1, The component item information includes information on the hierarchical structure and number of items constituting the item, an item search system characterized in that, in calculating the similarity of the component items, the processing unit performs at least one of a first type of similarity calculation based on the number of items for each hierarchical level, a second type of similarity calculation based on the number of items regardless of the hierarchical level, a third type of similarity calculation based on the presence or absence of an item for each hierarchical level, and a fourth type of similarity calculation based on the presence or absence of an item regardless of the hierarchical level.

3. 3. The item search system according to claim 2, The item search system is characterized in that, when performing a plurality of similarity calculations from the first form of similarity calculation to the fourth form of similarity calculation, the processing unit calculates an overall similarity by weighting each calculation result.

4. 2. The item search system according to claim 1, The storage unit further holds case information indicating items of goods provided in cases where orders were received in the past, and required specification information indicating required specifications from a customer in the cases, The processing unit calculates a similarity of required specifications between the search target item and another item based on the case information and the required specification information, An item search system, comprising: a component item search unit that searches for a similar item based on a similarity between the component items and a similarity between the required specifications.

5. 5. The item search system according to claim 4, The processing unit calculates the number of cases corresponding to a combination of the item type of the provided item and the value of the required specifications based on the case information and the required specification information, and calculates a similarity of the required specifications based on the calculated number of cases.

6. 2. The item search system according to claim 1, The product specification information includes information in at least one category of specifications regarding the design of the product, specifications regarding the procurement of the product, and specifications regarding the manufacture of the product; The item search system, wherein the processing unit generates the rank information for each of the categories.

7. 7. The item search system according to claim 6, An item search system, characterized in that the specifications regarding the design of the item include a size of the item, the specifications regarding the procurement of the item include at least one of a procurement cost and a procurement lead time of the item, and the specifications regarding the manufacture of the item include a standard work time for manufacturing the item.

8. The item search system according to claim 7, The rank information includes information indicating whether the similar item is estimated to be a superior compatible item of the search target item, The processing unit includes: generating the rank information of the design category so as to indicate that the similar item is presumed to be a superior compatible item of the search target item when the size of the similar item is larger than the size of the search target item; generating the rank information of the procurement category so as to indicate that the similar item is estimated to be a superior compatible item of the search target item when the procurement cost of the similar item is greater than the procurement cost of the search target item and when the procurement lead time of the similar item is greater than the procurement lead time of the search target item; An item search system characterized in that, when the standard work time for manufacturing the similar item is longer than the standard work time for manufacturing the search target item, the rank information for the manufacturing category is generated so as to indicate that the similar item is presumed to be a superior compatible item of the search target item.

9. The item search system according to claim 7, The item search system according to the present invention, wherein the processing unit calculates overall rank information by weighting the rank information for each of the categories.

10. An item search method using an item search system, comprising: The item search system includes a processing unit and a storage unit, The storage unit holds component item information indicating items of components of an item and item specification information indicating specifications of the item, The item search method includes: a step in which the processing unit identifies, based on the component item information, an item designated by a user and an item including the designated item as a component, as search target items; a step of the processing unit calculating a similarity of configuration items between the search target item and other items based on the configuration item information, and identifying one or more items similar to the search target item as similar items based on the similarity of configuration items; a step of generating rank information indicating a degree of possibility that the similar item can substitute for the search target item based on the item specification information by the processing unit; and a step of the processing unit outputting the similar items based on the rank information.

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