Method and apparatus for controlling the manufacture of chemical products

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, apparatus, system, and computer element for controlling the production of chemical products by chemical production based on the amount of chemical products consumed at a point of consumption. Production control includes producing additional chemical products when the amount of chemical products at a point of consumption reaches or falls below a predetermined threshold. The additional chemical products produced can be associated with a chemical product passport, which enables the retrieval of chemical product data associated with the additional chemical products via a distributed network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, apparatus, system, and computer element for controlling the production of chemical products by chemical manufacturing.

Background Art

[0002] Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is an inventory management method in which a goods supplier such as a chemical product manufacturer is responsible for optimizing the inventory held by customers such as individual product manufacturers and upstream participants in the supply chain. This can prevent the holding of unnecessary inventory, resulting in a reduction in total costs.

[0003] In the supply of products from a supplier to a customer, information related to the supplies may be attached, for example, to meet regulatory requirements. For example, in the automotive supply chain, chemical companies provide standardized information using the International Material Data System (IMDS). This system enables data collection throughout the automotive supply chain. Participants in the automotive supply chain register for the IMDS service, and product information is registered and maintained in a central database provided and hosted by a third-party provider.

[0004] Systems such as IMDS are static with respect to data, prone to errors, and cumbersome to handle and maintain. Due to their highly specialized and centralized configuration, the exchange and sharing of data related to chemical products supplied in the context of vendor managed inventory are time-consuming. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the production of chemical products based on the chemical product consumption of upstream participants and simplify the exchange and sharing of data related to the produced chemical products.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for controlling the production of chemical products by chemical product manufacturing, the method including the following: (a) A process of manufacturing a chemical product from one or more raw materials using a chemical manufacturing apparatus and supplying the manufactured chemical product to a place of consumption. (b) A process of collecting data indicating the amount of chemical products at the place of consumption and comparing the collected data with a predefined minimum threshold, (c) A process that triggers the production of further chemical products when it is determined that the amount of monitored chemical products has reached or fallen below a predetermined minimum threshold. (d) A step of receiving a request for a distributed identifier associated with the chemical product data of additional chemical products produced, and preferably the data owner. (e) In response to a request, generate a chemical product passport containing distributed identifiers and data related to chemical product data, and assign physical identifiers associated with the generated additional chemical products to the provided distributed identifiers.

[0006] Furthermore, this disclosure relates to an apparatus for controlling the production of chemical products by chemical product manufacturing, the apparatus includes the following: - A chemical production apparatus configured to produce chemical products and further chemical products from one or more inbound materials, and to supply the produced chemical products and further chemical products to a place of consumption. - A monitoring unit that collects data indicating the amount of chemical products at the point of consumption and compares the collected data with a predefined minimum threshold. - A trigger unit configured to trigger the production of further chemical products when data indicating the amount of chemical products collected reaches or falls below a predetermined minimum threshold. - A collection device configured to collect further chemical product data related to chemical products. - A chemical product passport generator that receives a request for a decentralized identifier linked to chemical product data related to an additional chemical product, and generates a chemical product passport containing the decentralized identifier and data related to the chemical product data in response to the request. - An assignment device that assigns a physical identifier associated with the additional chemical product produced to the distributed identifier contained in the generated chemical product passport.

[0007] Furthermore, this disclosure relates to computer elements (e.g., computer-readable storage media, computer programs, or computer program products) which include instructions that, when executed by a computing node or computing system, instruct the computing node or computing system to perform steps of the methods disclosed herein.

[0008] In yet another embodiment, the Disclosure relates to computer elements (e.g., computer-readable storage media, computer programs, or computer program products) and includes instructions that, when executed by the devices or systems described in the Disclosure, instruct these devices or systems to perform steps that they are configured to perform.

[0009] All disclosures, embodiments, and examples described herein relate to the methods, apparatus, and computer elements listed above and below. Advantageously, the advantages provided by any embodiment and example apply equally to all other embodiments and examples. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The methods, apparatus, and computer elements disclosed herein enable the control of chemical product production based on data related to the current quantity of chemical products supplied to a customer, thereby adapting the production of chemical products to customer needs. This reduces storage costs for both suppliers and customers while ensuring a sufficient supply of chemical products to the customer. Furthermore, by controlling the supply of chemical products, the need for excessive storage of supplied chemical products is eliminated, thereby reducing the overall production and storage costs of upstream participants while ensuring that the production of upstream participants is not negatively affected.

[0011] The methods, apparatus, and computer elements disclosed herein further provide efficient, secure, and robust means for sharing or exchanging data between different participant nodes in a chemical value chain. The use of a chemical product passport, including distributed identifiers and associated chemical product data, simplifies and customizes data sharing or exchange from the chemical industry to participants in the chemical supply chain. This allows upstream participants in the chemical supply chain to process supplied chemical products more reliably and efficiently, while the chemical product data remains the property of the chemical suppliers supplying the upstream participants. More reliable and secure data sharing and exchange can be achieved by directly linking chemical product data with distributed identifiers and adding one or more authentication mechanisms as needed. Furthermore, including one or more authorization mechanisms enables more flexible data sharing and exchange, allowing multiple data consumption services from different participants in the chemical supply chain to access the chemical product data.

[0012] The object of the present invention is to control the production of chemical products based on the consumption of chemical products by downstream participants in a supply chain related to or including chemical products (e.g., consumers of chemical products), to simplify the exchange and sharing of data on the produced chemical products, and at the same time, to enable the data owner (e.g., chemical product producer) to control access to that data by downstream participants who use the produced chemical products. This enables chemical product data to be exchanged with downstream participants in a simple and controlled manner, and allows downstream participants to use the received chemical products to produce further products using that data.

[0013] These objectives, and other objectives that will become apparent from reading the following description, are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.

[0014] The following provides an illustrative overview of embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and / or examples.

[0015] In one embodiment, the material may be one or more chemical materials, including intermediate products used in the manufacture of chemical products. In one embodiment, the material may be a discontinuous material, for example, a continuous volume of solid or liquid.

[0016] In one embodiment, the inbound material may be a chemical raw material or a chemical material. A chemical raw material is a material used as a reaction initiator or starting material in the manufacturing process. This may be an unused material or a recycled material, for example, a material that has already gone through a manufacturing and use cycle. An unused material may include a newly collected raw material, for example, a material that has never gone through a previous production and use cycle (a material that has not been processed and / or used). A recycled material may be a material that has already gone through a production and use cycle. For example, a recycled material may be a material that has undergone processing for reuse after use. This may include processing processes such as recycling or other processing processes such as washing. A recycled material is an example of a recycled material. This may be a material that has undergone one or more processing processes after use. The processing process may be a process that makes it possible to introduce the material into the production process as a raw material. A chemical material may be a chemically processed material, such as a raw material that has undergone at least one chemical reaction (for example, an intermediate material used in a further production process).

[0017] In one embodiment, the chemical product may be a chemical product obtained from at least one chemical reaction. The chemical product may include natural chemical products. Natural chemical products may include any chemical product that is produced in nature without human involvement or intervention, i.e., unprocessed chemical substances present in nature (chemical substances from plants, microorganisms, animals, land, and marine environments, etc.) or naturally occurring chemical substances extracted without changing their chemical composition. Natural chemical products may include biological substances such as enzymes and naturally occurring inorganic and organic chemical products. Natural chemical products may be separated and purified before use, or they may be used in an unseparated and unpurified form. The chemical product may also be a synthetic chemical product. Synthetic chemical products may include chemical products manufactured through human involvement or intervention. Synthetic chemical products may be manufactured by the same or different chemical reactions that occur in nature. The chemical product may be an inorganic or organic chemical product obtained by reacting inorganic and / or organic chemical reactants. The inorganic and organic chemical reactants may be natural chemical products or synthetic chemical products. Chemical reactions can include any chemical reaction commonly known in the art in which reactants are converted into one or more different chemical products. Chemical reactions may use catalysts, enzymes, bacteria, etc., to achieve the chemical reaction between reactants. Chemical products may include raw materials. Chemical products may include chemical substances produced by reacting at least two raw materials. Chemical products may include components. Chemical products may include component assemblies.

[0018] In one embodiment, collection may include acquiring or receiving data.

[0019] In one embodiment, the defined quantity may represent the amount of chemical product supplied to the place of consumption. The defined quantity may correspond to the total amount of chemical product supplied to the place of consumption. The defined quantity may correspond to the amount of chemical product supplied to the place of consumption in each delivery. For example, the amount of chemical product may correspond to the total amount associated with each delivery of chemical product to the place of consumption. The defined quantity may also relate to data related to the total amount of chemical product supplied to the place of consumption, or to data related to the total amount of each delivery of chemical product to the place of consumption.

[0020] In one embodiment, the place of consumption may represent a production process, such as chemical production or chemical-to-individual production, where a chemical product is supplied and used as an input chemical raw material for the production of further chemical products or individual products. The place of consumption may be associated with a chemical product or operated by a downstream participant in the supply chain that includes the chemical product. A discrete product may be any product associated with an individual physical unit. In contrast to process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing involves assembling other discrete products using such discrete products. Chemical manufacturing, on the other hand, employs process manufacturing, where materials are mixed and chemically transformed to obtain a chemical product. In one embodiment, a predefined minimum threshold may correspond to data relating to the total amount of chemical products that must not be depleted to avoid consumption bottlenecks at the consumption site. The predefined minimum threshold amount may be a fixed value for each chemical product, or it may vary depending on production capacity. The predefined minimum threshold may be determined using data relating to planned production orders at the consumption site and / or historical data on chemical product usage at the consumption site.

[0021] In one embodiment, the trigger for further chemical production may be executed by an operating system related to chemical production determining chemical production data and controlling the production of further chemical products based on the determined production data. The operating system may be configured to determine production data when receiving an indication that the monitored amount of the chemical product supplied to the consumption location is below a predetermined minimum threshold related to the chemical product. The operating system may be configured to monitor the amount of the chemical product supplied to the consumption location and determine whether the monitored amount is below a predefined minimum threshold. In response to the determination, the operating system may further be configured to determine production data.

[0022] In one embodiment, the additional chemical product may be the same as the chemical product already supplied to the consumption location. However, the chemical product already supplied to the consumption location and the additional chemical product may differ in that the additional chemical product represents another batch of the chemical product previously supplied to the consumption location. The further (additional) chemical product may be produced based on chemical production data, such as a parts list or recipe related to the previously supplied chemical product.

[0023] In one embodiment, a physical identifier (hereinafter also referred to as a physical identifier element) may represent any physical configuration that enables the unique identification of a chemical product. The physical identifier can be any identifier for the chemical product, such as a batch number, lot number, order number, etc., assigned to the chemical product. The lot number may be assigned to the chemical product during manufacture. The order number may be assigned when transferring a certain amount of the chemical product to the consumption location. The order number may be associated with the identification information of the chemical product manufacturer and the entity at the consumption location. The physical identifier may include passive or active elements such as QR codes (registered trademarks) and RFID tags, but is not limited thereto. The physical identifier may also include a marker embedded in the chemical product. The physical identifier may be associated with or linked to a decentralized identifier. Thereby, the physical entity of the further chemical product may be linked to the digital twin of the further chemical product.

[0024] In one embodiment, a distributed identifier may include chemical product data for further chemical products manufactured, and optionally any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner. The distributed identifier can connect the physical entity of the further chemical product to the digital twin of the further chemical product. The distributed identifier may uniquely identify the further chemical product and / or its digital twin within a distributed network. The distributed identifier may include one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or digital identifiers (DIDs). One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be associated with the digital twin and / or the chemical product data for further chemical products manufactured. One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may further be associated with the further chemical product. The distributed identifier may be generated by the data owner of the chemical product data for the generated further chemical product, or on behalf of the data owner. The distributed identifier may include authentication information. Through the unique association between the distributed identifier and the chemical product data of the further chemical product from which it was generated (and by extension, the further chemical product itself) and optionally the data owner, access to the data or any part thereof may be controlled by the data owner. Therefore, distributed identifiers enable data owners of chemical product data to control access to that data. This is in contrast to centralized schemes where identifiers are provided by a central authority and access to the data is controlled by that central authority. In this context, "distributed" refers to a usage in which distributed identifiers are controlled by the data owner in the implementation. A distributed identifier may include, or be associated with, one or more identifiers used within a distributed network that enable data exchange through that network. For example, a distributed identifier may include, or be associated with, an identifier for a chemical product dataset contained within chemical product data. Any combination of UUIDs and DIDs is possible. For example, the distributed identifier may be a DID while the dataset identifier is a UUID. In another example, both the distributed identifier and the dataset identifier(s) may be UUIDs.Data exchange may include the discovery of distributed identifiers for participant nodes in a distributed network and optionally associated identifiers, authentication of participant nodes in a distributed network, and / or authorization of data transfer via peer-to-peer communication between participant nodes in a distributed network. Distributed identifiers may be associated with any participant in the supply chain, including intermediate chemical manufacturers, intermediate component manufacturers, component manufacturers, or component assembly manufacturers. Distributed identifiers may be associated with machines, systems, or devices, or collections of such machines, devices, and / or systems, used to produce basic materials, chemical products, intermediate products, components, or component assemblies.

[0025] In one embodiment, the data owner includes an entity that generates chemical product data, and / or the data owner is the data owner of the datasets included in the chemical product data and / or chemical product passport. The data generation node may be connected to an entity that owns the physical entity of the chemical product on which the data is generated. The data, in particular the chemical product data, may be generated by a third-party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical entity of the chemical product on which the data is generated. The data owner may also be a chemical product producer. Thus, the data owner may own the chemical product data directly or indirectly. The chemical product data may be stored in the data owner's database or in association with the data owner. The chemical product data may be stored in a database under the control of the data owner. The chemical product data may be stored in a database accessible to the data owner. The data owner may control access to the chemical product data stored in the database, for example, via a distributed data provision network node associated with the data owner. The chemical product data may be associated with the data owner. The data owner may be the owner of the chemical product data or the chemical product data owner. In this sense, the data owner should be broadly interpreted as the entity that has access rights to chemical product data and manages access to chemical product data by distributed data consumption network nodes of a distributed network.

