Design support system and design support method

Abstract

We provide technology that supports the design of products that can evaluate environmental performance throughout their entire lifecycle. [Solution] The design support system includes a storage unit that stores product component configuration information, alternative parts information, usage scenario information that defines product usage scenarios, regulatory information that specifies regulations concerning the product, improvement item information that includes improvement items for the product's environmental indicators, and constraint information that the product must satisfy; an improvement item identification unit that identifies target values ​​for environmental indicators that must be satisfied throughout the product's lifecycle according to at least one of the usage scenarios, regulations, and improvement items; an alternative parts identification unit that identifies one or more alternative parts that can be replaced while satisfying the constraints; a calculation unit that identifies predicted values ​​for the environmental indicators of the substituted product; and an output unit that outputs alternative parts whose predicted values ​​for environmental indicators exceed the target values.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a design support system and a design support method.

Background Art

[0002] With the increasing momentum to realize a sustainable society, there is a demand for a shift from a linear economy of mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal to a circular economy that efficiently and circularly utilizes resources throughout the life cycle of the market. Along with this, in recent years, the implementation of regulations towards a circular economy has been planned in various countries, and there is an increasing demand for more environmentally considerate product development. Specifically, it is necessary to formulate a life cycle design of a product that complies with restrictive matters such as environmental regulations and balances economic efficiency and environmental friendliness. It is said that efforts to reduce environmental impact can achieve higher effects when implemented at the product design stage.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a design support apparatus including: an environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues; a product design know-how database that accumulates information on various design cases obtained in past product development; a first support means for obtaining and presenting the most appropriate environmentally harmonious design guidelines for a target product from the environmental quality function deployment database based on the importance given to environmental issues at each stage of the product life cycle process and issues to be considered during product life; and a second support means for searching and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines presented by the first support means from the product design know-how database.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is limited to basic reduction measures regarding material use as design guidelines for reducing environmental impact, such as "minimizing the use of rare materials that cannot be recycled," "maximizing the use of recyclable materials," "maximizing the use of recycled materials," and "minimizing energy consumption in material production," and does not give concrete consideration to the overall product life cycle (LC). For example, it is not possible to examine the impact on the environmental impact during product use. The object of the present invention is to support a design that can evaluate the environmental performance of a product throughout its entire life cycle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention includes several means for solving at least some of the above problems, but an example is as follows: A design support system according to one aspect of the present invention that solves the above problems includes: a storage unit that stores: product component configuration information; alternative component information including parts that can replace the components constituting the product; usage scenario information that defines usage scenarios for the product; regulatory information that specifies legal regulations concerning the product; improvement item information including improvement items for the environmental indicators of the product; and design constraint information that the product must satisfy; an improvement item identification unit that identifies target values ​​for the environmental indicators that the product must satisfy throughout its lifecycle in accordance with at least one of the usage scenarios, regulations, and improvement items for the product subject to design change; an alternative component identification unit that identifies one or more alternative components from the alternative component information that can be replaced while satisfying the constraints for the components constituting the product; a calculation unit that identifies predicted values ​​for the environmental indicators for the product replaced by the alternative components; and an output unit that outputs for the alternative components whose predicted values ​​for the environmental indicators are superior to the target values. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to support the design of a product that can evaluate its environmental performance throughout its entire lifecycle. Other problems, configurations, and effects will be revealed in the following description of embodiments for carrying out the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing an example configuration of a design support system. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the structure of product information. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the configuration of alternative parts information. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of how usage scenario information can be structured. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the structure of regulatory information. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the structure of improvement item information. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the structure of constraint information. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a flowchart for the proposal processing. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a screen for selecting improvement items. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a display screen for alternative parts. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying calculation results. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device that constitutes a design support system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are illustrative examples for explaining the present invention, and have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0010] The positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges of the components shown in the drawings may not represent their actual positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges disclosed in the drawings.

[0011] Examples of various types of information may be described using expressions such as "table," "list," and "queue," but these types of information may also be represented by data structures other than these. For example, various types of information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" may be referred to as "XX information." When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable. Furthermore, the identification information described using these expressions may be represented using symbols, numbers, natural language, or combinations thereof in the embodiment, but the identification information may also be in other formats.

