Methods for obtaining information related to the target products and recycling methods.

Abstract

The method for obtaining information related to the target product will be designed to allow for easy and accurate acquisition of this information when recycling the target product. [Solution] The method for acquiring target product-related information is a method for acquiring target product-related information, which includes at least one of the identification information of the target product and the recycling-related information of the target product, when recycling a target product that is an electrical product, and includes an image recognition step (S2a) of image recognition of at least a part of the target product, and an information acquisition step (S2b) of acquiring target product-related information based on the image recognition in the image recognition step.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for acquiring target product related information including at least one of identification information of a target product which is an electrical product and recycling related information of the target product, and to a recycling method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that in a case where a raw material is produced from PET bottles collected at a recycling processing facility and a recycled product is produced from the raw material at a manufacturing plant, a two-dimensional code such as a barcode is attached to a recycled product container that accommodates the recycled product, and identification information of the recycled product container is associated with recycled product information. It is stated that this makes it possible to manage the movement history of the recycled product from the manufacturing plant to the store where the recycled product is sold.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, when recycling electrical products such as lighting fixtures, it is difficult for recycling companies to accurately predict in advance whether the recovered materials obtained from the electrical products can be traded, the type of recovered material, and the quantity eligible for trade, etc. For example, determining the quantity eligible for trade of recovered materials requires mechanical or chemical processing or measurement, which increases the time and cost required to predict recycling-related information. Furthermore, it is difficult to easily and accurately obtain identification information for electrical products when recycling them. For this reason, there is room for improvement in terms of easily and accurately obtaining product-related information, including at least one of the product identification information and recycling-related information for the product, when recycling target products which are electrical products.

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to enable easy and accurate acquisition of information related to the target product when recycling the target product, in the method for acquiring information related to the target product and the recycling method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A method for acquiring target product-related information, which is one aspect of the present disclosure, is a method for acquiring target product-related information, which includes at least one of identification information of the target product and recycling-related information of the target product, when recycling a target product that is an electrical product, and includes an image recognition step of image recognition of at least a part of the target product, and an information acquisition step of acquiring target product-related information based on the image recognition of the image recognition step.

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure, a recycling method, involves obtaining product-related information using the method for obtaining product-related information of this disclosure, and then automatically performing at least a portion of the recycling process for the product using the obtained product-related information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for acquiring and recycling information related to a target product, information related to the target product is acquired by image recognition of at least a portion of the target product, so that information related to the target product can be easily and accurately acquired when recycling the target product. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the product collection and transportation route, including a recycling company that performs the method for obtaining product-related information of the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the fresh material content of conventional products (a), the fresh material content of new products (b), and the estimated fresh material content of future new products (c). [Figure 3] This block diagram shows a method for estimating the transaction quantity and calculating the deemed fresh material quantity using the method for obtaining product-related information of the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing a recycling method performed using the method for obtaining product-related information of the embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing a recycling amount estimation system including a code reader used in a method for acquiring product-related information of an embodiment. [Figure 6] This diagram shows a table representing the transaction volume for each material corresponding to the first attribute, used to estimate the transaction volume, which is the amount of recycled product in question. [Figure 7] This block diagram shows a method for identifying the quantity to be traded and calculating the deemed fresh material quantity using a method for obtaining target product-related information as described in another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following will describe in detail, with reference to the drawings, the method for acquiring information related to the target product and the recycling method related to this disclosure. Figure 1 shows a collection and transportation route 10 of the target product, including a recycling company 16 that performs the method for acquiring information related to the target product and the recycling method of the embodiment.

[0011] The collection and transport route 10 includes the product manufacturer 12, the user 14, and the recycler 16. The product manufacturer 12 is a company that manufactures and sells the target product, which is an electrical product. The following explanation describes the case where the target product is a lighting fixture, but the target product may also be an electrical product other than a lighting fixture, such as an air conditioner.

[0012] Product manufacturer 12 sells new lighting fixtures to one or more users 14 through a retailer or wholesaler. Users 14 are also those who intend to dispose of the target product, which is a used lighting fixture. Users 14 are not limited to natural persons, but may also be corporations or other entities. Furthermore, users 14 may be individuals or corporations who purchase and use new lighting fixtures from product manufacturers other than product manufacturer 12 through a retailer or wholesaler, and who intend to dispose of those lighting fixtures.