[0026] In one embodiment, a chemical product passport can include a digital representation of chemical product data. This digital representation can include an expression for accessing the chemical product data or a part thereof, for example, a locator (position identifier) or pointer to the chemical product data. This digital representation can include an expression of the chemical product data or a part thereof. The chemical product passport can include data related to the chemical product data, a public key, and a decentralized identifier. The data related to the chemical product data can include a digital representation of the chemical product data. When the digital representation of the chemical product data includes an expression for accessing the chemical product data or a part thereof, such as a locator, the chemical product data is stored in a dedicated storage (for example, a dedicated storage owned or managed by the data owner) and can be accessed via a decentralized consumption network node using the locator. Access to such a dedicated storage may be controlled by the data owner, for example, via a decentralized provision network node. By using a locator within the chemical product passport, the data owner can maintain control over the data because appropriate authorization and authentication are required to access the chemical product data. This enables the public sharing of the content of the chemical product passport, for example, on a public web platform, without disclosing the chemical product data associated with the chemical product passport via the decentralized identifier. Therefore, it is possible to provide transparency regarding existing chemical product passports while ensuring the necessary confidentiality of the chemical product data associated with the chemical product passport.

[0027] In one embodiment, a chemical product passport may include chemical product data. Therefore, a chemical product passport can be considered a digital twin of a chemical product. A digital twin of a chemical product may be a digital representation of a physical entity of a chemical product, accompanied by a defined semantic description of that physical entity. A digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product is therefore a digital version of that physical entity. Once created, a digital twin can be used to represent the physical entity of a chemical product in a digital representation of a real-world system. A digital twin can be uniquely linked to a physical chemical product, at least via a distributed identifier. A digital twin can be created to be identical to the form and behavior of the corresponding chemical product. A digital twin may include one or more datasets. Each dataset may include defined chemical product data. Each dataset may be associated with a distributed identifier. Each dataset may be further associated with a dataset identifier. This allows for the unique identification of each dataset included in the digital twin using the dataset identifier associated with the dataset. A digital twin may include a distributed identifier, datasets, and dataset identifiers associated with the datasets. A digital twin may further include a chemical product identifier. A chemical product passport, and by extension a distributed identifier, can be linked to a digital representation of the chemical product data contained within the chemical product passport. The digital representation can be considered an access element providing access to the chemical product passport. The digital representation may include representations for accessing the chemical product data or parts thereof, such as locators or pointers to the chemical product data. The digital representation may further include a distributed identifier. The digital representation may be stored in a repository on a distributed network and accessible from distributed consumption network nodes, while the chemical product passport may be stored in a database associated with, managed, or accessible by the data owner of the chemical product passport.A decentralized consumption network node can access chemical product data or parts thereof using decentralized identifiers and representations, and can request access to such data from a decentralized provisioning network node. This makes it possible to control access to chemical product data that includes the data owners of chemical product passports, while providing transparency regarding existing chemical product passports through digital representations. In one embodiment, a computing node may represent any device or system including at least one physical and tangible processing unit and a physical and tangible storage device capable of holding computer executable instructions executed by the processing unit. A computing node may be, for example, a mobile terminal, a production facility, a sensor, a monitoring system, a control system, a consumer electronics product, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a mainframe, a data center, or a device that has not traditionally been considered a computing node (including wearable devices (e.g., glasses, watches, etc.)). The storage device can take any form and depends on the nature and form of the computing node.

[0028] In one embodiment, the chemical product is a chemical intermediate or a chemical final product. A chemical intermediate may represent a chemical product that can be used as a raw material in a further chemical production process to produce a chemical product different from the chemical intermediate. A chemical final product may represent a product that can be used by an end user, for example, a product that is not associated with a further production process.

[0029] In one embodiment, the chemical product is a coating material. The coating material includes liquid, paste, or powder materials that, when applied to at least a portion of the surface of a substrate, form a film having protective, decorative, and / or other specific properties (see also DIN EN 971-1: 1996-09). The substrate may include metal substrates, plastic substrates, and mixtures thereof. The substrate may be pre-treated or may include at least one coating layer. The coating material can be applied using known application techniques such as dipping, bar coating, spraying, and rolling. The machinery may be stationary or mobile. Stationary machinery may include air conditioning systems, power systems (nuclear, coal, natural gas, oil, wind, hydro, solar, geothermal), generators, pumps, hydraulic power systems, wind turbines, substations, heat pumps, compressors, etc. Mobile machinery may include vehicles. Vehicles may include automobiles. Examples of automobiles include motorcycles, passenger cars, trucks, buses, vans, minivans, ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), and mobility scooters for people with disabilities. Vehicles may also include rail vehicles. Examples of rail vehicles include trains and trams. Vehicles may also include water vehicles. Examples of water vehicles include ships, boats, and underwater vehicles. Vehicles may also include amphibious vehicles. Examples of amphibious vehicles include screw-propelled vehicles and hovercraft. Vehicles may also include aircraft. Examples of aircraft include airplanes, helicopters, and balloons. Vehicles may also include spacecraft. Fixed or movable machinery may be driven by spark-ignition or self-ignition engines, two-stroke or four-stroke engines, electric motors, fuel cells, or combinations thereof (hybrid engines).

[0030] The coating material may be selected from the group consisting of coating materials and coating material components. The coating material may be selected from electrodeposition paints, primer materials, primer surfacer materials, filler materials, putty materials, base coat materials, clear coat materials, or colored clear coat materials. For example, the coating material may be a primer material. As another example, the coating material may be an electrodeposition paint. As yet another example, the paint may be a clear coat material. The paint component may be selected from a curing agent composition, an additive composition, a thinner, a diluent, a spot blender composition, a pigment paste, or a binder composition. For example, the paint component may be a curing agent composition. As another example, the paint component may be a binder composition. In yet another embodiment, the coating material component may be a thinner. In yet another embodiment, the coating material component may be a reducer. In yet another embodiment, the coating material component may be a spot blender composition. In yet another embodiment, the coating material component may be a pigment paste. In yet another embodiment, the coating material component may be an additive composition.

[0031] In one embodiment, the manufactured chemical product resides within a packaging unit. The packaging unit may be a reusable packaging unit. The packaging unit may be a single-use packaging unit (e.g., a non-reusable packaging unit). The packaging unit may be configured to store the chemical product. The packaging unit may be configured to enable the transport of the chemical product. The packaging unit may be made from paper, plastic, metal, or a combination thereof. For example, the packaging unit may be a reusable metal intermediate bulk container. The use of reusable packaging units avoids waste associated with used packaging units, thereby reducing the environmental impact associated with the manufacture and use of chemical products.

[0032] In one embodiment, chemical product manufacturing is a chemical product manufacturing network. A chemical product manufacturing network may include a plurality of interconnected processing steps. A chemical production network may be an integrated chemical production network having interconnected production chains. A chemical production network may include a plurality of different production chains having at least one intermediate product in common. A chemical production network may include a plurality of stages in a chemical value chain. A chemical production network may include a plurality of production chains that produce chemical products as outputs, using one or more inbound materials as raw materials. A chemical production network may include a plurality of hierarchies in a chemical value chain. A chemical production network may include the arrangement of physically interconnected production sites. Production sites may be located in the same place or in different places. In the latter case, production sites may be interconnected by dedicated transportation systems such as pipelines, supply chain vehicles such as trucks, supply chain vessels, and other means of freight transport.

[0033] In one embodiment, a predetermined amount of a chemical product is supplied to a place of consumption. The predetermined amount may include a fixed or measured quantity of the chemical product produced. The quantity may be expressed in any appropriate unit, such as liters, kilograms, tons, grams, moles, etc. The measured quantity may be provided by a sensor associated with a material storage facility that stores the produced chemical product or a plant that produces the chemical product. The measured quantity may be supplied to a packaging unit. The supply system may be a pipeline that continuously supplies the chemical product or a filling system that intermittently supplies the chemical product. The predetermined amount of the chemical product produced may be associated with a packaging unit used to package the chemical product. For example, the predetermined amount may correspond to the quantity that the packaging unit is configured to hold.

[0034] In one embodiment, supplying the produced chemical product to a place of consumption includes supplying the produced chemical product to a product storage facility at the place of consumption, or supplying the produced chemical product to a plant associated with the place of consumption. The produced chemical product may be supplied continuously to the plant, for example, via a pipeline connecting the product storage facility and the plant. The produced chemical product may be supplied intermittently to the plant, for example, via a filling system connected to the plant.

[0035] In one embodiment, data indicating the quantity of a chemical product is collected at the point of consumption via at least one sensor device. The data may be collected during storage of the chemical product in a product storage facility at the point of consumption where the chemical product is stored. The data may also be collected during use of the chemical product within a plant at the point of consumption to manufacture further chemical products or individual products. By using a sensor device attached to a packaging unit containing a chemical product, the consumption of the chemical product can be monitored in real time. This minimizes the time delay in determining the current available quantity of the chemical product at the point of consumption, thus ensuring that a sufficient quantity of the chemical product is always available at the point of consumption. The sensor device may be configured to provide data indicating the quantity of the chemical product. The quantity of the chemical product may include the quantity of the chemical product present in each packaging unit. The data indicating the quantity may include data indicating the quantity of the product present in each packaging unit. The data indicating the quantity may include the filling level of the product within the packaging unit. The data indicating the quantity may include an acoustic signal indicating the quantity, detected by the sensor device. The data indicating the quantity of the chemical product may include data indicating whether the chemical product and associated packaging unit were used in the production of further products. For example, the sensor device may be configured to detect when a packaged unit has moved from a product storage location to a production plant, and this movement detection may trigger the provision of data indicating that the product has been consumed.

[0036] The sensor device may be present on each packaging unit containing the chemical product. The sensor device may be physically connected to the packaging unit. The sensor device may be physically connected inside the packaging unit. The sensor device may be physically connected outside the packaging unit. The sensor device may be present within the chemical product contained in the packaging unit; for example, the sensor device does not need to be physically connected to the packaging unit.

[0037] In one embodiment, the collection of data indicating the quantity of chemical products at the place of consumption includes the following: - Collecting data from one or more sensor devices associated with a chemical product via a computing interface, wherein the data includes data indicating the quantity of the chemical product and a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product. - To determine data related to the remaining amount of chemical products using collected sensor device data.

[0038] The sensor device may be associated with a chemical product packaging unit. Each packaging unit may include a sensor device that provides data indicating the amount of chemical product present within the packaging unit. The data may be collected from the sensor device at predefined time intervals. The sensor device may be configured to provide the data when it detects a predefined trigger. For example, the sensor device may be configured to provide the data when it detects that the packaging unit has moved from a product storage location to a production plant. This avoids unnecessary data transfer within the network and extends the lifespan of battery-powered sensor devices.

[0039] The data collected from the sensor device may include data indicating the location of consumption. This ensures that the data collected from the sensor device is assigned to the appropriate consumption location, and as a result, it becomes possible to monitor the amount of chemical products at multiple different consumption locations.

[0040] Data related to the remaining amount of chemical products at a point of consumption may correspond to the sum of all data indicating the amount of chemical products collected from at least some sensor devices. Determining the data related to the remaining amount may include determining the amount of product present in each packaging unit associated with the sensor device from which the data was collected. This data may include the fill level of the product within the packaging unit. Therefore, determining the data related to the remaining amount may include determining the fill level of chemical products in at least some of the packaging units at the point of consumption. The sum of all determined fill levels may correspond to the data related to the remaining amount. By utilizing data collected from sensor devices, it is possible to determine the data related to the remaining amount in real time or near real time, without relying on consumption data collected by the operating system of the plant consuming the chemical products. The data related to the remaining amount may be associated with a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product. This makes it possible to associate the data related to the remaining amount with a specific chemical product. The data related to the remaining amount may be associated with a point of consumption identifier. This makes it possible to associate the data related to the remaining amount with a specific point of consumption.

[0041] In another embodiment, the collection of data indicating the quantity of chemical products at the place of consumption includes: - To collect data related to the consumption of chemical products at consumption locations via a computing interface. - To collect data related to the amount of chemical products supplied to the place of consumption, and - To determine data related to the residual amount of chemical products using the collected data.

[0042] Data related to the consumption of chemical products at a consumption site may include the quantity of chemical products consumed. The quantity of chemical products consumed may include the quantity consumed by one or more plants within the consumption site. Data related to the quantity of chemical products consumed may be collected by an operating system associated with the plant consuming the chemical product. Accordingly, the operating system may be configured to track inbound materials and related usage amounts used during processes performed within the plant. Inbound materials may include chemical products. The collected data may be provided to a storage environment such as a database. The storage environment may be accessible via a computing interface.

[0043] Data regarding the quantity of chemical products supplied to consumption locations may be collected by an operating system associated with the chemical manufacturing process that produces the chemical products. For example, the quantity of chemical products produced and the quantity supplied to specific consumption locations may be collected by the operating system and stored in a storage environment such as a database. Chemical products may be associated with chemical product identifiers to enable identification of chemical products by the identifiers. Consumption locations may be associated with consumption location identifiers to enable identification of consumption locations by the identifiers.

[0044] In one embodiment, the trigger for the production of further chemical products includes the generation of chemical production data and the production of further chemical products using the generated chemical production data. The chemical production data may be generated based on a chemical product identifier associated with a chemical product. The chemical production data may further be generated based on a consumption location identifier associated with a consumption location. The use of consumption location identifiers allows for the generation of chemical production data to be tailored to the needs of the consumption location. For example, different consumption locations may require the use of different production parameters to produce further chemical products. The chemical production data can identify inbound materials, any intermediates, and / or production processes. The chemical product manufacturing data can identify the manufacturing chain of the chemical product. The chemical product manufacturing data may include bills of materials for one or more manufacturing chains of the chemical product. The chemical product manufacturing data may include one or more recipes that identify one or more inbound materials for the manufacturing process of the chemical product.