[0012] When there are multiple components with the same or similar function, they may be described using the same symbol but with different subscripts. Furthermore, when it is not necessary to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted in the description.

[0013] In an embodiment, the processes performed by executing a program may be described. Here, a computer executes a program by a processor (e.g., CPU, GPU), and performs the processes defined by the program while using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports), etc. Therefore, the entity performing the processes performed by executing the program may be the processor. Similarly, the entity performing the processes performed by executing the program may be a controller, a device, a system, a computer, or a node having a processor. The entity performing the processes performed by executing the program may be an arithmetic unit, and may include a dedicated circuit for performing specific processes. Here, the dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), etc.

[0014] The program may be installed in a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a storage medium readable by a computer. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server includes a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. Also, in an embodiment, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0015] Also, although the present invention is typically realized by an information processing apparatus, it may be realized as a platform having the functions of the present invention.

[0016] In this embodiment, the design support system 10 evaluates environmental performance throughout the life cycle of a product and proposes alternative parts.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a design support system. The design support system 10 is configured by, for example, an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus is a design support apparatus 100 including a storage unit 101, an input unit 201, a processing unit 301, and an output unit 401.

[0018] First, the storage unit 101 stores at least product information 11, alternative part information 12, usage scenario information 13, regulation information 14, improvement item information 15, and constraint condition information 16. Further, the processing unit 301 includes an improvement item specifying unit 130, a constraint condition specifying unit 140, an alert notification unit 150, an alternative part specifying unit 160, and a calculation unit 170.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of product information. The product information 11 is component configuration information of a product and includes a product classification 111 and product data 112. Specifically, the product classification 111 includes at least any one of information indicating a major classification 111A showing the field of the product, a middle classification 111B showing the product category, and a minor classification 111C showing the product type. For example, as the major classification 111A, for example, "home appliances", as the middle classification 111B, for example, "vacuum cleaners", and as the minor classification 111C, for example, information such as "stick cleaners" applies.

[0020] The product data 112 includes at least any one of information such as a product name 112A, a model number 112B, a sales country 112C, a BOM (Bill of Materials) number 112D, a BOP (Bill of Process) number 112E, an environmental index 112F, a performance index 112G, and a cost 112H of each product.

[0021] Of these, the environmental indicator 112F includes at least one of the following: carbon footprint 113A, recycled material rate 113B, recycling rate 113C, energy consumption 113D, and resource reduction 113E. Carbon footprint 113A is information that identifies the amount of GHG (Green House Gas) emitted throughout the product's lifecycle. Recycled material rate 113B is the weight ratio of recycled materials to the product. Recycling rate 113C is the percentage of used products that are recycled. Energy consumption 113D is the amount of energy, such as electricity, consumed throughout the product's lifecycle. Resource reduction 113E is information that identifies the amount of resource reduction, such as the difference in GHG emissions between the conventional product and the new product. Note that while it is common to use a value converted to CO2 (carbon dioxide) for GHG, it is not limited to this, and other gases (for example, CH4 (methane), N2O (nitrous oxide), CFCs (fluorocarbons), etc.) may also be used.

[0022] Furthermore, performance indicator 112G includes at least one of the following: durability 114A, reliability 114B, functionality 114C, weight 114D, and compatibility 114E.

[0023] Cost 112H includes at least one of the following: development costs 115A, procurement costs 115B, manufacturing costs 115C, operating costs 115D, and disposal costs 115E.

[0024] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of alternative parts information. The alternative parts information 12 includes information that identifies alternative parts for the components that make up the product. The parts stored in the alternative parts information 12 are divided into either purchased parts 121 or manufactured parts 122, depending on how the alternative parts are procured.

[0025] The purchased item 121 stores information about the parts procured through purchase. For example, purchased item 121 includes at least one of the following: purchased part number 121A, purchased item carbon footprint 121B, purchased item recycled material percentage 121C, purchased item recycling rate 121D, purchased item main performance 121E, purchased item weight 121F, purchased item component lifespan 121G, and purchase cost 121H.