[0013] Product manufacturer 12 is also a collection company that aims to recycle resources by collecting the target products from users 14 and transporting the collected target products to recycling companies for material recycling. Product manufacturer 12 may collect used target products directly from users 14, or it may use a collection company to collect the target products. In addition, product manufacturer 12 may collect the target products from construction contractors, etc., who remove the used target products when users 14 replace the target products, which are lighting fixtures, and install the new target products.

[0014] The product manufacturer 12 collects the products and then transports them to a recycling company. The recycling company then processes the products for recycling.

[0015] On the other hand, in recent years, there has been a demand for achieving high-level circulation of resources, which covers the production of products through resource utilization, the use of products, the collection of used products, and the reuse of resources. As a method for achieving such high-level resource circulation, the present inventors have conceived that when a collection company such as a product manufacturer 12 collects used target products from users 14, construction contractors, or other parties and transfers them to a recycler, the recycler is requested to issue a certificate specifying the transaction volume of recovered materials obtained from the target products. Here, the "recovered material" refers to a material recovered from a used target product for producing recycled materials that can be used for other objects such as other products. The "transaction volume" refers to the weight of the portion of the recovered material that can be used for producing recycled materials, and is the volume of recycling that is the subject of transaction.

[0016] At this time, when the company issued the certificate discloses the usage amounts of virgin materials and recycled materials in the materials of a new product, it is conceivable that an amount obtained by subtracting the transaction volume specified in the certificate from the usage amount of virgin materials is indicated as the "deemed virgin material amount". It is considered that by bringing this deemed virgin material amount close to zero, the company's contribution to resource saving can be demonstrated.

[0017] Figure 2 shows the virgin material amount of a conventional product (a), the virgin material amount of a new product (b), and the deemed virgin material amount of a future new product (c). Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a method for estimating transaction volume and calculating deemed virgin material using the method for identifying target product-related information according to the embodiment.

[0018] The "deemed virgin material amount" is a concept defined in the present embodiment. For example, when a company that has developed and produced a new product announces the new product, as shown in Figure 1(a), the usage amounts of recycled material and virgin material in a conventional product, and as shown in Figure 1(b), the usage amounts of recycled material and virgin material in the new product are presented. By indicating that the proportion of virgin material has decreased, it is conceivable that the contribution to resource saving can be demonstrated.

[0019] In this case, for example, a company producing a new product delivers used conventional products belonging to the same group as the new product, for a specific material, to a recycler. The recycler can recover recovered materials, which are recyclable materials, from the used products, and a certificate is used to identify that a transaction target amount, which is a recyclable amount that can be traded as recycled material among the recovered materials, is obtained. Here, the "transaction target amount" can be obtained by multiplying the weight, which is the amount of recovered material obtained from used products by disassembly, sorting, etc. performed by the recycler, by a recycling rate, which is a predetermined coefficient according to the type of recovered material, the recycling method described later, and other factors.

[0020] For example, consider a case where a company that develops and produces new products indicates the usage amounts of recycled material and virgin material for a specific material used in the new product as shown in Fig. 1(c). In this case, let A be the total disposed amount (estimated value) of conventional used products belonging to the same group as the new product, and let B be the total weight of the transaction target amount of the specific material specified by a plurality of certificates for the used products. In this case, the transaction target amount C per product obtained by B / A is subtracted from the virgin material amount D per product of the new product, and the obtained amount is defined as the deemed virgin material amount E. That is, E=D-C. In this case, by setting the deemed virgin material amount E to 0 or bringing it close to 0, the resource conservation contribution of the company that develops and produces the new product can be indicated.

[0021] On the other hand, in this case, it is necessary to specify the transaction target amount of the recovered material. For this specification, it is conceivable that the recycler actually calculates and acquires the amount of recovered material by performing mechanical or chemical processing and measurement after disassembling or crushing the used products. However, in this case, costs and man-hours may increase significantly due to the mechanical or chemical processing and measurement. Such inconveniences can be prevented when the target product-related information acquisition method of the embodiment described below is used.