[0045] In one embodiment, a request to provide a distributed identifier includes data related to chemical product data and / or an owner identifier or product identifier associated with the chemical product data owner or chemical product. In one embodiment, a request to provide a distributed identifier includes data related to chemical product data and an owner identifier associated with the chemical product data owner or chemical product. The owner / chemical product identifier may also be a string identifier associated with the chemical product data owner name or chemical product name. The owner or chemical product identifier may be provided by a physical identifier provider such as a barcode, an RFID tag, or a QR code®. Such communication can be completed via ad-hoc Wi-Fi, BLE beacons, and / or NFC. Communication between wallet apps can be performed via any available communication channel, including but not limited to web servers, ad-hoc Wi-Fi, BLE beacon signals, NFC, barcode or QR code® scanning, etc.

[0046] A chemical product passport may be associated with a chemical product data owner by including an owner identifier at the time of generation. The owner identifier can be used for data transactions such as sharing or exchanging chemical product data. The owner identifier may be provided to the transaction controller. The tracking of data transactions may be simplified by providing the data owner's decentralized identifier and owner identifier to the transaction controller or decentralized data consumption network nodes. Any transaction within the data ecosystem may be associated with, for example, the explicit name of the data owner. In one embodiment, the generation of a chemical product passport includes providing a distributed identifier associated with a physical entity of a chemical product. The distributed identifier may be provided to the node that generates the chemical product passport. The distributed identifier may be generated by a node different from the node that generates the chemical product passport. The distributed identifier may be generated by the node that generates the chemical product passport. The physical entity may be associated with the physical chemical product associated with the distributed identifier. The distributed identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the chemical product for which the chemical product passport is generated. The distributed identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the chemical product to which the chemical product data is associated. The distributed identifier may be associated with the physical entity to which the chemical product is supplied and the physical entity to which the chemical product passport is associated. For example, the distributed identifier may be associated with a physical entity such as a part, part assembly, or finished product manufactured from a chemical product. The distributed identifier may be associated with multiple physical entities to which the chemical product is supplied and multiple physical entities to which the chemical product passport is associated. For example, the distributed identifier may be associated with a physical entity of a part, part assembly, or finished product manufactured using a chemical product in at least one manufacturing process. By associating decentralized identifiers with different physical entities within the chemical supply chain, it becomes possible to virtually track supplied chemical products within the supply chain. This allows for tracking chemical products, for example, until the end of the final product's lifecycle.

[0047] In one embodiment, data related to chemical product data includes one or more digital representations that point to the chemical product data or a portion thereof. Therefore, the chemical product passport may not include the chemical product data or a portion thereof itself, but may include one or more location identifiers that point to the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The digital representations can be considered as access data for accessing the chemical product data or a portion thereof. Data related to chemical product data may include multiple digital representations that point to different parts of the chemical product data. Such different parts may overlap at some data points. A digital representation that points to the product data or a portion thereof may include at least one interface to a distributed data delivery network node associated with the chemical product passport (e.g., a distributed data network node that provides access to the chemical product passport). The digital representations may directly or indirectly point to the storage location of the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The storage location may be the database of the data owner of the chemical product data, or a database associated with it or accessible to the data owner. For enhanced security, the digital representations may indirectly point to such storage location. The digital representations may further include at least one interface to a distributed data network node. A digital representation may include endpoints for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoints) or endpoints for service interaction (service endpoints), which are uniquely identified via a communication protocol. A digital representation referring to product data or a portion thereof may therefore be uniquely associated with a distributed identifier. A digital representation may include an access point to chemical product data, or a link to access chemical product data. This allows the chemical product data to be maintained and managed by the data owner. Providing access through an access point representation simplifies data validation, integrity checks, quality checks, and access control because it eliminates the need to individually verify and control multiple distributed data points.A chemical product passport can be considered a digital access element for accessing chemical product data or a portion thereof, associated through a distributed identifier under the control of the data owner of the chemical product data.

[0048] In one embodiment, the data related to the chemical product data includes the chemical product data or a portion thereof. Therefore, the chemical product passport, including the chemical product passport or a portion thereof, can be considered a digital twin of the chemical product.

[0049] In one embodiment, chemical product data includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of a further chemical product, at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data and / or data related to the manufacture of the further chemical product. The chemical property may also be a property of the further chemical product that becomes apparent during or after a chemical reaction. Thus, the chemical property may be any property that can only be established by altering the chemical identity of the further chemical product. Examples of chemical properties include heat of combustion, enthalpy of formation, toxicity, chemical stability under specific environmental conditions, flammability, oxidation state, corrosiveness, combustibility, acidity and basicity, composition of the chemical product, recycled content used in the manufacture of the chemical product, bio-based content used in the manufacture of the chemical product, renewable content used in the manufacture of the chemical product, and pH value. The physical property may be any measurable property. Thus, the values ​​of the physical properties describe the state of the further chemical product. Examples of physical properties include absorption, brittleness, boiling point, capacitance, color, concentration, density, ductility, distribution, efficacy, elasticity, charge, electrical conductivity, electrical impedance, electric potential, flow rate, fluidity, hardness, heat capacity, inductance, intrinsic impedance, luminosity, luminescence, gloss, mass, melting point, opacity, permeability, dielectric constant, plasticity, pressure, radiance, resistivity, reflectivity, refractive index, solubility, specific heat, strength, stiffness, and temperature.

[0050] The at least one physical and / or chemical property to be measured may be obtained by a sensor configured to measure physical and / or chemical properties. The sensor may be included in the measuring device. The sensor may correspond to the measuring device. For example, the physical and / or chemical property may include properties provided by a sensor of a mobile device such as a camera, or properties provided by a measuring device configured to measure at least one physical and / or chemical property.

[0051] Data related to the manufacture of further chemical products may be collected before, during, and / or after the manufacture of those products. The collected chemical product data may be used to determine at least one physical and / or chemical property of the manufactured further chemical product. For example, emission data, recycling data, and / or bio-based data of the further chemical product may be determined based on data collected during the manufacture of the further chemical product. Data related to the production of further chemical products may include chemical production data in the production process of the product, and may also include monitoring and / or control data.

[0052] Emissions data may include any data related to the environmental footprint of secondary chemical products. Emissions data may include data on greenhouse gas emissions released during the manufacturing process of chemical products. Emissions data may include data related to greenhouse gas emissions in chemical production activities (manufacturing processes, power plants, waste incineration) that produce secondary chemical products. Scope 2 may include emissions from externally sourced energy production. Scope 3 may include all other emissions throughout the value chain. Specifically, it may include greenhouse gas emissions from raw materials sourced from suppliers. Emissions data may include data related to the carbon footprint of chemical products or product carbon footprint (PCF). Product carbon footprint (PCF) may be the sum of greenhouse gas emissions and absorptions from successive and interconnected process stages related to further chemical products. Cradle-to-gate PCF may be the sum of greenhouse gas emissions based on selected process stages (e.g., emissions from resource extraction to the factory gate where further chemical products leave chemical production).

[0053] In one embodiment, chemical product data is associated with or includes different classes of chemical product data. A class can be considered a chemical product dataset. For example, data associated with chemical product data may include one or more digital representations that point to different classes of chemical product data. Thus, a chemical product passport may include one or more digital representations that point to different classes of chemical product data. As another example, data associated with chemical product data may include one or more chemical product data classes. Thus, a chemical product passport may include one or more chemical product data classes.

[0054] Different classes may include physical data related to chemical products, chemical product declaration data, chemical product safety data, analytical certificate data related to the physical entity of chemical products, chemical product emission data, recycled material content data related to the physical entity of chemical products, bio-based content data related to the physical entity of chemical products, chemical product production data, and combinations thereof.

[0055] One or more classes may be associated with at least one authorization mechanism or authorization scheme. The authorization mechanism or authorization scheme may include rules that define which distributed data consumption network nodes have access rights under what conditions. For example, emission data, recycled material content data, bio-based content data, data related to the production of further chemical products, or a combination thereof may be associated with at least one authorization mechanism or authorization scheme that restricts access to such data to defined distributed data consumption network nodes or defined access conditions.

[0056] In one embodiment, a chemical product passport is associated with or includes one or more authentication mechanisms or schemes associated with a distributed identifier and data related to chemical product data. Through the authentication mechanisms, data access by distributed data consumption network nodes can be securely controlled, and the integrity of distributed data provision network nodes can be ensured. This enables more reliable, controlled, and secure data exchange or sharing. One or more authentication mechanisms associated with the distributed identifier may be provided to the node generating the chemical product passport and to at least one distributed authentication data registry. The distributed authentication data registry is preferably accessible to distributed data provision network nodes and / or distributed data consumption network nodes. The authentication data registry may be a central registry such as a central file system, a centrally managed distributed database, and / or a centrally managed peer-to-peer network. A centralized configuration allows for a high degree of control and standardization via a central node. The authentication data registry may be a distributed registry such as a distributed ledger, a distributed file system, a distributed database, or a distributed peer-to-peer network. A distributed configuration allows for efficient use of computing resources and enhanced control by the data owner.

[0057] In one embodiment, the chemical product passport is associated with, or includes, one or more authorization mechanisms or schemes associated with a distributed identifier and data related to chemical product data. The authorization mechanism may include authorization rules that include data transaction instructions or data transaction protocols, such as data usage policies, smart data contracts, or more complex data processing instructions related to distributed data provision and / or distributed data consumption network nodes. Through the authorization mechanism, access to and use of chemical product data or parts thereof by distributed data consumption network nodes can be controlled in a secure manner. One or more authorization mechanisms may be provided to nodes that generate chemical product passports or to nodes that access chemical product data or parts thereof.

[0058] In one embodiment, a chemical product passport is generated by a distributed participant network node of a distributed network. The distributed participant node can communicate with a distributed data-providing network node that provides access to the digital twin. The distributed participant node may also be associated with a distributed data-providing network node that provides access to chemical product data and / or data related to the chemical product data. The distributed network may also be a distributed peer-to-peer communication network. The distributed network may include participant network nodes associated with participants in the chemical supply chain and be configured to perform data transactions. The distributed participant nodes may constitute network nodes of the distributed network. Network nodes associated with participants in the chemical supply chain may be associated with raw material chemical product suppliers, intermediate chemical product manufacturers, intermediate component manufacturers, component manufacturer, component assembly manufacturer, or final product manufacturer. Data transactions may be based on a transaction protocol that includes an authentication and / or authorization mechanism. Based on the authentication and / or authorization mechanism, peer-to-peer communication is established between distributed network nodes associated with participants in the chemical supply chain. One or more authentication mechanisms may be associated with or linked to distributed identifiers contained in the digital twin and / or digital access elements. One or more authentication mechanisms associated with a distributed identifier contained in a digital twin and / or digital access element are accessible by distributed data-providing network nodes and / or distributed data-consuming network nodes. The distributed configuration enables more efficient use of computing resources and enhances control by data owners of the distributed network.

[0059] In one embodiment, a distributed data provider network node and one or more distributed data consumer network nodes may be part of a distributed network. The distributed data consumer network nodes and the distributed data provider network nodes may be considered as distributed participant nodes of the distributed network.

[0060] In one embodiment, the physical identifier is physically attached to the chemical product. In another embodiment, the physical identifier is physically attached to a packaging unit containing a certain amount of the chemical product. The physical identifier may have a one-to-one correspondence with a virtual identifier or a physical identifier through a physical connection to the physical entity of the chemical product.

[0061] In one embodiment, the assignment of a chemical product-related physical identifier to a distributed identifier included in a chemical product passport involves encoding the distributed identifier to the physical identifier. For example, the distributed identifier is encoded in a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) physically attached to the chemical product. In another example, the distributed identifier is stored in an RFID tag physically attached to the chemical product.

[0062] In another embodiment, assigning a physical identifier associated with a chemical product to a distributed identifier may include associating the physical identifier with the distributed identifier. For example, a marker may be associated with a distributed identifier.

[0063] In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of supplying a predetermined amount of further chemical products to a place of consumption. The predetermined amount may be contained within a packaging unit. The predetermined amount may be determined based on a predefined maximum threshold associated with the place of consumption. The predefined maximum threshold may be associated with the maximum amount of chemical products to be stored at the place of consumption. The defined amount may be determined from data related to the remaining amount and the maximum threshold. The defined amount may be determined based on data related to the available storage space and the remaining amount. This ensures that a sufficient amount of further chemical products is supplied while avoiding the supply of an amount of further chemical products exceeding the available storage space at the place of consumption.

[0064] In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of providing chemical product data associated with additional chemical products produced and / or generated chemical product passports, in order to enable access by distributed data consumption network nodes. Here, access to the chemical product data or a portion thereof is controlled by a distributed data provision network node associated with the data owner of the chemical product data. The distributed data provision network node may include computer executable instructions for data provision and / or processing, such as chemical product datasets, by the data consumption network node. The distributed data provision network node may be associated with a chemical production that produces chemical products. The distributed data provision network node may be associated with the data owner of the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The distributed data provision network node may be connected to one or more dedicated data storages that store the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The dedicated data storage may be under the control of the data owner of the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The data owner may have access to the dedicated data storage. Thus, access to the chemical product data or a portion thereof may be under the control of the data owner associated with the distributed data provision network node. This allows data owners to maintain complete control over chemical product data or parts thereof, while enabling the sharing of chemical product data or parts thereof within a decentralized network under controlled conditions, such as using appropriate authorization and certification mechanisms and schemes.