[0026] The manufactured product 122 stores information about the parts procured through manufacturing. For example, the manufactured product 122 includes at least one of the following: manufacturing part number 122A, material type 122B, processing type 122C, manufactured product recycled material percentage 122D, manufactured product recycling rate 122E, manufactured product main performance 122F, manufactured product weight 122G, and manufactured product component lifespan 122H.

[0027] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of usage scenario information. Usage scenario information 13 is information that specifically assumes the usage situation in which the product will be used, that is, information that defines the usage scenario, and includes information to which options (values) 131B are associated according to the product's usage scenario 131A. For example, if the product in question is a vacuum cleaner, the usage scenario 131A includes at least one of the following: usage environment 131C, frequency of use 131D, target user 131E, main cleaning target 131F, and important functions 131G. For example, for the usage environment 131C, values ​​such as "home," "office," and "in-car" can be selected and associated as options.

[0028] Figure 5 shows an example of the structure of regulatory information. Regulatory information 14 is information about legal regulations established regarding the manufacture and sale of a product. For example, regulatory information 14 includes regulation ID 141A, regulation name 141B, regulatory body 141C, applicable region 141D, and detailed information 141E. Regulation ID 141A is information that distinguishes the regulation from other regulations. Regulation name 141B is a name that the regulation may also be given. Regulatory body 141C is information that identifies the body that establishes the regulation. Applicable region 141D is information that identifies the region to which the regulation applies. Detailed information 141E is information that identifies the items that are regulated and their specific details.

[0029] Figure 6 shows an example of the structure of improvement item information. Improvement item information 15 contains information that can be used as a candidate for items to be improved compared to the standard model. Specifically, improvement item information 15 has multiple improvement items 151D depending on the categories of environment 151A, performance 151B, and cost 151C. For example, in the environment 151A category, improvement item 151D includes "improving the utilization rate of recycled materials and recycled parts" and "reducing power consumption during use."

[0030] Figure 7 shows an example of the structure of constraint information. Constraint information 16 is information that defines constraints on a product-by-product basis, relating to one or more of the design environmental indicators, performance indicators, or costs that the product must satisfy. Alternatively, constraint information 16 may include constraints on a component-by-component basis. Specifically, the constraints 161 on a product-by-product basis include at least one of the following: product carbon footprint 161A, product recycled material content 161B, product recycling rate 161C, main product performance 161D, product weight 161E, and product cost 161F. The constraints 162 on a component-by-component basis include at least one of the following: component name 162A, purchased or manufactured product 162B, component carbon footprint 162C, component recycled material content 162D, component recycling rate 162E, main component performance 162F, component weight 162G, and component cost 162H.

[0031] The improvement item identification unit 130 identifies target values ​​for environmental indicators that should be met throughout the product's lifecycle, based on at least one of the following: usage scenario, regulations, improvement items, or cost, for the product subject to design change. At that time, the improvement item identification unit 130 accepts the selection of a usage scenario option (value) and identifies the priority of the improvement items in accordance with that value.

[0032] The constraint identification unit 140 identifies constraints based on the reference model number, usage scenario, and regulations.

[0033] The alert notification unit 150 generates an alert if the alternative part identification unit 160 cannot identify an alternative part from the alternative part information 12 that satisfies the constraints. The alert notification unit 150 also generates an alert if the output unit 401 cannot output information for an alternative part whose predicted environmental indicator value exceeds the target value.

[0034] The substitute part identification unit 160 identifies one or more substitute parts from the substitute part information 12 that can be substituted for the components constituting the product while satisfying the constraints.

[0035] The calculation unit 170 identifies environmental indicators, performance indicators, or cost predictions for the product that has been replaced with alternative parts.

[0036] The input unit 201 receives various instructions from the operator. The input includes the reference model number, the choice of usage scenario information 13, the choice of applicable regulations, the choice of improvement items, and the choice of constraints. For example, the input unit 201 accepts input via input devices such as a mouse or keyboard.