[0022] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, an information acquisition step (S2) including the acquisition of identification information, an attribute determination step (S3), and an estimation step (S4) are performed in order to estimate the trading volume of the target product. These steps are performed by the recycling company 16 using the recycling volume estimation system 30 described later.

[0023] First, in the collection step (S1), for example, the product manufacturer 12 collects the used target product from the site where the user 14 was using the product, either through a construction contractor, a collection company, or directly. Next, the product manufacturer 12 hands over the used target product to the recycling company 16. Subsequently, in the information acquisition step (S2), the recycling company 16 uses a recycling volume estimation system 30, which includes a code reader 32 as shown in Figure 5 below, to acquire information related to the target product.

[0024] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a recycling method performed using the method for acquiring target product-related information of the embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the recycling method for target product-related information includes an image recognition step (S2a), an information acquisition step (S2b), an output step (S10), and a recycling processing step (S12). The image recognition step (S2a) and the information acquisition step (S2b) constitute the information acquisition step (S2) in Figure 3.

[0025] First, the image recognition step S2a in Figure 4 involves using an image recognition device to perform image recognition on at least a portion of the target product. For this image recognition, a code reader device 32 (Figures 1 and 5), which is an image recognition device connected by wire or wirelessly to the computer 31 of the recycling amount estimation system 30, is used. The image recognized in the image recognition step is, for example, an identifier provided on the target product. The identifier includes at least one of character information and a two-dimensional code. The character information may be a string of characters or a sequence of numbers. For example, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) or barcode, described later, may be attached to the target product, and the code reader device 32 may have the function of reading that two-dimensional code by image recognition. Note that if the identifier includes character information, a camera that performs image recognition is used instead of the code reader device as the image recognition device.

[0026] Next, in the information acquisition step S2b in Figure 4, the computer 31 acquires information related to the target product based on the image recognition in the image recognition step.

[0027] The product-related information includes identification information, including the product's attributes, and recycling-related information for the product. "Attributes" represent the type of electrical product, such as lighting fixtures, air conditioners, or refrigerators.

[0028] "Identification information" refers to the identification number, identification symbol, identification string, or combination thereof of the used product in question. The identification information may also include the identification information of the group to which the product belongs, among the attributes of the product in question.

[0029] "Recycling-related information" includes, for example, the types of recyclable materials in the target product, such as metals like iron and aluminum, and resins and glass. Recycling-related information may also include at least one of the following: whether or not the material can be recycled, and the processing method for material recycling. Furthermore, recycling-related information may also include information related to environmentally harmful substances contained in the target product, such as mercury contained in fluorescent lamps or lead glass. If recycling companies can recognize in advance whether or not the target product contains environmentally harmful substances, they will be more likely to exercise caution and select a more appropriate recycling method.

[0030] The identifier, such as a two-dimensional code, provided on the target product may be configured such that the identifier itself can retrieve information, such as the attributes of the target product and the identification number of the target product itself, and recycling-related information, such as recyclable materials and whether or not material recycling is possible, by referring to a table pre-stored in the computer 31. In this case, the computer 31 retrieves the target product-related information based on the image recognized in the image recognition step, using electrical communication means such as the internet, without accessing a server located away from the computer 31.

[0031] Furthermore, an identifier such as a two-dimensional code provided on the target product may represent identification information such as the product's identification number. The computer 31 may acquire the identification information from the image recognized in the image recognition step, and the computer 31 may also automatically access data on a homepage provided by the product manufacturer, etc., via a communication unit and a server on the Web. In this case, the homepage of the product manufacturer, etc., can transmit data on other product-related information such as attributes and recycling-related information in advance, corresponding to the identification information such as the identification number. Therefore, through the above access, other identification information and recycling-related information are searched using the identification information as a key, and the corresponding information is transmitted to the computer 31. As a result, the computer 31 may acquire product-related information from a server located away from the computer 31 via electrical communication means, based on the image recognized in the image recognition step.