[0065] A distributed data consumption network node may include computer executable instructions for accessing and / or processing data within the distributed network, such as chemical product data or a portion thereof, provided from a distributed data provision network node. A distributed data consumption network node may be controlled, owned, or associated with a consumer of chemical products and further chemical products. A consumer may be any entity that processes chemical products and further chemical products at the point of consumption. A consumer may also be any entity that operates a production configured to process chemical products and further chemical products at the point of consumption. Processing may include using chemical products to manufacture different chemical products, components, assemblies, or final products. A consumer may also be a downstream participant in the chemical value chain to which the produced chemical products and further chemical products are associated. This is, for example, where the chemical products and further chemical products are used. For example, a consumer may be an individual product processor (such as an individual product producer or a participant in an individual product recycling process). An individual product refers to a finished product that is an independent article easily identifiable by counting, for example. Examples of individual products include automobiles, aircraft, and shoes. An individual product may be disassembled at the end of its lifecycle, and its components may be recycled. Consumers may receive chemical products from chemical producers or other chemical product manufacturers. Through a distributed data consumption network node, consumers of chemical products and further chemical products can access chemical product data or parts thereof related to the supplied chemical products and further chemical products, thereby enabling them to improve production and recycling using the accessed data. For example, the accessed data may be used to improve the characteristics of different chemical products, components, or individual products resulting from the supply, or to increase overall production efficiency. In another example, the accessed data related to the supplied chemical products and further chemical products may be used to control production involving the supplied chemical products and further chemical products.As yet another example, the accessed data can be used to reliably determine the chemical composition of the components to be recycled, thereby improving recycling efficiency by determining the appropriate recycling process, recycling parameters, and recycling plant. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0066] These and other features of the present invention are described in more detail in the following description relating to embodiments of the present invention. To facilitate identification of discussions relating to specific elements or actions, the most important digit (or digit) of a reference number represents the figure number in which that element is first introduced. The same reference number in the drawings and herein is intended to refer to the same or similar elements, components, and / or parts. The description is presented with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: [Figure 1] Figures 1A to 1C show exemplary embodiments of a centralized computing environment (Figure 1A), a distributed computing environment (Figure 1B), and a distributed computing environment (Figure 1C). [Figure 2] Figure 2A shows an example of chemical manufacturing controlled by an operating system to produce chemical products associated with a chemical product passport. Figure 2B shows another example of chemical manufacturing controlled by an operating system to produce chemical products associated with a chemical product passport. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a production system that produces chemical products associated with one or more chemical product passports. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a system for controlling the production of chemical products through chemical product manufacturing. [Figure 5] Figures 5A and 5B show a part of the chemical production process for manufacturing coating materials from different raw materials. [Figure 6]Figure 6A shows an example of monitoring the quantity of a chemical product at a point of consumption via at least one sensor device. Figure 6B shows an example of a system that monitors the quantity of a chemical product via at least one sensor device. Figure 6C shows an example of a system that remotely monitors the quantity of a chemical product and manages reusable packaging units for that chemical product. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of DID owner data, DID document data, and a distributed identity infrastructure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of a relationship expression that identifies the relationship between a chemical product and the materials used in its manufacture, and its relationship to a passport. [Figure 9] Figure 9 illustrates a conceptual diagram that shows how distributed data consumption network nodes associated with data users are used via distributed data provision network nodes associated with data owners to provide access to chemical product data associated with other chemical products. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling the production of chemical products by chemical product manufacturing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] Figure 11A is a flowchart showing one side view of block 1004 of Figure 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11B is a flowchart showing one side view of block 1004 of Figure 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing one side view of block 1012 of Figure 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] Figure 13 illustrates an exemplary system and related methods for generating a chemical product passport associated with a chemical production that manufactures chemical products, and for providing access to the chemical product passport and associated chemical product data.

[0067] Detailed explanation The detailed description provided below is intended to illustrate various aspects of the subject matter and not to represent the only configuration in which the subject matter may be implemented. The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein and constitute part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details intended to provide a complete understanding of the subject matter. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the subject matter may be implemented without these specific details. For example, the separation of various components shown in the drawings may reflect the use of corresponding individual physical parts in actual embodiments. Alternatively, a single component shown in the drawings may be implemented by multiple actual physical parts. Furthermore, the depiction of two or more separated components shown in the drawings may reflect different functions performed by a single actual physical part.

[0068] Other diagrams illustrate concepts in flowchart format. In this format, specific operations are described as independent blocks executed in a specific order. Such implementation examples are illustrative and not limiting. Certain blocks described herein can be grouped and executed as a single operation, certain blocks can be divided into multiple component blocks, and certain blocks can be executed in an order different from that shown herein (including methods for executing blocks in parallel).

[0069] In the following descriptions, one or more features may be designated as "optional." This type of description should not be interpreted as an exhaustive suggestion of all features that may be considered optional; that is, other features not explicitly specified in the text may also be considered optional. Furthermore, descriptions of a single entity are not intended to exclude the use of multiple entities, and similarly, descriptions of multiple entities are not intended to exclude the use of a single entity. Features may also be described as alternative means of performing a particular function or as an alternative means of implementing a particular mechanism, but these features can be integrated in any combination. Finally, the terms "exemplary" or "explanatory" represent one example among potentially many possible implementations.

[0070] Figures 1A to 1C illustrate different centralized, distributed, and decentralized computing environments. The methods, apparatus, systems, and computer elements of this disclosure may be implemented in a distributed or at least partially distributed computing environment. Data provision, determination, or processing may be carried out by different computing nodes, which may be implemented in a centralized, distributed, or decentralized computing environment.

[0071] Figures 1A and 1B show examples of centralized and distributed computing environments with computing nodes. Figure 1C shows an example of a distributed computing environment.

[0072] In this example of a centralized computing environment 100a, peripheral computing nodes 101.1 to 101.N are connected to a single central computing system (or server). In another example, peripheral computing nodes 101.1 to 101.N may be connected to the central computing node via, for example, a terminal server (not shown). Most of the functions may be performed by or obtained from the central computing node (also referred to as a remote centralized location). One node is shown enlarged to illustrate the components of peripheral computing node 101.N. The central computing node may have the same components as those described for peripheral computing node 101.N. Each computing node 101, 101.1 to 101.N may include at least one hardware processor 102 and memory 104.

[0073] Computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.N may contain program code that is graphically represented as a plurality of structures 106. These plurality of structures 106 may be referred to as executable components, executable instructions, computer executable instructions, or instructions. An executable component or equivalent may be a name that represents a structure known to those skilled in the art in the computing field, i.e., a structure that can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof, or a structure that can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, if implemented in software, those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of the executable component includes software objects, routines, methods, etc., that run on computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.N, or that the executable component resides in the heap of computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.N, or on a computer-readable storage medium. In such cases, a person skilled in the art will recognize that if the structure of the executable component resides on a computer-readable medium and is implemented by one or more computing nodes 101, 101.1…101.N (for example, by a processor thread), it will cause computing nodes 101, 101.1…101.N to perform the function. Such a structure may be directly computer-readable by the processor (this applies when the executable component is in binary format). Alternatively, it may be configured to be interpretable and / or compilable (single-stage or multi-stage) in order to generate a binary that can be directly interpreted by the processor. Such an understanding of exemplary structures of executable components is within the scope of understanding of a person with ordinary skill in the field of computing. Examples of executable components implemented in hardware include hardcoded or hardwired logic gates, which are implemented in hardware only, or almost entirely, hardware, such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), and other dedicated circuits.In this specification, terms such as component, agent, manager, service, engine, module, and virtual machine are used synonymously with executable component.

[0074] The processor 102 of each computing node 101, 101.1…101.N can instruct the operation of each computing node 101, 101.1…101.N in response to executing computer executable instructions that constitute an executable component. For example, such computer executable instructions may be embodied in one or more computer-readable media that constitute a computer program product. Computer executable instructions may be stored in the memory 104 of each computing node 101, 101.1…101.N. Computer executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data that, when executed by processor 101, cause a general-purpose computing node 101, 101.1…101.N, a dedicated computing node 101, 101.1…101.n, or a dedicated processing device to execute a specific function or set of functions. Alternatively, or in addition, computer executable instructions may be configured to execute a specific function or set of functions of the computing nodes 101, 101.1…101.N. Computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries, or instructions that undergo some kind of transformation (such as compilation) before being directly executed by the processor (intermediate form instructions such as assembly language, or even source code).

[0075] Each computing node 101, 101.1…101.N may include a communication channel 108, which enables each computing node 101.1…101.N to communicate with the central computing node 101, which is a network that enables, for example, the transmission of electronic data between computing nodes 101, 101.1…101.N and modules and / or other electronic devices. When information is transferred to or provided to computing nodes 101, 101.1…101.N via a network or other communication connection (either wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless), computing nodes 101, 101.1…101.N appropriately recognize the connection as a transmission medium. The transmission medium includes networks and / or data links that can be used to transmit desired program code means in the form of computer executable instructions or data structures and are accessible by general-purpose or dedicated computing nodes 101, 101.1…101.N. The above combinations also fall within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0076] Computing nodes 101, 101.1 to 101.N may further include a user interface system 110 used for interface with the user. The user interface system 110 may include an output mechanism 112a and an input mechanism 112c. The principles described herein are not limited to any particular form of the output mechanism 112a or the input mechanism 112c, as these depend on the nature of the device. However, examples of output mechanisms 112a include displays, speakers, haptic outputs, holograms, etc. Examples of input mechanisms 112c include microphones, touchscreens, holograms, cameras, keyboards, mice and other pointing inputs, sensors of any kind, etc.

[0077] Figure 1B shows an example of a distributed computing environment 100', where multiple computing nodes 101.1' through 101.N' are shown as filled circles. In contrast to the centralized computing environment 100A' shown in Figure 1A, the computing nodes 101.1' to 101.N' of the distributed computing environment 100b are not connected to a central computing node and are therefore not under its control. Instead, both hardware and software resources may be allocated to individual computing nodes 101.1' to 101.N' (local or isolated computing systems), and data may be distributed among the various computing nodes 101.1' to 101.N' to perform tasks. Thus, in a distributed system environment, program modules may reside in both local and remote storage. A computing node 101.N' is extended to give an overview of the components present within computing node 101.N'. In this example, computing node 101.N' contains the same components as those described for computing node 101.N in Figure 1A.

[0078] Figure 1C shows an example of a distributed computing environment 100c. In this example, the distributed cloud computing environment 100c may include the following computing resources: mobile devices 114, applications 116, databases 118, data storage 120, and servers 122. The cloud computing environment 100c may be deployed as a public cloud 124, a private cloud 126, or a hybrid cloud 128. A private cloud 126 is owned by an organization and can only be used by members of the organization with appropriate access rights, so data in a private cloud can be kept at least confidential. In contrast, data stored in a public cloud 124 is accessible to anyone via the internet. A hybrid cloud 128 is a combination of both a private cloud 126 and a public cloud 124, making it possible to keep some data confidential while making other data publicly available.

[0079] Figure 2A shows an example of a chemical manufacturing process 204 that produces one or more chemical products 206 from one or more inbound materials 202 in relation to an operating system 208. Different chemical materials 202 (hereinafter also referred to as inbound materials 202) may be provided as physical inputs from material providers or suppliers in order to produce one or more chemical products 206. Physical inputs to the chemical manufacturing process 204 may include chemical materials (raw materials, intermediate materials, or combinations thereof). Raw materials may be new or recycled raw materials. Raw materials 202 may be supplied to the chemical manufacturing process 204 from any input point. Incoming materials 202 may be supplied to the chemical production 204 at the start of the chemical production 204. Incoming materials may be considered inputs to the chemical production 204.

[0080] Chemical production 204 may be a chemical production network including multiple interconnected processing steps. The chemical production network may be an integrated chemical production network having interrelated production chains. The chemical production network may include multiple different production chains having at least one intermediate product in common. The chemical production network may include multiple stages of a chemical value chain. The chemical production network may include multiple production chains that take one or more inbound materials as input and produce chemical products as output. The chemical production network may include multiple hierarchies of a chemical value chain. The chemical production network may include the arrangement of physically interconnected production sites. The production sites may be located in the same place or in different places. In the latter case, the production sites may be interconnected by dedicated transportation systems such as pipelines, supply chain vehicles such as trucks, supply chain vessels, and other means of freight transport.

[0081] Chemical production 204 may include multiple production steps. The production steps included in chemical production 204 may be defined by the system boundary of chemical production 204. The system boundary may be defined by a location or control over a production process. The system boundary may be defined by the site of chemical product manufacturing 204. The system boundary may be defined by a manufacturing process controlled by a single entity or jointly by multiple entities. The system boundary may also be defined by a value chain having a stepwise manufacturing process to a chemical product, which may be controlled individually by multiple entities.

[0082] Chemical manufacturing 204 may convert inbound material 202 into one or more chemical products 206 discharged from chemical manufacturing 204. This conversion may occur via intermediate chemical products. The conversion may be a chemical reaction or other processing steps such as physical treatment. Since the yield of the chemical reaction may be less than 100%, a mixture of different chemical products may be obtained. Thus, a mixture of different chemical products may be produced by the chemical reaction of one or more raw material substances such as inbound material 202. Thus, the chemical reaction may be characterized in that there is a one-to-many or many-to-many relationship between the raw materials and the product. This is in contrast to discrete manufacturing where there is a many-to-one relationship between parts / components and assemblies. For example, the result of a discrete manufacturing process is a specific and predictable assembly. Since the yield of the chemical reaction is not 100%, the amount of the desired chemical product 206 (e.g., a chemical product supplied to an upstream participant in the chemical ecosystem) is less than the theoretical amount of the chemical product calculated from the amount of raw materials. Such mixtures usually require the separation of the different chemical products contained in the mixture. This avoids the adverse effects of impurities or unreacted input materials 202 on further processing of the chemical product 206. Separation may include distillation, washing, extraction, crystallization, and recrystallization. The resulting mixture may contain unreacted materials (such as unreacted input materials 202). Unreacted materials may be reintroduced into the chemical reaction to reduce the amount of materials required. The resulting mixture may contain the intended chemical product 206 to be supplied to upstream participants in the chemical ecosystem, such as consumers of chemical products or chemical processors. The resulting mixture may contain intermediate chemical products to be used as raw materials for further chemical reactions carried out within the chemical production 204. This reduces the amount of waste associated with the disposal of such intermediate chemical products and / or the amount of energy required to transport these intermediate products to another chemical production facility. The resulting mixture may contain waste chemical products (e.g., chemical products that can no longer be used and must be disposed of by incineration or other methods). Waste chemical products may be generated from undesirable chemical side reactions.