[0037] The output unit 401 outputs information about alternative components whose predicted environmental indicators, performance indicators, or cost values ​​exceed the target values. The output unit 401 also displays the output via a display device such as a display. Therefore, the input unit 201 and the output unit 401 may be integrated, such as a touch panel. Furthermore, the input unit 201 and the output unit 401 may be housed in separate enclosures from the design support device 100. In this case, the input unit 201 and the output unit 401 may be implemented using separate terminal devices, and the input and output information may be transferred via a network. The network may be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), VPN (Virtual Private Network), a communication network using public lines such as the Internet in part or in whole, a mobile phone communication network, or a combination thereof. The network may also be a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi® or 5G (Generation). Furthermore, the information processing device that constitutes the design support system 10 is not limited to just one unit; there may be even more units, including for purposes such as redundancy and load balancing. However, in this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, we will describe it as if there were only one information processing device.

[0038] Figure 8 shows an example of a flowchart for the proposal process. The proposal process starts when the operator gives a start command via the input unit 201.

[0039] First, the improvement item identification unit 130 accepts the selection of a product classification 111 and a reference model part number 112B for the product subject to design change (step S01). Specifically, the improvement item identification unit 130 reads the product information 11 and presents options for each of the major classification 111A, medium classification 111B, and minor classification 111C of the product classification 111 via the output unit 401, and accepts the input for these options as a product classification via the input unit 201. The improvement item identification unit 130 also reads the product information 11 and presents options for the part number 112B of the product data 112 via the output unit 401, and accepts the input for these options as a reference model part number via the input unit 201.

[0040] Then, the improvement item identification unit 130 accepts the usage scenario (step S02). Specifically, the improvement item identification unit 130 reads the usage scenario information 13 and presents the usage scenario options (values) 131B for each usage scenario 131A via the output unit 401, and accepts the input for the options as a usage scenario via the input unit 201.

[0041] The improvement item identification unit 130 then receives the regulations applicable to the product subject to design change (step S03). Specifically, the improvement item identification unit 130 reads the regulatory information 14 and presents the regulation name 141B, regulatory body 141C, applicable region 141D, and detailed content 141E via the output unit 401, and accepts the selected input via the input unit 201 as the applicable regulation. For example, for a product planned to be sold in Europe, the improvement item identification unit 130 accepts the user's input of a regulation for which the applicable region 141D corresponds to Europe. Furthermore, even if not input by the user, if the relationship between the product classification and standard model number received in step S01 and the necessary regulations is clear in a database or the like that shows a predetermined correspondence, the improvement item identification unit 130 may identify that the said regulation is mandatory and accept input from the user for other regulations that are not mandatory as additional regulations.

[0042] Then, the improvement item identification unit 130 identifies candidate improvement items (step S04). Specifically, the improvement item identification unit 130 uses the product classification 111 received in step S01, the model number 112B of the reference model, the usage scenario selection 131B received in step S02, the regulatory information received in step S03, and the improvement item 151D included in the improvement item information 15 to identify at least one candidate improvement item for the reference model number. For example, the improvement item identification unit 130 identifies the regulations that are associated with the product classification 111 and the model number 112B of the reference model in a predetermined database, etc., as target regulations, and further identifies the regulations received from the user in step S03 as additional regulations. Then, the improvement item identification unit 130 identifies the items specified in the detailed content 141E of the identified regulations as candidate improvement items, and further accepts the specification of additional improvement items from the user.

[0043] Then, the constraint identification unit 140 identifies candidate constraints (step S05). Specifically, the constraint identification unit 140 uses the product classification 111 received in step S01, the model number 112B of the reference model, the usage scenario selection 131B received in step S02, the regulatory information received in step S03, and the product-level constraints 161 and component-level constraints 162 included in the constraint information 16 to identify at least one candidate constraint for the product subject to design change. For example, the constraint identification unit 140 uses the product classification 111 and the model number 112B of the reference model to narrow down the target constraints. Furthermore, the constraint identification unit 140 identifies the constraints received from the user, additional constraints specified by the user, and constraints associated with the usage scenario in a predetermined database, and adds them to the target constraints.

[0044] The improvement item identification unit 130 then accepts the designation of improvement items (step S06). Specifically, the improvement item identification unit 130 presents the improvement item candidates identified in step S04 via the output unit 401. At this time, the improvement item identification unit 130 also indicates that essential improvement item candidates are essential. The improvement item identification unit 130 then accepts the selected input via the input unit 201 and designates it as the applicable improvement item. The improvement item identification unit 130 then identifies the target value of the applicable improvement item. This target value is a value that satisfies both the standard value of the item specified in the detailed regulatory content 141E accepted in step S03 and the value pre-associated with the usage scenario selection accepted in step S02, and is an improvement over the standard model. At this time, the improvement item identification unit 130 accepts the improvement items selected in addition to the essential improvement item candidates as the target value of the additional improvement item, i.e., the additional target value.