[0032] In this case, a large amount of necessary information can be acquired through the image recognition step and the information acquisition step, and since that information is updated with newer information as needed, it is easy to acquire newer information. Furthermore, when performing the image recognition step and the information acquisition step, the worker can wear an AR (augmented reality) goggle, which is a wearable device that can be worn on the head and can display data internally. The worker can then view the target product through the AR goggle, use the product's identifier as an AR marker, perform image recognition with the camera, and display the acquired information within the AR goggle. The AR goggle may also be a pair of eyeglasses-type AR glasses.

[0033] Next, in the output step S10 in Figure 4, the identification information of the target product and recycling-related information are output from the acquired target product-related information. At this time, the output destination for the identification information and recycling-related information can be an external storage device, an external server, the display or printer of the computer 31 that constitutes the recycling amount estimation system 30, etc.

[0034] Next, in the recycling process step S12 in Figure 4, the recycling company 16 performs material recycling of the target product. At this time, the recycling company 16 can use the identification information and recycling-related information output in S10 to select a more appropriate recycling method and perform the material recycling process. Furthermore, the recycling method of the embodiment can be configured such that, after acquiring target product-related information using the target product-related information acquisition method of the embodiment, at least a part of the material recycling process of the target product is automatically processed using the acquired target product-related information. For example, if the acquired recycling-related information includes recyclable materials or material recycling processing methods for the target product, the recycling company 16 will automatically perform the process of identifying the recyclable materials and material recycling processing methods when actually performing the material recycling process of the target product. In other words, a part of the recycling process is automatically performed using the information acquired by the computer. This eliminates the need to perform physical or chemical processing to identify recyclable materials and material recycling processing methods.

[0035] Figure 5 shows a block diagram of the recycling amount estimation system 30. The recycling amount estimation system 30 includes a computer 31 and a code reading device 32. The computer 31 is composed of an input device 34, a storage unit 36, an arithmetic unit 38, and an output device 46. The input device 34 includes a keyboard and a mouse. The storage unit 36 ​​may be RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 36 ​​has the function of temporarily storing read programs and processing data, and the function of pre-storing control programs, etc. The arithmetic unit 38 is composed of, for example, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit). The arithmetic unit 38 has the function of reading and executing programs, etc., pre-stored in the storage unit. The output device 46 is composed of a display or a printer.

[0036] The arithmetic unit 38 executes a program to realize the functions of the main body of the apparatus, system, or method in this disclosure. The arithmetic unit 38 can be of any type as long as it can realize the functions by executing a program. For example, the arithmetic unit 38 may be a CPU. The arithmetic unit 38 may consist of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integration (LSI). Multiple electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip or provided on multiple chips. Multiple chips may be aggregated in one device or provided in multiple devices. A non-temporary recording medium such as an optical disc or a hard disk drive may be used as the storage unit 36. An external storage device may be connected to the arithmetic unit 38 as a storage unit.

[0037] The memory unit 36 ​​stores input information entered using the input device 34 and product-related information read by the image recognition of the code reader 32.

[0038] The code reader 32 is connected to a computer by wire or wireless connection and can read product-related information of a target product by image recognition of a two-dimensional code such as a QR code provided on the target product. The code reader 32 may be a smartphone or a portable information terminal such as a PDA that has a function to read two-dimensional codes such as QR codes. The code reader 32 may also be composed of a camera.

[0039] The calculation unit 38 includes an information acquisition unit 40, an attribute determination unit 42, and a transaction volume estimation unit 44. The information acquisition unit 40 acquires product-related information of the target product via a code reader 32.

[0040] The attribute determination unit 42 determines the attributes of the target product by obtaining the attributes from the identification information obtained by the information acquisition unit 40. The transaction volume estimation unit 44 estimates the transaction volume of recovered material obtained from the target product based on the acquired identification information and predetermined correspondence information.

[0041] Correspondence information is stored, for example, in a table 50 shown in Figure 6, and table 50 is stored in a storage unit 36. Figure 6 shows a table 50 that represents the transaction volume for each material corresponding to a first attribute, which is used to estimate the transaction volume of the target product. In Figure 6, the attribute included in the correspondence information is shown as a table 50 for lighting devices, but tables can be set up for each attribute of various electrical products such as air conditioners, televisions, and washing machines.