[0083] The chemical manufacturing apparatus 204 may be equipped with a plurality of sensors 210a, 210b. Sensors 210a, 210b can measure at least one chemical and / or physical property of the chemical product 206 manufactured by the chemical manufacturing apparatus 204. Sensors 210a, 210b can measure at least one chemical and / or physical property of the raw material 202 supplied to the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204. Sensors 210a, 210b may include a sensor 2010b configured to determine the amount of raw material 202 and / or the chemical product produced. Examples of such sensors include scales and flow meters. Sensors 210a, 210b may include a sensor 210a configured to measure at least one chemical and / or physical property of the inbound material 202. Measuring the chemical and / or physical properties of the inbound material 202 makes it possible to control the production process based on the measurement data. Sensors 210a and 210b may include sensor 210a configured to determine the chemical and / or physical properties of the generated chemical product 206. Sensor 210a configured to measure chemical properties can measure data related to or corresponding to combustion heat, enthalpy of formation, toxicity, chemical stability under a given environment, flammability, oxidation state, corrosiveness, combustibility, acidity and basicity, and pH value. Sensor 210a configured to measure physical properties can measure data related to or corresponding to absorption, brittleness, boiling point, capacitance, color, concentration, density, ductility, distribution, potency, elasticity, charge, electrical conductivity, electrical impedance, potential, flow rate, fluidity, hardness, heat capacity, inductance, intrinsic impedance, luminosity, luminescence, gloss, mass, melting point, opacity, permeability, dielectric constant, plasticity, pressure, radiance, resistivity, reflectivity, refractive index, solubility, specific heat, strength, stiffness, temperature, tension, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, viscosity, volume, and wave impedance. The data measured by sensors 210a and 210b may be stored in one or more databases, for example, in the database included in the data source layer 420 in Figure 4B. One or more databases may be distributed databases. The stored data may be associated with input material identifiers and / or chemical product identifiers, respectively.

[0084] The physical input may be associated with a distributed identifier. The distributed identifier may be associated with a material passport and used to access the material data associated with the distributed identifier, for example, as described in relation to Figure 3.

[0085] The chemical manufacturing apparatus 204 can manufacture a chemical product 206 based on one or more physical inputs. The chemical product may be provided to a place of consumption. Upon receiving a trigger from the quantity monitoring unit 212, the chemical product manufacturer 204 may manufacture further chemical products. During or after the manufacture of further chemical products, a chemical product passport may be generated for the further chemical products manufactured, as described, for example, in the context of Figure 9. A chemical product passport may be generated for each batch of additional chemical products produced. The chemical product data associated with the chemical product passport is provided to a distributed network and made accessible to other participants in the network (e.g., consumers of the additional chemical products). This makes it possible to track the chain from input to output and make it available for further production processes without disclosing chemical product data indefinitely.

[0086] The operating system 208 of the chemical product manufacturing 204 can monitor and / or control the chemical product manufacturing 204 based on the operating parameters of different processes. The operating system 208 can receive production demand data related to the production plan for the chemical product production 204. The production demand data may be generated based on consumption at the consumption site. The production demand data may include the target production capacity of the chemical product to be produced by the chemical product manufacturing 204. The operating system 208 can further receive a bill of materials (BOM) related to the chemical product to be produced. The BOM may include material data related to the materials used in the manufacture of the chemical product, process data related to the manufacturing process of the chemical product, and / or chemical product data related to the chemical product (such as product specification data and planned production quantity data).

[0087] Material demand data may be determined based on received production demand data and bill of materials. Material demand data may include data on the amount of material required to achieve a target production volume of a chemical product. Material demand data may include material identifiers related to the materials required for the production of a chemical product, and data on the amount of material for each material. Material demand data may include one or more material specifiers for each material identifier indicating material specifications. Material demand data may include data on the amount of material for each material identifier indicating the amount of material supplied. Material request data can identify the production chain of chemical product manufacturing 204. Material request data may include bills of materials for one or more production chains of chemical product manufacturing 204. Material request data may include one or more recipes that identify one or more materials for the manufacturing process of chemical product manufacturing 204.

[0088] One process step monitored and / or controlled by the operating system 208 may be the supply of material 204 or the release of chemical product 206. Another process step monitored and / or controlled may be the separation of chemical products contained in a mixture resulting from a chemical reaction carried out within chemical production 204. Another process step monitored and / or controlled may be determining the chemical and / or physical properties of the produced chemical product 206 from data collected in connection with the production of chemical product 206 (e.g., data measured by sensors 210a, 210b before, during, and / or after the production of chemical product 206). The operating system 208 may be configured to access data related to material 204, processes, and / or chemical product 206 produced by chemical production 202. The operating system 208 may be configured to monitor the amount of chemical product at a consumption site by collecting data indicating the amount of chemical product at the consumption site and comparing the collected data with a predefined minimum threshold. If the monitored quantity reaches or falls below a predefined minimum threshold, the operating system 208 may be configured to trigger the production of further chemical products. The operating system 208 may be configured to receive requests to provide distributed identifiers. The operating system 208 may be configured to provide links to chemical product data or to provide chemical product data and generate a chemical product passport. The operating system 208 may be configured to assign physical identifiers to the distributed identifiers contained in the chemical product passport that relate to further chemical products produced by the chemical product manufacturer 204. The operating system 208 may include a quantity monitoring unit 212 configured to monitor the amount of chemical products at the consumption site. The quantity monitoring unit 210 may be configured to determine the remaining amount of chemical products present at the consumption site (as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4, 6A, 10, 11A, and 11B) and compare that remaining amount to a predefined minimum threshold. The remaining amount may be determined as described in the context of Figures 11A and 11B.

[0089] The operating system 208 may include a collector configured to collect chemical product data related to chemical products. The collector may be configured to collect chemical product data before, during, and / or after the production of the chemical product. The collector may be configured to store the collected chemical product data in one or more databases. The chemical product data may be collected based on a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product. The collected chemical product data may be correlated with the chemical product identifier so that the data can be collected based on the chemical product identifier.

[0090] A requestor may be configured to generate a request for the generation of a chemical product passport. The request may include data related to the chemical product data and optionally, an owner identifier. The request may be received by a chemical product passport generator, which may provide a distributed identifier in response to the request and generate a chemical product passport. The distributed identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner and the identified chemical product. The distributed identifier may include at least one universally unique identifier (UUID) or at least one digital identifier (DID). The distributed identifier may be issued by a central or distributed identifier issuer. The distributed identifier may include authentication information for authenticating the data related to the chemical product data. Through the unique association of the distributed identifier with the chemical product, access to the chemical product data can be controlled by the data owner of the chemical product data. This is in contrast to a centralized scheme in which identifiers are provided by a central authority and access to such data is controlled by that central authority. In this context, distributed means that the use of the identifier is controlled by the data owner. Chemical product data may be associated with a data owner and hosted in a database accessible or under the control of the data owner. Distributed identifiers may include one or more identifiers used in a distributed computing environment that enable data exchange over the distributed computing environment, such as peer-to-peer communication channels. Data exchange may include the discovery of distributed identifiers for participant nodes in the distributed computing environment, authentication of participant nodes in the distributed computing environment, and / or authorization of data transfer over peer-to-peer communication between participant nodes in the distributed computing environment.

[0091] An ID assignment device can be configured to assign distributed identifiers contained in a chemical product passport to physical identifiers of manufactured chemical products, as illustrated in the context of Figure 3. For example, the ID assignment device may generate physical identifiers embedded with distributed identifiers and provide these physical identifiers to a labeling device. Alternatively, the ID assignment device may link physical identifiers to distributed identifiers, so that distributed identifiers can be determined based on physical identifiers.

[0092] The quantity monitoring unit 212, collection device, request device, ID assignment device, and chemical product passport generation device may be configured as a distributed service or application that runs over a distributed network.

[0093] Figure 2B shows another example of a chemical production apparatus 204 controlled by an operating system to produce chemical products associated with a chemical product passport. The process steps described in the context of Figure 2A are performed via the operating system 208 of the chemical production apparatus 204, which may be connected to an ID reader, an ID assignment device, a chemical product passport generation device 216, and a quantity monitoring unit. In this embodiment, the operating system 208 is connected to the chemical production apparatus 204, the ID reader, the ID assignment device, the chemical product passport generation device 216, and the quantity monitoring unit 212. The operating system 208 may include a collection device 218.

[0094] The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to determine the amount of chemical product present at the consumption site and compare the determined current amount with a predefined minimum threshold, as described in relation to Figure 2A. The collection device 218 may be configured to collect data related to the produced chemical product, as described in the context of Figure 2A. The ID reader may be configured to read physical identifiers physically attached to inbound materials and / or produced chemical products, as described in relation to Figure 2A. The ID assignment device may be configured to assign distributed identifiers and related information to the physical identifiers of produced chemical products, as described above in the context of Figure 2A. The chemical product passport generator may be configured to provide distributed identifiers and related information and to generate a chemical product passport containing distributed identifiers and data related to chemical product data, as described in relation to Figure 2A. The quantity monitoring unit 212, the ID assignment device, the ID reader, the chemical product passport generator 216, and / or the collection device 218 may be configured as a distributed service or application executed over a distributed network.

[0095] Figures 2A and 2B show only two embodiments, and any combination of the system components shown in Figures 2A and 2B is possible. For example, the ID reader may be configured as part of the operating system 208, while the collector and ID assignment device may not be configured as part of the operating system 208.

[0096] Figure 3 shows an example of a production system that generates chemical product passports related to different chemical products within a chemical ecosystem. In particular, Figure 3 shows an example of generating a chemical product passport for a precursor material (e.g., an intermediate chemical product) and an example of generating a chemical product passport for a chemical product that is at least partially manufactured from the precursor material. The chemical product (e.g., chemical product 206) may be produced by a chemical production apparatus 204 including an operating system 208, as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B.

[0097] The manufacture of a chemical product may involve a two-step process: 1) a step of manufacturing an intermediate chemical product from one or more inbound materials, and 2) a step of manufacturing a chemical product using the intermediate chemical product as at least a part. Inbound materials may be used as physical inputs to manufacture the intermediate chemical product. Inbound materials may be provided by raw material suppliers. Inbound materials may include unused or recycled materials. Inbound materials may be supplied to the manufacture of the intermediate chemical product as inbound material 202. The manufacture of the intermediate chemical product may be chemical manufacture 204 as described in Figures 2A and 2B. Inbound materials may include a physical identifier. The physical identifier may be a distributed identifier (denoted as a distributed inbound material identifier) ​​or may be associated with a distributed identifier. The distributed inbound material identifier may be associated with a digital twin of the inbound material. The distributed inbound material identifier may be associated with an inbound material passport. An operating system for intermediate chemical product manufacturing (e.g., operating system 208 as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B) may include, or communicate with, an ID reader configured to read a physical identifier and identify a distributed inbound material identifier associated with the physical identifier. The distributed inbound material identifier may be associated with a chemical product passport for the corresponding inbound material. The chemical product passport for the inbound material may be generated as described in the context of Figure 12 below. The inbound material data included in or associated with the inbound material passport may include measured physical and / or chemical properties, and / or physical and / or chemical properties determined from collected data related to the production of the inbound material. The physical and / or chemical properties may be measured using sensors as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B. The physical and / or chemical properties may be determined from collected data as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B.Inbound material data may further include inbound material name, inbound material producer, inbound material declaration data, inbound material safety data, emission data, recycled material content data, bio-based content data, analytical certificate data related to inbound material, certificates related to inbound material, or a combination thereof.

[0098] The operating system may be configured to access incoming material data or a portion thereof provided for the production of intermediate chemical products based on a determined distributed incoming material identifier (e.g., obtained from a distributed data provision network node associated with the incoming material supplier) (see, e.g., Figure 9). Such data may be used to operate the chemical manufacturing process that produces the intermediate chemical products. For example, if the inbound material is recycled material, a manufacturing process to purify the recycled material may be carried out. On the other hand, if the inbound material is unused material, the purification process may be omitted. The intermediate chemical products may be formed by chemically reacting the inbound material and / or by physically processing the inbound material. Chemical reactions may include polymerization, precipitation, and other commonly known chemical reactions. Physical processing may include mixing, grinding, extrusion, etc. The production of intermediate chemical products may include sensors such as sensors 210a, 210b that measure the physical and / or chemical properties of the intermediate chemical products produced by the production of intermediate chemical products, as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B. The operating system may be configured to determine the physical and / or chemical properties from collected data related to the production of intermediate chemical products, as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figures 2A and 2B.

[0099] The operating system may be configured to generate an intermediate product passport for the intermediate chemical products produced, as described in the context of Figure 12 below. Each intermediate product may include a dispersed intermediate product identifier and data associated with the intermediate product. The data associated with the intermediate product may include or point to intermediate product data. The intermediate product data may encompass at least one physical and / or chemical property of each intermediate chemical product. The physical and / or chemical property may be measured by sensors 210a, 210b or determined from data collected as described above. The intermediate product passport may further include, or be associated with, a dispersed inbound material identifier for the inbound material used in the manufacture of each intermediate chemical product. This makes it possible to track the inbound material used in the manufacture of each intermediate chemical product. The intermediate product passport may further include the data described above in relation to the receiving material passport for the receiving material. The manufactured intermediate chemical products are packaged, and the packaging may include a physical identifier (such as a QR code®, embossed code, or optical holographic code such as zero-order diffraction microstructure). A physical identifier may be assigned to a distributed intermediate chemical identifier in an intermediate chemical passport. The assignment of physical identifiers to distributed intermediate chemical identifiers may be performed by an ID assignment device operating locally within a distributed system and / or within a distributed system (see also Figures 2A and 2B). For example, a packaging line may have a labeling device that detects the packaging of the manufactured intermediate chemical. Based on such recognition, a requester can generate a request to provide a distributed intermediate chemical identifier, and a passport generator can generate an intermediate chemical passport in response to the request. The distributed intermediate chemical identifiers included in the generated intermediate chemical passport are assigned to corresponding physical identifiers, for example, by an ID assignment device. The assignment may include encoding the corresponding distributed intermediate chemical identifier into a physical identifier and providing the physical identifier, such as a code, to a labeling device configured to affix the physical identifier to the corresponding intermediate chemical (e.g., packaging).The ID assigner may be part of the labeling device, or it may be a separate device.