[0045] Then, the substitute part identification unit 160 determines whether improvements have been made to each component (step S07). Specifically, the substitute part identification unit 160 searches the substitute part information 12 for combinations of substitute parts that can be used as substitutes while satisfying the improvement items for the components that make up the product, and determines whether there is one or more combinations of substitute parts that satisfy all of the improvement items applied in step S06. In determining whether improvements have been made, the substitute part identification unit 160 uses as a criterion whether the predicted value of at least the environmental indicator exceeds the target value for the applicable improvement item.

[0046] The alert notification unit 150 then determines whether or not there are candidates for replacement parts (step S08). If there are no candidates for replacement parts (if the answer is "No" in step S08), the alert notification unit 150 generates alert information (step S09). Specifically, the alert notification unit 150 displays a message via the output unit 401 indicating that there are no candidates for replacement parts. The alert notification unit 150 then returns control to step S06.

[0047] If there are candidates for alternative parts (if "Yes" is selected in step S08), the constraint specification unit 140 accepts the specification of constraint conditions (step S10). Specifically, the constraint specification unit 140 presents the constraint conditions narrowed down in step S05 via the output unit 401. At this time, the constraint specification unit 140 may also indicate that mandatory constraint conditions are mandatory. The constraint specification unit 140 then accepts the selected input via the input unit 201 and sets it as the applicable constraint condition.

[0048] Then, the substitute part identification unit 160 determines the constraints for each part (step S11). Specifically, the substitute part identification unit 160 searches the substitute part information 12 for the parts that make up the product, looking for a combination of substitute parts that satisfy the constraints while satisfying the improvement items, and determines whether there is one or more combinations of substitute parts that satisfy all of the constraints identified in step S05 among the constraints for each part 162.

[0049] The alert notification unit 150 then determines whether or not there are candidates for replacement parts (step S12). If there are no candidates for replacement parts (if the answer is "No" in step S12), the alert notification unit 150 generates alert information (step S13). Specifically, the alert notification unit 150 displays a message via the output unit 401 indicating that there are no candidates for replacement parts. The alert notification unit 150 then returns control to step S10.

[0050] If there are candidates for alternative parts (if "Yes" is answered in step S12), the improvement item identification unit 130 accepts the priority order of the improvement items (step S14). Specifically, the improvement item identification unit 130 accepts the specification of priority order among the improvement items applied in step S06 via the input unit 201.

[0051] Then, the substitute part identification unit 160 determines the constraints at the product level (step S15). Specifically, for each combination of substitute parts that satisfies the constraints at the part level and the improvement items for a product, the substitute part identification unit 160 determines whether all of the constraints identified in step S05 from the product-level constraints 161 are satisfied.

[0052] If there are no candidate alternative parts that meet the constraints for the product unit (i.e., "No" in step S15), the alert notification unit 150 generates alert information (step S16). Specifically, the alert notification unit 150 displays a message via the output unit 401 indicating that there are no candidate alternative parts. The alert notification unit 150 then returns control to step S06.

[0053] If there are candidate alternative parts that satisfy the constraints of the product unit (if "Yes" is answered in step S15), the alternative part identification unit 160 identifies the part subject to design change and the alternative part, and creates and presents an assembly image of the part subject to design change replaced with the alternative part (step S17). This image creation can be achieved using conventional design support tools, and is possible by applying the shape information of the alternative part to the assembly relationship of the parts identified from the BOM number 112D and BOP number 112E of the product data 112.

[0054] Then, the calculation unit 170 calculates the environmental indicators, performance indicators, and costs after the design change (step S18). Specifically, the calculation unit 170 calculates at least one of the following for the product after the design change to use alternative parts: environmental indicators 112F for the entire product and for each part, performance indicators 112G, and costs 112H.