[0042] In Table 50 shown in Figure 6, the vertical columns contain identification information for used products, such as Lighting Device 1, 2, 3, etc. However, this column can also contain identification numbers for multiple products belonging to the Lighting Device category. Furthermore, the number of products is not limited to five; any number can be entered. In the horizontal columns of Table 50 in Figure 6, the types of materials recovered from the products are entered. Metals A, B, and C represent different types of metals, and can be selected and entered from, for example, iron, copper, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, gold, etc. More than four types of metals can be entered in the table. Resins A and B represent different types of resins, and can be selected and entered from, for example, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), etc. More than five types of resins can be entered in Table 50.

[0043] In Table 50 shown in Figure 6, the trading quantities of multiple materials, which are recovered materials obtained from individual used products corresponding to the identification information, are predetermined in A11, B11, etc. The trading quantity is determined by multiplying the weight of each recovered material per individual product, which can be determined in advance by measurement, by a predetermined recycling rate.

[0044] The trading volume estimation unit 44 of the computer 31 estimates the trading volume corresponding to the identification information based on the table 50, which defines the trading volumes of multiple materials corresponding to the identification information as described above, and the acquired identification information.

[0045] For example, when computer 31 obtains identification information of a target product by image recognition using a code reader 32, the transaction quantity estimation unit 44 selects the lighting fixture table 50 in Figure 5 from the attributes included in the identification information, calculates the transaction quantity corresponding to each material such as metal A and metal B of the lighting fixture 1 from table 50 and the identification information, and outputs the calculation result to an output device 46 such as a display. At this time, computer 31 may also have a certificate creation function and create a certificate specifying the transaction quantity, which is then output by the output device 46. The certificate may also be issued by transmitting it to a terminal PC of a collection company such as a product manufacturer 12 via a communication network such as the Internet between the communication unit (not shown) of computer 31 and the Internet.

[0046] The method for estimating the transaction volume shown in Figure 3 is performed using the recycling volume estimation system 30 described above. In S4 shown in Figure 3, after the attribute determination step in S3, the transaction volume estimation unit 44 of the computer 31 performs an estimation step in which it estimates the transaction volume, which is the amount of recycled material obtained from the target product, based on the acquired identification information and a table containing predetermined correspondence information.

[0047] At this point, the estimation step estimates the transaction volume using a table 50 in which corresponding information is stored in advance according to the attributes. In other words, since attributes are associated with the identification information, the table 50 corresponding to the attributes can be efficiently read from the storage unit 36, and the transaction volume can be estimated efficiently.

[0048] Next, the computer 31 etc. creates and outputs a certificate specifying the transaction quantity, and the recycling company 16 issues the certificate to the product manufacturer 12 or other collection company (S6). Then, the collection company uses the transaction quantity specified in the certificate to calculate the deemed fresh material quantity of the new product etc. (S7).

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the recycling company 16 actually disassembles (S5) the used target products that have been collected (S1) and handed over to the collection company, and performs material recycling processing to extract recovered materials from the target products. After performing the material recycling processing, the recycling company 16 may issue a certificate specifying the amount of materials to be traded.

[0050] The memory unit 36 ​​of the computer 31 stores a transaction volume estimation program that causes the computer 31 to execute a method for estimating the transaction volume, which includes the above-mentioned information acquisition step (S2), attribute determination step (S3), and transaction volume estimation step (S4).

[0051] According to the above-described method for obtaining information on target products and recycling, it is not necessary to actually perform mechanical or chemical processing or measurements to obtain the quantity of recovered material obtained from used target products in order to identify the materials eligible for trading. This reduces the cost and man-hours required to identify the quantities eligible for trading.

[0052] Furthermore, as described above, Table 50, which is predetermined as corresponding information, includes information for each material, with at least metals and resins separated, and in the transaction quantity estimation step (S4), the transaction quantity is estimated for each material. This makes it easier to use the transaction quantity, such as by calculating the deemed fresh material quantity.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the used products include lighting fixtures. In locations where lighting fixtures are installed, many fixtures are often arranged together, making it easy to collect a large number of fixtures. In addition, since lighting fixtures are often composed of a main body containing metal and a light-transmitting cover containing resin, it is relatively easy to extract the recovered material by material. As a result, a relatively large amount of recovered material from used products can be traded. This allows for a higher utilization rate of the estimated amount of material to be traded.