[0100] In the second step, the intermediate chemical product produced in step 1) is provided to the chemical production as inbound material 202 for the production of chemical product 206. The chemical production may be chemical production 204 as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B. The chemical production may be a chemical production that produces intermediate chemical products. The chemical production may be different from the chemical production that produces intermediate chemical products. In addition to the intermediate chemical product produced in step 1), further raw materials may be supplied to the chemical production and used in the production of chemical product 206. The intermediate chemical product may include recycled intermediate chemical products and / or intermediate chemical products produced by intermediate chemical production different from the intermediate chemical production described in step 1). Such intermediate chemical products may be associated with a physical identifier. The physical identifier may be associated with a distributed intermediate chemical product identifier, through which a digital twin or part thereof of each intermediate chemical product can be accessed. An ID reader may be used to read the physical identifier associated with the distributed intermediate chemical product identifier associated as described above. Intermediate chemical product data or a portion thereof may be obtained via a distributed data consumption network node related to chemical production, using a distributed intermediate chemical product identifier as described above.

[0101] Manufacturing data from the production of intermediate chemical products can be used by a chemical production operating system (e.g., operating system 208 as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B) for producing chemical product 206, as described above. Chemical production may include sensors (e.g., sensors 210a, 210b) for measuring the physical and / or chemical properties of the chemical products produced by the chemical production, as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B. The operating system may be configured to determine the physical and / or chemical properties from collected data related to the production of the chemical product, as described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B, for example.

[0102] The operating system may be configured to generate a chemical product passport for chemical products manufactured or packaged as described above. The chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier (distributed chemical product identifier) ​​and chemical product data, or a pointer to such chemical product data. The chemical product data may include at least one physical and / or chemical property measured and / or determined as described above. The chemical product passport may include, or be associated with, a distributed intermediate chemical product identifier. This makes it possible to track intermediate chemicals used in the manufacture of the chemical product, and indirectly, inbound materials used in the manufacture of the intermediate chemical product. The chemical product passport may include further data outlined above, such as manufacturer name, manufacturer brand, manufacturer identifier, chemical product name, chemical product brand, and chemical product identifier.

[0103] The produced chemical products may be supplied to the place of consumption. The place of consumption may be associated with production that consumes the chemical products to produce different products, such as different chemical products or individual products. The operating system associated with the place of consumption may use a physical identifier, as shown in Figure 9, for example, to access the chemical product data via a distributed chemical product identifier associated with that physical identifier.

[0104] Figure 4 shows an example of a system for controlling the production of chemical products by chemical products. Chemical production 204 may be the chemical production described in the context of Figures 2A and 2B. Production may be controlled based on the amount of chemical products consumed at the consumption locations where the chemical products are supplied. Chemical product production may be the chemical product production network described in relation to Figures 2A, 2B, 5A, or 5B, and may be associated with the operating system 208. The operating system 208 may be associated with a quantity monitoring unit 212. The operating system 208 may include the quantity monitoring unit 212 (not shown). The operating system 208 may include, or be associated with, an ID reader, an ID assignment device, and a chemical product passport generation device described in relation to Figures 2A and 2B.

[0105] Inbound materials 202, such as monomers, pigments, solvents, and / or additives, are supplied to the chemical product manufacturing 204. The inbound materials may enter the system boundary of the chemical product manufacturing at entry points such as resin plants, base varnish manufacturing, or pigment paste manufacturing (see Figures 5A and 5B). The inbound materials may be associated with a dispersed inbound material identifier, as described in relation to Figure 3. The inbound material data associated with the dispersed inbound material identifier may be accessed by the operating system and used in the manufacture of chemical products, as described in relation to Figure 3. The inbound materials may be used in the chemical product manufacturing to produce one or more chemical products from the materials (see step [1] in Figure 4).

[0106] The produced chemical products may have physical identifiers such as barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks) that can be physically attached to the packaging units containing the chemical products. Each packaging unit may contain a defined amount of the chemical product. The defined amount of the produced chemical product is transported to the consumption location 404 (see step [2] in Figure 4). The defined amount may include one or more packaging units containing the chemical product. Data regarding the amount of chemical product provided to the consumption location may be collected from the operating system 208 by the quantity monitoring unit 212, for example, as described in the context of Figure 11B.

[0107] The consumption location 404 may be an individual production facility that manufactures further chemical products or individual products. An individual product represents any product associated with a distinct physical unit. In contrast to process manufacturing, individual production involves assembling other individual products using such individual products. The consumption location may be associated with an operating system configured to monitor and / or control the production of products at the consumption location. Chemical products may enter the system boundary of consumption location 404 at an entry point. Chemical products may be supplied to a product storage facility or plant (not shown) associated with consumption location 404. The product storage facility may be a warehouse, tank, etc. associated with consumption location 404. Chemical products may be associated with a distributed identifier as described in relation to Figure 3. Chemical product data associated with the distributed identifier may be accessed by an operating system associated with the consumption location (not shown), as described in relation to Figure 3, and used for production within consumption location 404. The supplied chemical products may be used within consumption location 404 to produce one or more products 402 from the chemical products (see step [3] in Figure 4). Products 402 produced within the consumption location 404 are supplied to further participants in the chemical product ecosystem, such as end consumers (see step [4] in Figure 4).

[0108] The quantity monitoring unit 212 can monitor the quantity of chemical products present at consumption location 404, as illustrated in the context of, for example, Figures 10, 11A, and 11B (step 4 [5]). The chemical products present at consumption location 404 may include chemical products supplied to consumption location 404. Such supplied chemical products may be stored in a product storage facility or in tanks connected by piping to a production plant associated with consumption location 404. Quantity monitoring may include collecting data related to the quantity of chemical products consumed at consumption location 404, as illustrated in the context of, for example, Figure 11B. The data may be collected, for example, from an operating system associated with consumption location 404, and the collected data can be used to determine data related to the remaining quantity of chemical products. For example, the quantity monitoring unit 212 can collect production request data used by the operating system of consumption location 404 to control production within the consumption location (see Figure 2A). The production request data may include chemical quantity data indicating the quantity of chemical products supplied. The quantity monitoring unit 212 can collect production request data based on a distributed chemical product identifier or a chemical product identifier associated with the supplied chemical product. The quantity monitoring unit 212 can collect data related to the quantity of chemical products supplied to the consumption location 404 from the operating system 208 associated with the chemical product production 204, for example, by using the chemical product identifier. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to determine data indicating the quantity of chemical products present at the consumption location 404 from data related to the amount of chemical products consumed at the consumption location 404 (e.g., production demand data) and data related to the quantity of chemical products supplied to the consumption location.

[0109] Quantity monitoring may include collecting sensor data from at least one sensor device (e.g., sensor device 608) and using the collected sensor data to determine data indicating the quantity of chemical product at the place of consumption (as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figure 11A). The sensor device can be attached to the packaging unit of the supplied chemical product, as illustrated, for example, in relation to Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C. The sensor device can measure data indicating the quantity of chemical product by measuring data indicating the filling level of liquid chemical product in the packaging unit, such as an intermediate bulk container. The sensor device can provide data acquired via a communication interface to the quantity monitoring unit 212, as illustrated, for example, in relation to Figure 6B. The quantity monitoring unit 212 can receive the acquired data and determine data related to the remaining quantity of chemical product from the received data. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be connected to one or more sensor devices. Each sensor device is attached to a packaging unit containing a predetermined amount of chemical product, as illustrated, for example, in relation to Figure 6C. The sensor data may include a distributed chemical product identifier and / or a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product. The sensor data may further include a place of consumption identifier. By using the aforementioned identifiers, the quantity monitoring unit 212 can assign the determined data to indicate the quantity and consumption location of each chemical product. Data related to remaining quantities may correspond to the sum of all data indicating the quantity of chemical products associated with distributed chemical product identifiers and / or chemical product identifiers, and optionally consumption location identifiers. This allows the quantity monitoring unit 212 to use the collected sensor data to monitor the quantities of different chemical products supplied to different consumption locations.

[0110] The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to compare determination data indicating the quantity of chemical products with a predefined minimum threshold and transmit the determination result to the operating system 208 (step [6] in Figure 4). The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to transmit determination data indicating the quantity of chemical products to the operating system 208 (step [6] in Figure 4), and the operating system 208 may be configured to compare the received data with a predefined minimum threshold. If the data indicating the quantity of chemical products reaches or falls below a predefined minimum threshold, the operating system 208 may trigger the production of further chemical products by, for example, generating production request data and providing the production request data to the chemical production plant 204. The plant may use the received production request data to produce further chemical products from the inbound material 202 (see step [7] in Figure 4). The trigger for production may include receiving data indicating an order for further chemical products from the operating system at the consumption site. The data may include data related to the chemical product, such as a chemical product identifier, and data related to the required quantity of the chemical product. This data may be generated by the operating system associated with the consumption location in response to receiving data indicating that the quantity of a chemical product is below a predefined minimum threshold. This instruction may be received from the quantity monitoring unit 212 or the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204. Production request data may be generated by the operating system 208 after receiving data indicating an order. The operating system 208 can use the information contained in the data (e.g., the identifier and required quantity of the chemical product) to generate production demand data.

[0111] Further manufactured chemical products may include physical identifiers, such as QR codes (registered trademarks), physically attached to the packaging units. These physical identifiers may be assigned to distributed identifiers. The assignment of physical and distributed identifiers may be performed through a distributed system and / or an ID assignment device operating locally within the distributed system (see Figures 2A and 2B). For example, a packaging line may include a detector that detects each packaging unit. Based on such recognition, the operating system 208 of the chemical product manufacturer 204 may request the provision of a distributed identifier, which may be assigned to a physical identifier by the ID assignment device, for example, as described in the context of Figure 3. In response to this request, a chemical product passport containing the distributed identifier and chemical product data related to the further chemical product may be generated, for example, by a chemical product passport generator. For this generation, data related to the additional chemical product, recorded before and / or during the manufacture of the additional chemical product, may be collected or accessed, for example, as described in relation to Figure 3. The chemical product passport may be generated during or after the manufacture of the additional chemical product, for example, as described in the context of Figures 12 and 13. An example of a chemical products passport is shown in Figure 7.

[0112] Further chemical products manufactured may be provided to consumption location 404 as described above (see step [8] in Figure 4).

[0113] Further chemical product data associated with the distributed identifier may be accessed via the distributed data consumption network nodes described in relation to Figure 9.

[0114] Figures 5A and 5B show a portion of a chemical manufacturing process 204 that produces coating material 206 from different raw materials 202. Chemical manufacturing process 204 may also be the chemical manufacturing network described in relation to Figures 2A and 2B.

[0115] Chemical production 204 has a system boundary. In this example, the raw material stream forms the inlet to chemical production 204. The chemical product 206 produced from chemical production forms the outlet from chemical production. Chemical product manufacturing is paint manufacturing, and the chemical product 206 discharged from chemical product manufacturing may be paint. Chemical product manufacturing may include different production lines for different paints, such as pigmented paints and unpigmented paints. The production of pigmented paint may be carried out again using yet another production line, each production line assigned to the production of a specific type of pigmented paint.

[0116] Chemical product manufacturing 204 may include resin manufacturing 502. Resin manufacturing 502 may include one or more resin manufacturing units, each unit manufacturing a specific resin, and one or more material storage units associated with each manufacturing unit. Resins discharged from resin manufacturing 502 may be considered intermediates. Resins manufactured in resin manufacturing 502 may include polymers such as film-forming polymers. Examples of film-forming polymers include alkyd resins, polyester resins, polyimides, silicone resins, novolac resins, urea resins, melamine resins, amino resins, polyurethane resins, epoxy resins, polyolefin resins, polyvinyl resins, polyacrylic resins, polymethacrylic resins, or copolymers thereof.

[0117] The resin manufacturing process may include a raw material stream 202 containing the materials necessary for the production of each resin. The raw material stream may contain one or more monomers or prepolymers necessary for the production of each resin. The monomers may include low molecular weight compounds (e.g., less than 1000 g / mol) having at least one functional group that can react with another functional group. The prepolymers may include polymer materials (i.e., materials obtained by reacting at least two monomer materials). The raw material stream may further contain solvents and other additives necessary for the production of each resin, such as radical initiators, surfactants, and neutralizing agents. Each resin can be produced by a suitable chemical polymerization reaction from the raw material stream. Each resin can be produced in batch or continuous order using a suitable resin manufacturing apparatus such as a reactor.

[0118] The resin manufacturing unit may be connected to piping or lines capable of supplying different raw materials stored in material storage facilities such as tanks. The amount of raw material 202 supplied may be measured using sensors, and the sensor data may be used by a control system 208, as described in relation to Figure 2A, to control the supply amount of each raw material. The resin manufacturing unit may also be capable of adding raw materials by defined weights (e.g., measured amounts of solid or liquid supplied as individually packaged products such as bottles or bags).

[0119] The resin manufacturing process may include a polymerization step. The resin manufacturing process may further include a neutralization step and / or a step to remove the organic solvent used in the polymerization step. The manufactured resin may be supplied to a material storage facility such as a tank.

[0120] The resin manufacturing process 502 may be controlled by the operating system 208, as described in relation to Figure 2A, based on received material request data or a received bill of materials. The chemical manufacturing process 204 may further include a pigment paste preparation process 504. The pigment paste preparation process 504 may be supplied with a raw material stream containing the materials necessary for the production of each pigment paste. The raw materials may include the resin produced in the resin manufacturing process 502 and pigments (e.g., coloring pigments and / or effect pigments). The raw materials may further include fillers, additives, and solvents. The pigment paste preparation device 504 may be connected to the resin manufacturing device 502 via piping to enable the supply of the manufactured resin. The pigment paste preparation device 504 may be connected to a material storage device via a line or piping, and the supply amount of each raw material may be supplied using sensors, thereby enabling the operating system 208 to control the supply of raw materials based on sensor data. The pigment paste preparation device 504 may also add a defined weight of raw material (e.g., a measured amount of solid or liquid supplied as individually packaged products such as bottles or bags). The pigment paste preparation apparatus 504 may be controlled by the operating system 208 described in relation to Figure 2A, based on received material request data or a received bill of materials.

[0121] The pigment paste preparation apparatus 504 may include a mixing unit (also called a dispersion unit), a grinding unit, and a material storage unit. The mixing unit and the grinding unit may be connected by piping or lines for passing the mixed material to the grinding unit. A raw material stream may be supplied to one or more mixing units for mixing. The mixed material may then be supplied to one or more grinding units for preparing the respective pigment pastes. The prepared pigment pastes may be adjusted to a standardized color intensity and supplied to a material storage unit.