[0055] The output unit 401 then outputs the environmental indicators, performance indicators, and costs after the design change (step S19). Specifically, the output unit 401 displays the values ​​for the environmental indicator 112F and cost 112H for the standard model number and the developed product using bar graphs or plots, and for the performance indicator 112G, it displays the various performances of the standard model number as a reference using bar graphs, etc. The output unit 401 also outputs alternative parts for which the predicted values ​​of the environmental indicators, performance indicators, and costs outperform the target values ​​and additional target values ​​for the environmental indicators, performance indicators, and costs.

[0056] The above is an example of a proposal processing flowchart. This example of proposal processing can support the design of a product that allows for the evaluation of its environmental performance throughout its entire lifecycle.

[0057] Figure 9 shows an example of a screen for selecting improvement items. Example 600 of the improvement item selection screen is an example of a screen for receiving improvement items in step S06 of the proposal processing. In Example 600 of the improvement item selection screen, improvement items related to environment, performance, or cost are displayed and can be selected according to the lifecycle stage. In addition, improvement items that are considered mandatory are fixed and cannot be excluded from the selection options.

[0058] Figure 10 shows an example of a display screen for alternative parts. Example 700 of the display screen for alternative parts is an example of a screen that presents candidates for replacing the part subject to design change with an alternative part in step S17 of the proposal process. Example 700 of the display screen for alternative parts displays combinations of components 720 in order of the improvement items with the highest priority.

[0059] Figure 11 shows an example of a calculation result display screen. Example 800 of the calculation result display screen is an example of a screen that displays the environmental indicators, performance indicators, and costs after the design change in step S19 of the proposal process. Example 800 of the calculation result display screen includes a graph display 810 for at least one of the environmental indicators 112F, performance indicators 112G, and costs 112H.

[0060] Graph 820 for environmental indicators 112F and costs 112H displays the environmental impact and cost values ​​of the developed product for each lifecycle event using bar graphs or plots. The scope selection area 821 displays the product's BOM tree in series and accepts selections for each node. The display of Graph 820 for environmental indicators 112F and costs 112H is updated for the selected node.

[0061] Graph 830 for performance indicator 112G displays each performance item using bar graphs, etc., based on the various performance values ​​of the reference model number. The scope selection area 831 displays the product's BOM tree in series and accepts selections for each node. The display of Graph 830 for performance indicator 112G is updated for the selected node.

[0062] [Explanation of Hardware Configuration] Figure 12 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device that constitutes a design support system. The information processing device 900 that constitutes the design support system 10 can be realized as a general-purpose computer or a network system equipped with multiple such computers, comprising a processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, or GPU: Graphics Processing Unit) 901, hardware memory 902 such as RAM (Random Access Memory), storage 903 such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or SSD (Solid State Drive), a reader 905 that reads information from a portable storage medium 904 such as a CD (Compact Disk) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an input device 906 such as a keyboard, mouse, barcode reader, or touch panel, an output device 907 such as a display, and a communication device 908 that communicates with other computers via a communication network such as a LAN or the Internet. Note that the reader 905 may be capable of writing as well as reading portable storage media.

[0063] The processor 901 performs various processes by executing predetermined programs loaded from the storage 903 into the memory 902. These programs are, for example, application programs that can be executed on an OS (Operating System) program. These programs may be installed in the storage 903 from a portable storage medium 904 via a reader 905, or they may be downloaded from a network via a communication device 908 and executed by the processor 901.

[0064] For example, the processing unit 301, improvement item identification unit 130, constraint condition identification unit 140, alert notification unit 150, alternative part identification unit 160, and calculation unit 170 can be implemented by loading a program stored in storage 903 into memory 902 and executing it with processor 901. The input unit 201 and output unit 401 can be implemented by processor 901 utilizing input device 906, output device 907, and communication device 908. The storage unit 101 can be implemented by processor 901 utilizing memory 902 or storage 903.

[0065] The above describes the design support system 10 according to the embodiment. The design support system 10 can support the design of a product that can evaluate its environmental performance throughout its entire lifecycle. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. It is possible to replace some of the configurations of the embodiments with other configurations, and it is also possible to add configurations of other embodiments to the configurations of the embodiments. Furthermore, it is possible to delete some of the configurations of the embodiments.