[0054] In the above configuration, the attribute determination unit 42 determines the attributes of the used product from the acquired identification information. However, if the recycling company 16 or the like knows the attributes of the used product, the attributes may be input using the input device 34 of the computer 31, and the transaction quantity estimation unit 44 may use the input attributes to estimate the transaction quantity. Alternatively, the attribute determination step (S3) may be omitted in the recycling quantity estimation method of this disclosure, and the attribute determination unit 42 may be omitted in the recycling quantity estimation system of this disclosure, with the transaction quantity of the recovered material estimated from the identification information and correspondence information of the used product.

[0055] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, the table storing the correspondence information may be configured to contain different information depending on the recycling process for extracting recovered materials from used products. For example, in the process of extracting recovered materials in the recycling process, there are two methods: one in which the used product is disassembled by hand into individual parts or into units, and then the recovered materials are sorted and extracted by material; and another in which the used product is crushed in bulk and then the recovered materials are sorted and extracted by material. In this case, disassembling the product into individual parts or units and extracting the recovered materials tends to result in higher accuracy of material sorting and a higher volume of recovered materials to be traded compared to extracting them after crushing. For this reason, different tables may be prepared and stored depending on the recycling process, with the volume to be traded defined by the relationship between identification information and material. In this case, the tables include information about the disassembly procedure for disassembling the used product.

[0056] In this case, in the transaction quantity estimation step (S4), the transaction quantity is estimated using one or both of the different tables depending on the recycling process. For example, if one of the recycling processes is not predetermined, the transaction quantities obtained using both tables are estimated separately for each recycling process. For example, different transaction quantities are estimated for processes that include parts disassembly and processes that include crushing. Also, if one of the recycling processes is predetermined by input using the input device 34, the transaction quantity is estimated using only the table corresponding to that process. This allows for the estimation of the transaction quantity with higher accuracy.

[0057] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 6, the table is stored in the storage unit 36 ​​of the computer 31. However, in an alternative embodiment, the table may be pre-stored in a computer different from the computer 31. Furthermore, one or more tables may be stored in a computer other than that of a recycling company, such as a collection company. For example, the computer of the recycling company 16 may be able to communicate with other computers, such as those of the collection company, where the tables are stored, via a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN. In this case, for example, when the recycling company 16 inputs product identification information using the input device 34, the computer 31 may be configured to download and obtain the table corresponding to the identification information from the collection company's computer.

[0058] Alternatively, the collection company may have a computer 31 having a storage unit that stores one or more tables and a transaction volume estimation unit, and the recycling company 16 may share the correspondence information stored in the tables in electronic form with the collection company. In this case, the recycling company 16 can use the input device of its terminal PC to transmit identification information to the collection company's computer 31 via the internet, and the transaction volume estimation unit 44 of the computer 31 will estimate the corresponding transaction volume, and the recycling company 16's terminal PC can receive the estimation result via the internet. The recycling company 16 can then use the estimation result obtained from this reception to create a certificate.

[0059] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating a method for identifying the quantity to be traded and calculating the deemed fresh material quantity using a method for acquiring target product-related information in another embodiment. In the configuration of this example, the information acquisition step in the method for acquiring target product-related information acquires identification information of the target product and recycling-related information including the quantity to be traded for each material, either without going through an external server or via an external server, from image recognition of an identifier such as a two-dimensional code of the target product (S20).

[0060] As a result, in S6 of Figure 7, the computer 31 etc. creates and outputs a certificate specifying the transaction amount. The recycling company 16 issues the certificate to the collection company (S6). Thus, in the recycling amount estimation system used in this example, unlike the recycling amount estimation system 30 in Figure 5, the attribute determination unit 42 and the transaction amount estimation unit 44 can be omitted from the calculation unit 38.