[0122] The chemical product manufacturing process 204 may further include a base varnish manufacturing process 506. The base varnish manufacturing process 506 may include one or more mixing units and a material storage unit. The base varnish manufacturing process 506 may be supplied with a raw material stream containing the materials necessary to manufacture the corresponding base varnish. The raw materials may include the resin manufactured in the resin manufacturing process 502 and the pigment paste manufactured in the pigment paste preparation process 504. Other raw materials may include solvents and additives such as thickeners, anti-settling agents, anti-sagging agents, light stabilizers, defoamers, and adhesion promoters. The base varnish manufacturing process 506 may be connected to the resin manufacturing process 502 and the pigment paste preparation process 504 via piping to enable the supply of the manufactured resin and pigment paste. The base varnish manufacturing process 506 may be connected to a material storage facility via a line or piping, and the supply amount of each raw material may be supplied using sensors, allowing the operating system 208 to control the supply of raw materials based on the sensor data. The base varnish manufacturing apparatus 506 can also add a predetermined weight of raw materials. The base varnish manufacturing apparatus 506 may be controlled by the operating system 208 described in relation to Figure 2A, based on received material request data or a received bill of materials.

[0123] The chemical manufacturing apparatus 204 may further include a paint manufacturing apparatus 508. The paint manufacturing apparatus 508 may include one or more mixing units, one or more filtration units, and one or more raw material storage devices. The paint production 508 may be supplied with a raw material stream containing pigment paste produced in the pigment paste preparation 504 and base varnish produced in the base varnish production 506. The paint production 508 may be connected by piping to the resin production 502 and the pigment paste preparation 504 to enable the supply of the produced resin and pigment paste. The paint manufacturing process 508 may be connected to a material storage facility via a line or pipe, and the supply amount of each raw material may be supplied using sensors, so that the operating system 208 can control the supply of raw materials based on sensor data. The paint manufacturing process 508 may be controlled by the operating system 208, as described in relation to Figure 2A, based on received material request data or a received bill of materials.

[0124] The chemical manufacturing can further include a packaging unit (not shown) for packaging the paints produced by the paint manufacturing apparatus 508. The paints are packaged in containers, which may be stored in a material storage facility. The containers may be equipped with a sensor device, such as the sensor device 610 shown in Figures 6A-6C.

[0125] Figure 5A shows one embodiment of the system boundary of a chemical manufacturing process, including a resin manufacturing process 502. The raw material stream forms the inlet to the chemical manufacturing process. The coating material forms the outlet from the chemical manufacturing process.

[0126] Figure 5B shows another example of the system boundary of chemical manufacturing 204, excluding resin manufacturing 502. Resin supply and raw material supply form the inlets to chemical manufacturing 204. Coating materials form the outlets from chemical manufacturing 204. The chemical manufacturing and system boundaries shown in Figures 5A and 5B are illustrative and should not be interpreted restrictively.

[0127] Figure 6A shows an example of monitoring the amount of chemical product at consumption location 404 via at least one sensor device. This amount may be monitored as described in the context of Figures 10 and 11A. Consumption location 402 may be the consumption location described in relation to Figure 4.

[0128] The chemical products 206 produced by the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204 (see, for example, Figure 4) are supplied to the consumption location 404 as described in relation to Figure 4. Each supplied chemical product 206 may be equipped with a sensor device 608. The sensor device 608 may be connected to a packaging unit 606 associated with the chemical product 206. For example, the sensor device 608 may be connected to a container containing the chemical product, as described in relation to Figure 6B. The sensor device 608 may be configured to acquire data indicating the amount of chemical product present in the packaging unit. For example, the sensor device may be configured to acquire data indicating the filling level of the chemical product in the container by, for example, acoustically stimulating the container and acquiring an acoustic response indicating the filling level of the chemical product. The data acquired by each sensor device 608 may be collected by the quantity monitoring unit 212 via a communication interface, as described in relation to, for example, Figures 6B and 11A. The data indicating the amount of chemical product present in the packaging unit may be acquired at a predetermined time or when a predetermined event is detected. For example, the sensor device 608 may be configured to determine the position (position information 609) of the packaging unit to which it is attached, and based on the determined position information, it may be determined whether or not to acquire data indicating quantity.

[0129] The supplied chemical product 206 may be stored in a product storage location 602 (e.g., a warehouse) associated with the consumption location 404 before being consumed within the consumption location. Consumption of the chemical product may include manufacturing further products 402 using the chemical product (see Figure 4). The chemical product may be dispensed from the packaging unit into the corresponding process at the consumption location. For example, a packaging unit 606 equipped with a sensor device 608 may be connected via line 610 to a robot 604 configured to apply the chemical product (e.g., onto a substrate). All or part of the chemical product in the packaging unit may be used in the process. The chemical product may be filled from the packaging unit into a tank connected to the plant. During consumption of the chemical product, the sensor device 608 may acquire quantity data at a predefined point in time, upon detection of a predefined event, or upon request from the quantity monitoring unit 212. This reduces the energy consumption of the sensor device 608 and extends the maintenance interval of the sensor device 608. For example, the sensor device 608 may be configured to detect the movement of a packaging unit and acquire quantity data after detecting such movement, and / or the quantity monitoring unit 212 may transmit a signal to the sensor device 608, and the sensor device 608 may acquire quantity data in response to receiving the above signal from the quantity monitoring unit 212. This allows the quantity monitoring unit 212 to determine the current quantity of a chemical product, for example, in response to a request from a chemical product manufacturing operating system (not shown).

[0130] The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be part of the operating system of the chemical product manufacturing 204 (see Figure 2A) or associated with the operating system of the chemical product manufacturing 204 (see Figure 2B), as described in relation to Figure 4. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to communicate with each sensor device 608, for example, via a communication interface (see also Figure 6B). For example, the quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to send data to and receive data from each sensor device 608 (see also Figure 6C). The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to monitor the quantity of chemical products at the consumption site (e.g., chemical products present in the product storage unit 602 and / or chemical products consumed at the consumption site), for example, as described in relation to Figures 4, 10 and 11A.

[0131] Figure 6B shows an example of a system for monitoring the quantity of a chemical product via at least one sensor device 608. The quantity may be monitored as described in the context of Figures 10 and 11A. The system includes a packaging unit 606 containing the chemical product, a sensor device 608, and a quantity monitoring unit 212.

[0132] The packaging unit 606 may consist of a container such as a metal or plastic container. The metal container may be a single-walled IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container). The container may be placed within a metal framework to allow for easy transport and loading. The packaging unit may also be a bottle such as a plastic or glass bottle (not shown). The packaging unit may be a reusable packaging unit, that is, it may be reused to package further chemical products. For example, after the consumption of a chemical product, the packaging unit may be transported to a chemical manufacturing facility that produces the chemical product, and optionally, after cleaning, it may be used to package further chemical products manufactured. The use of reusable packaging units saves resources and avoids the generation of waste associated with the packaging unit. The packaging unit 606 may also be a bag, such as a plastic bag or a paper bag (not shown). The packaging unit may not be a reusable packaging unit, that is, it may be discarded after the consumption of the chemical product, for example by opening the packaging unit.

[0133] The packaging unit 606 may be filled with a liquid chemical product such as a liquid coating composition or a liquid chemical compound. The packaging unit may also be filled with a solid chemical product such as solid plastic granules.

[0134] The packaging unit 606 may include a sensor device 608. The sensor device 608 can be physically attached to any part of the packaging unit, such as the outside of the packaging unit. To physically attach the sensor device 608 to the packaging unit, mounting means such as a metal bar that can be clamped to the metal framework constituting the sensor device 608 can be used. For example, the sensor device 608 can be attached to the mounting means by screws that can also be used to ensure contact with parts of the packaging unit (such as the outside of the container). The sensor device 608 may be removed from the fixing means by loosening the screws, thereby allowing for easy attachment and removal of the sensor device 608, for example, to avoid damage to the sensor device 608 during a cleaning process. The mounting means may be removable to avoid the need for re-authentication of the packaging unit if the packaging unit, such as a container, is permanently changed (for example, if the mounting means is permanently fixed to the packaging unit or a part thereof (such as a container)). The mounting means may include an identification tag that stores data related to the packaging unit, such as a packaging unit ID. The identification tag may be an NFC tag, such as an active or passive NFC tag. The identification tag may be permanently attached to the mounting means or it may be removable and can be removed before the cleaning process to prevent damage to the identification tag during the cleaning process.

[0135] The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be part of the operating system of the chemical product manufacturing 204 (see, for example, Figure 2A) or may be associated with the chemical product manufacturing (see, for example, Figure 2B). The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be a server device such as a physical server or a cloud-based server (e.g., a virtual server operating in a cloud computing environment), as described later in relation to Figure 6C. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to monitor the amount of chemical product present in the packaging unit, as described in relation to Figures 4, 10, and 11A. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be configured to determine data indicating the amount of chemical product present in the packaging unit based on data collected from the sensor device 608. The data indicating the amount of chemical product present in the packaging unit may include the filling level. The filling level may be expressed in volume or weight. The data indicating the amount of chemical product may be determined from acoustic data collected by the sensor device 608 in response to an acoustic response induced by the sensor device 608 outside the packaging unit, as described, for example, in patent application WO2022 / 233596 A1. Data indicating the amount of chemical product can be determined from acoustic data collected by the sensor device 608 inducing an acoustic response outside the packaging unit. Specifically, acoustic behavior data can be generated by determining at least one root mean square (RMS) value at at least one time interval of the measured acoustic behavior, and then acoustic behavior data of the measured acoustic behavior can be generated by comparing the generated acoustic behavior data with reference measurement data, which includes reference acoustic behavior data associated with a container containing one or more defined amounts of defined compounds, for example, as disclosed in unpublished patent application EP23151905.9.

[0136] The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be connected to the sensor device 608 via cellular communication interfaces 636 and 638 utilizing the mobile communication base station 634. The cellular communication interface 636 may be LPWAN technology. LPWAN enables reliable data transmission over long distances and in harsh environments, and is characterized by low power consumption during data transfer. This allows the quantity monitoring unit 212 to be used in locations not close to the sensor device 608, enabling centralized data processing and processing of data collected from multiple sensor devices 608 at different locations using a single quantity monitoring unit 212. Furthermore, the use of LPWAN enables low-power data transmission, shortening the maintenance interval for battery replacement of the sensor device 608. The cellular-based communication interface 636 may have coverage beyond that of a 900MHz communication system, enabling integration with WiFi networks and other LANs, and eliminating related issues such as firewalls, password changes, and different SSIDs.

[0137] The sensor device 608 may be configured to communicate with any device capable of using a WiFi hotspot or ISM technology 632 via the communication interface 640, and / or with the Global Positioning Satellite System 630 via the communication interface 642. This communication may be used to obtain data regarding the location of the packaging unit. The sensor device 608 may be pre-programmed with at least one cellular ID, WiFi network ID, ISM location information, and / or GPS location information, and the processor of the sensor device 608 may determine that any of these parameter values ​​have been detected via the communication interfaces present in the sensor device 608. The sensor device 608 may determine its location based on satellites detected using GPS technology. The location data of the packaging unit 606 may be determined by combining the WiFi or ISM frequencies detected by the sensor device 608 with a database containing frequencies associated with the consumption location. The sensor device 608 may use at least two different technologies to determine the location data of the packaging unit 606, and may be configured to obtain location data both indoors and outdoors. The position data of the packaging unit 606 may be transmitted to the quantity monitoring unit 212 via the communication interfaces 636 and 638.

[0138] The system may include multiple packaging units 606.1 to 606.n, each fitted with a sensor device 608.1 to 608.n. Each sensor device 608.1 to 608.n transmits data to a quantity monitoring unit 212 via communication interfaces 636, 638, which can process all the data collected from the sensor devices (see also Figure 6C). The data from the sensor devices 608.1 to 608.n is transmitted to different quantity monitoring units 212.1 to 212.n for further processing by these units.

[0139] Figure 6C shows an example of a system for remotely monitoring the quantity of a chemical product 206 and managing the packaging units of the chemical product. This system may include a quantity monitoring unit 212. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be part of the operating system of the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204 (see, for example, Figure 2A) or it may be associated with the chemical product manufacturing apparatus (see, for example, Figure 2B). The quantity monitoring unit 212 may be a cloud-based server to which multiple sensor devices 608 are connected, or multiple cloud-based servers. Quantities may be monitored as described in the context of Figures 10 and 11A. The sensor devices 608 may be physically attached to the packaging unit 606 containing the chemical product 206, as described in relation to Figure 6B, for example, and may be configured to acquire data indicating the quantity of chemical product in the packaging unit, as described in relation to Figure 6A.

[0140] Each sensor device 608 may be connected to the cloud quantity monitoring unit 212 via communication interfaces 620, 622, 624, and 626. At least some of the communication interfaces 620, 622, 624, and 626 may represent gateways. At least two sensor devices 608 may be connected to the quantity monitoring unit 212 (not shown) via one gateway. A sensor device 608 may be directly connected to the quantity monitoring unit 212. In this case, the sensor device 608 may consist of any of the gateway functionality and components described herein and may be treated similarly to a gateway by the quantity monitoring unit 212 in at least some respects. Each gateway may be configured to implement any of the network communication technologies described herein in relation to the sensor device 608 so that the gateway can remotely communicate with, monitor, and manage the sensor device 608. Each gateway may consist of one or more functions of gateways and / or controllers known in the art, and may be one of several types of devices configured to perform gateway functions as defined herein. To ensure the security of transmitted data, each gateway may include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) (e.g., within the controller's hardware layer). The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) may be used for data encryption and protecting the integrity of the computer processor.The TPM may be used for a variety of functions, such as: generating and storing authentication and confidential information to protect communications with one or more networks (e.g., any of the networks described herein); generating TPM objects, which are special encrypted data stored in non-volatile memory outside the TPM and decryptable only through the TPM; generating data to be communicated and stored as part of a transaction record (e.g., a blockchain record) or register; file signing to ensure the integrity and authenticity of a service (e.g., a service described herein); implementing functions such as over-the-air (OtA) updates of firmware, software, and parameters of the sensor device 608; other functions; and any appropriate combination of the aforementioned functions. The TPM may be used, for example, to encrypt a portion of the communication between the sensor device 608 and the gateway; to encrypt a portion of the information received by the gateway in an unencrypted state; or to provide secure communication between the quantity monitoring unit 212, gateways 620, 622, 624, 626, and the sensor device 608. For example, the TPM and other components of the system are configured to implement Transport Layer Security (TLS) for HTTPS communication and / or Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) for datagram-based applications. Furthermore, one or more security credentials associated with any of the aforementioned data security operations can be stored in the TPM. The TPM may be implemented, for example, at the time of manufacture, in one of the gateways, sensor devices, or servers within the quantity monitoring unit 212 and used to personalize the gateway or sensor device. Such gateways, sensor devices, and / or servers may be configured (e.g., at the time of manufacture or thereafter) to implement cryptographic techniques known to the technical level, such as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for the management of keys and credentials.