[0066] Each of the above-mentioned parts, configurations, functions, and processing units may be implemented in hardware, in whole or in part, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Alternatively, each of the above-mentioned parts, configurations, and functions may be implemented in software by having the processor interpret and execute programs that realize each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in memory, a recording device such as a hard disk, or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0067] It should be noted that the control lines and information lines in the embodiments described above are those deemed necessary for explanation and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines in the actual product. In practice, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. The present invention has now been described, focusing on its embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 11: Product information, 12: Alternative parts information, 13: Usage scenario information, 14: Regulatory information, 15: Improvement item information, 16: Constraint information, 100: Design support device, 101: Memory unit, 130: Improvement item identification unit, 140: Constraint identification unit, 150: Alert notification unit, 160: Alternative parts identification unit, 170: Calculation unit, 201: Input unit, 301: Processing unit, 401: Output unit.

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores: product component configuration information, alternative component information including components that can replace the components constituting the product, usage scenario information defining usage scenarios for the product, regulatory information specifying legal regulations relating to the product, improvement item information including improvement items for the product's environmental indicators, and design constraint information that the product must satisfy. An improvement item identification unit identifies target values ​​for the environmental indicators that should be met throughout the product's lifecycle, in accordance with at least one of the usage scenario, regulations, or improvement items, for the product subject to design changes. A substitute part identification unit identifies one or more substitute parts from the substitute part information that can be substituted while satisfying the constraints for the components that make up the product, A calculation unit that identifies predicted values ​​of the environmental indicators for the product replaced with the aforementioned substitute parts, An output unit that outputs information about the alternative component in which the predicted value of the environmental indicator exceeds the target value, A design support system characterized by having the following features.

2. A design support system according to claim 1, The aforementioned improvement item information further includes improvement items or costs for the performance indicators of the product. The improvement item identification unit identifies, with respect to the product subject to design change, the target values ​​of the performance indicator or cost that should be met throughout the product's lifecycle, according to the usage scenario, the regulations, the performance indicator improvement items, or the cost. The calculation unit identifies the performance indicator or the predicted cost, The output unit outputs the performance indicator or the predicted cost value of the alternative component that exceeds the target value. A design support system characterized by the following features.

3. A design support system according to claim 1, The aforementioned improvement item identification unit further accepts, as additional target values, the target values ​​of the environmental indicators that should be met throughout the product's lifecycle for the product subject to design changes. The output unit outputs the predicted value of the environmental indicator for the alternative component in which the predicted value of the environmental indicator exceeds the target value and the additional target value of the environmental indicator. A design support system characterized by the following features.

4. A design support system according to claim 1, The aforementioned improvement item identification unit further accepts the aforementioned constraints that the product must satisfy as additional constraints for the product subject to design changes. The substitute part identification unit identifies one or more substitute parts from the substitute part information that can be used for the components constituting the product while satisfying the constraints and additional constraints. A design support system characterized by the following features.

5. A design support system according to claim 1, The system includes an alert notification unit that generates an alert if the alternative part identification unit cannot identify a suitable alternative part from the alternative part information while satisfying the constraints. A design support system characterized by the following features.

6. A design support system according to claim 1, The output unit includes an alert notification unit that generates an alert if it is unable to output information for the alternative component in which the predicted value of the environmental indicator exceeds the target value. A design support system characterized by the following features.

7. A design support method using an information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device is The system includes a storage unit for storing product component configuration information, alternative component information including components that can replace the components constituting the product, usage scenario information defining usage scenarios for the product, regulatory information specifying legal regulations relating to the product, improvement item information including improvement items for the product's environmental indicators, and design constraint information that the product must satisfy, and a processing unit. The aforementioned processing unit, For the product subject to design changes, an improvement item identification step is to identify target values ​​for the environmental indicators that should be met throughout the product's lifecycle, in accordance with at least one of the usage scenarios, regulations, or improvement items; A step of identifying a substitute part from the substitute part information that can be substituted for the components constituting the product while satisfying the constraints, A calculation step to identify predicted values ​​of the environmental indicators for the product that has been replaced with the aforementioned substitute parts, An output step which outputs information for the alternative part in which the predicted value of the environmental indicator exceeds the target value, A design support method characterized by implementing the following.

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