[0061] With the configuration in this example, the amount of memory and computation required on the computer 31 to identify the transaction volume can be reduced compared to the configurations in Figures 1 to 6. In this example, the other configurations and operations are the same as those in Figures 1 to 6.

[0062] In addition, in each of the above examples, a mobile device such as a smartphone may be used instead of the computer 31. In this case, a camera built into the mobile device that recognizes identifiers such as two-dimensional codes can be used as the image recognition device.

[0063] Furthermore, in each of the above examples, the image recognition step may be configured to recognize at least one of the shape and color of the target product, and the information acquisition step may be configured to acquire target product-related information based on the image recognition in the image recognition step. In this case, for example, a table relating the shape of the target product to target product-related information may be stored in the computer 31, and the computer 31 may refer to the table and read and acquire the corresponding target product-related information according to the shape of the target product acquired by the camera as an image recognition device. In this case, instead of the shape of the target product, if the inside of a predetermined shape such as a circle or square provided on a part of the target product is colored with a combination of multiple colors, the target product-related information may be related to that coloring combination, and the target product-related information corresponding to that combination can be read by referring to the table.

[0064] Furthermore, in each of the above examples, the recycling-related information may include, for example, the economic value of the used product in relation to the period of use under normal usage conditions. It is also possible to use an image recognition device, such as a code reader, to image-recognize an identifier provided on the product and obtain recycling-related information including the economic value from that image recognition. In this case, before having the product collected by a collection company, the user 14 can use the image recognition device to image-recognize the identifier and obtain product-related information including economic value information based on the image recognition.

[0065] When this method is used, the user 14 can recognize the economic value of the used product before having it collected by a recycling company, using image recognition. For example, the user 14 can recognize in advance how much money they might be able to exchange the product for, that is, how much they can gain compared to simply disposing of the product, before collection. This makes it easier to motivate the user 14 to cooperate in the circular use of resources, including material recycling, for the product. This promotes resource circulation.

[0066] Furthermore, in each of the above examples, the recycling-related information may also include, for example, a return rate, which is the weight ratio of the amount of recovered material relative to the total amount of the product in question. In this case as well, as when the recycling-related information includes the economic value of the product in question, it becomes easier to motivate the user 14 to cooperate in the circular use of resources, including material recycling, for the product in question. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0067] 10 Collection and transport route, 12 Product manufacturer, 14 User, 16 Recycler, 30 Recycling volume estimation system, 31 Computer, 32 Code reader, 34 Input device, 36 Storage unit, 38 Calculation unit, 40 Information acquisition unit, 42 Attribute determination unit, 44 Transaction volume estimation unit, 46 Output device, 50 Table.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining product-related information, which includes at least one of the identification information of the product and recycling-related information of the product, when recycling a target product that is an electrical product, An image recognition step of image recognition of at least a portion of the target product, The process includes an information acquisition step of acquiring information related to the target product based on the image recognition in the image recognition step, How to obtain information related to the target product.

2. The image recognized in the image recognition step is an identifier provided on the target product. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

3. The identifier includes at least one of character information and a two-dimensional code. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 2.

4. The computer, based on the image recognized in the image recognition step, The aforementioned product-related information is obtained from a server located away from the computer by means of electrical communication. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

5. The computer, based on the image recognized in the image recognition step, By means of electrical communication, information related to the target product is obtained without accessing a server located away from the computer. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

6. The image recognition step involves image recognition of at least one of the shape and color of the target product. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

7. The aforementioned recycling-related information includes the types of recyclable materials. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

8. The aforementioned recycling-related information includes the trading volume for each material, A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

9. The recycling-related information includes at least one of the following: whether or not the material can be recycled, or the processing method for the recycled material. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

10. The aforementioned recycling-related information includes information related to environmentally hazardous substances contained in the aforementioned product. A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

11. The aforementioned recycling-related information includes economic value, A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

12. The aforementioned recycling-related information includes the return rate of the amount of recovered material, A method for obtaining information related to the target product as described in claim 1.

13. After obtaining the target product-related information using the method for obtaining target product-related information described in claim 1, at least a portion of the recycling process for the target product is automatically performed using the obtained target product-related information. Recycling methods.

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