[0141] Each gateway connecting the sensor device 608 to the quantity monitoring unit 212, or each gateway residing within the sensor device 608, may be configured to process data received from the sensor device 608, including analysis of data that may have been generated or received by the sensor device and providing instructions to the sensor device. Furthermore, each gateway may be configured to provide one or more functions related to the commissioning, filling, cleaning, receiving inspection, certification (e.g., after 2 years), consumption, and other processing of the packaging unit. For this purpose, each gateway may be configured with software encapsulating such functions. Sensor devices directly connected to the quantity monitoring unit 212 via a communication interface may be configured to process data and perform the further functions described above. For this purpose, each sensor device may be configured with software encapsulating such functions. By performing such processing on one or more gateways and / or the sensor devices themselves, rather than in a more centralized manner on one or more servers within the quantity monitoring unit 212, the system can implement and enjoy the benefits of more distributed edge computing technology. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may consist of two layers: an application layer 614 containing one or more applications 612, and a service layer 618 containing one or more databases 616. The application layer and the service layer may each be implemented using one or more servers within the quantity monitoring unit 212. The quantity monitoring unit 212 may consist of more or fewer layers. The service layer 618 may include, for example, the following databases 616: a transaction database, a packaging unit database, a packaging unit contents database, and a lifecycle management database.

[0142] A transaction database can contain one or more transaction records related to the packaging units managed by the system. For example, a transaction record may relate to blockchain technology, and the blockchain can function as a secure transaction register for the system. Transactions may include commercial transactions related to any of the managed packaging units, or other state information unrelated to commercial transactions. Furthermore, data stored in each other database 616 within the service layer 618 may be stored as one or more transaction records and become part of the system's transaction register.

[0143] The packaging unit database may include information about the packaging unit managed by the system, such as mechanical specifications, shape, creation date, maintenance interval, last inspection date, material composition, and other information. The packaging unit contents database may include data about the chemical product (e.g., liquid, bulk solid, powder) contained in the managed packaging unit, specifically, components, chemical composition, classification (e.g., pharmaceuticals, beverages, food), ATEX classification of the packaging unit's contents or intended contents, regulatory information, packaging unit characteristics, other information collected over time, and other information about the chemical product. Packaging unit characteristics may include physical characteristics related to the packaging unit (e.g., climatic conditions, location, weight, fill level), maximum fill level / maximum quantity of the packaging unit, and other characteristics. For a particular packaging unit, the information stored in the packaging unit database and / or packaging unit contents database may include the same information as the information stored in the packaging unit itself, and when combined with the information about the packaging unit itself, it can be considered a digital representation of the packaging unit, such as a digital twin.

[0144] A lifecycle management database can store information about the states, rules, algorithms, procedures, etc., used to manage each stage of the lifecycle of a packaging unit. For example, the lifecycle of a reusable packaging unit such as a container may include the following stages: packaging unit production state, packaging unit preparation state, packaging unit filling state, packaging unit transport state, packaging unit use stage (i.e., consumption of chemicals contained in the packaging unit), packaging unit maintenance state, and packaging unit disposal state. The lifecycle of a non-reusable packaging unit may include the following stages: packaging unit production state, packaging unit preparation state, packaging unit filling state, packaging unit transport state, packaging unit use stage (i.e., consumption of chemicals contained in the packaging unit), and packaging unit disposal state.

[0145] Information stored in the packaging unit database and / or packaging unit contents database may be retrieved by the sensor device 608 via communication interfaces 620, 622, 624, and 626 when the sensor device 608 is physically attached to the container (see Figure 6A). After physical attachment, the packaging unit ID may be retrieved by the sensor device 608 and used to retrieve information stored in the packaging unit database and / or packaging unit contents database associated with the packaging unit ID. The packaging unit ID may be stored in a tag present on the attachment means, as described in relation to Figure 6B.

[0146] The conversion layer 614 may include various applications that utilize information and services related to packaging unit management, including information and services provided by the service layer 618. The conversion layer 614 may include inventory management applications, order management applications, other applications, or a suitable combination thereof.

[0147] The inventory application provides inventory of packaging units managed within the system, which includes characteristics (e.g., features) and contents of each packaging unit within the system (current state in the lifecycle of the packaging unit, current quantity of chemicals contained within the packaging unit, current location (e.g., mobile communication network, Wi-Fi network, ISM network, etc.) and other properties corresponding to the packaging units described herein). The inventory of packaging units may also be a group of packaging units (e.g., a "fleet") owned, leased, managed, operated and / or used by a chemical product manufacturer.

[0148] The order management application can manage orders for packaging units. The order management application can maintain and process information about all past and present container orders related to the production and process of chemical products. The order management application can be configured to automatically order new packaging units based on status information of packaging units received from sensor devices physically connected to the packaging units (e.g., via one or more gateways, or directly from the sensor devices themselves). For example, the application may be configured to compare the current quantity of packaging units with one or more predefined thresholds, such as damaged packaging units, discarded packaging units, and fillable packaging units. The current quantity of packaging units may be obtained from order information related to ordering packaging units and data related to the consumption of packaging units. Order information may be provided by the chemical product production operating system. Data related to the consumption of packaging units may be obtained from the filling line, from data obtained at storage locations, and / or from order data related to chemical product orders by the consumption location or the operating system at the consumption location. The application may be configured to interact with other applications (including each other) within the application layer 616 via interfaces. These applications, or parts thereof, may also be programmed into gateways and / or sensor devices.

[0149] Packaging unit information may be communicated in various ways between system components, including the components of the sensor device, gateway, and quantity monitoring unit 212. Such methods may include, for example, the transmission of packaging unit information within a transaction record using blockchain technology. Such transaction records may include both public and private information, with public information being widely available to stakeholders and more sensitive information being provided more selectively as private information (e.g., only to specific packaging unit producers and / or consumption locations). For example, the information in the transaction record may include private data that may be encrypted using a private key unique to the packaging unit and / or sensor device, and unencrypted public data. Public data may also be encrypted to protect the value of the data and enable data trading, for example, as part of a smart contract. The distinction between public and private data may be made depending on the content of the data and how it is used.

[0150] The number of communications between system components can be minimized, and in some embodiments, this includes transmitting data from the sensor device to the quantity monitoring unit 212 according to a predefined schedule. In this case, the gateway transmits data within a time cycle (e.g., data transmission from sensor device 608 to quantity monitoring unit 212, or data acquired from quantity monitoring unit 210 to the sensor device may be collected by the sensor device over a predetermined period and compiled into a single transaction record before transmission).

[0151] Figure 7 shows an example of ID-based owner data 702, ID-based passport data or access data 704, and a distributed identity manager 706.

[0152] The ID may be a distributed identity (DID). The ID-based passport data may be a DID document 704 associated with the DID. The ID-based owner data 702 may include an ID associated with an object such as chemical product data and may include one or more authentication mechanisms. The ID-based owner data 702 may include owner data that is electronically owned and managed by the DID owner. In this context, "electronically owned" may mean data stored in an owner repository or wallet. Such data may be securely stored and / or managed on the organization's servers or client devices. The ID-based owner data 702 may include a DID, a private key, and a public key. The ID-based owner may own and manage a DID representing the identity associated with the DID object, and a pair of private and public keys associated with the DID. The DID may be understood as an identifier and authentication information associated with or uniquely linked to that identifier.

[0153] The DID subject may be a raw material, basic substance, chemical product, or finished product. The DID subject may also be a machine, system, or device used to produce a raw material, basic substance, chemical product, intermediate product, or finished product, or a collection of such machines, devices, and / or systems. The DID owner may be a participant in the supply chain or a manufacturer such as a chemical manufacturer that produces a chemical product. The DID owner may also be an upstream participant in the chemical manufacturer's supply chain, such as a supplier that supplies raw chemicals or precursors for the production of a chemical product. The DID owner may also be a downstream participant in the chemical manufacturer's supply chain, such as a customer that consumes a chemical product to produce an intermediate product, a component, a component assembly, or a finished product. The DID owner may be any participant in the supply chain, including raw chemical suppliers, intermediate chemical manufacturers, intermediate component manufacturers, component manufacturers, component assembly manufacturers, and finished product manufacturers.

[0154] DID may be any identifier associated with the DID subject and / or DID owner. Preferably, the identifier is unique to the DID subject and / or DID owner. It is desirable that the identifier be unique at least to the extent in which the use of DID is envisioned. The identifier may be a unique identifier for any participant in the supply chain, including raw materials, precursors, basic substances, chemical products, intermediate products, parts, parts assemblies, finished products, or ensembles thereof; machines, systems, or apparatus used to manufacture raw materials, basic substances, chemical products, intermediate products, parts, parts assemblies, and finished products, or ensembles thereof; chemical manufacturers that manufacture chemical substances, upstream participants in the supply chain of chemical manufacturers, downstream participants in the supply chain of chemical manufacturers, or ensembles thereof; and raw material chemical product suppliers, intermediate chemical product manufacturers, intermediate part manufacturers, part manufacturers, parts assembly manufacturers, finished product manufacturers, or ensembles thereof.

[0155] The DID may be a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The DID may be an Internationalized Resource Identifier (IRI). For enhanced security, the DID may be a random string of numbers and letters. In one embodiment, the DID is a 128-digit alphanumeric string, following, for example, the following format: did:method name:method-specific DID (e.g., did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21). The DID may be a decentralized ID under the control of the DID owner, independent of a centralized third-party management system.

[0156] For example, a chemical product passport (DID document 704) may be associated with a DID. Therefore, the chemical product passport contains a reference to the DID associated with the DID subject described by the DID document. The DID document may also contain authentication information such as a public key. The public key is used by a third-party entity that has obtained permission to access the information / data from the DID owner / subject. The public key may also be used to verify that the DID owner actually owns or controls the DID. The DID document may also contain authentication information and authorization information (e.g., permission for a third-party entity to view the DID document or parts thereof (e.g., without granting the third party the right to prove ownership of the DID)).

[0157] A chemical product passport may include one or more representations that digitally link to relevant data (e.g., chemical product data associated with further chemical products) through service endpoints. Service endpoints may include network addresses on which services operate on behalf of the DID owner. In particular, service endpoints may refer to services of the DID owner that provide access to chemical product data. Such services may include services that read or analyze chemical product data. Chemical product data may include chemical product declaration data, chemical product safety data, certificate of analysis data, emissions data, product carbon footprint data, product environmental footprint data, chemical product specification data, product information, technical application data, production data, or a combination thereof.

[0158] Chemical product passports may contain various other information, including metadata that identifies the date of creation, the date of last update, and / or the expiration date of the chemical product passport. As another example, DID document 704 may represent a digital representation of a chemical product passport or a portion thereof. This digital representation may include one or more representations for accessing chemical product data or a portion thereof. These representations may include service endpoints. Service endpoints may be associated with or represent a distributed provisioning network node related to the data owner of the chemical product passport. The distributed provisioning network node may have access to a database storing the chemical product passport. Thus, access to the chemical product passport or a portion thereof may be controlled by the data owner of the chemical product passport, such as a chemical manufacturer that produces the chemical product related to the chemical product passport.

[0159] The DID and DID document 704 may be associated with a data registry node 706 such as a centralized data service system or a distributed data service system (e.g., a distributed ledger, blockchain, distributed file system). Possible blockchain systems include Quorum and Hyperledger Fabric. A distributed ledger or blockchain may be used to store a representation of the DID that points to the DID document. The representation of the DID may be stored on distributed computing nodes of the distributed ledger or blockchain. For example, a DID hash may be stored on multiple computing nodes of a distributed ledger and point to the location of a chemical product passport. In some embodiments, the DID document is stored on a distributed ledger. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the DID document is stored in data storage associated with a distributed ledger, blockchain, or distributed file system.

[0160] A distributed ledger or blockchain can be any decentralized network containing various computing nodes that communicate with one another. For example, a distributed ledger may include a first distributed computing node, a second distributed computing node, a third distributed computing node, and any number of additional distributed computing nodes. A distributed ledger or blockchain can operate according to known standards or methods for distributed ledgers. Examples of traditional distributed ledgers that correspond to a distributed ledger or blockchain include, but are not limited to, Bitcoin [BTC], Ethereum, and Litecoin.

[0161] Figure 8 shows an example of the relationship between a chemical product passport and a related relationship expression that identifies the relationship between a chemical product and the materials used in the manufacture of that chemical product. The chemical product may also be a chemical product 206 produced by chemical production 204 (see, for example, Figure 4). The chemical product may also be a chemical product further produced by chemical production in response to the amount of the chemical product at the place of consumption reaching or falling below a predetermined minimum threshold (see, for example, Figure 4).

[0162] The chemical product passport (PP) for chemical product 808 may include a distributed identifier ID5, as described in the context of Figure 2A, and data related to chemical product data associated with the chemical product. The chemical product passport (PP) for a chemical product may include a relational expression 810 that includes a distributed identifier ID5, a distributed identifier ID4 associated with an intermediate chemical product used in the manufacture of the chemical product, and a distributed identifier ID3 associated with a third raw material used in the manufacture of the chemical product. The relational expression may further include distributed identifiers associated with other raw materials and / or intermediate products (not shown) used in the manufacture of the chemical product. The relational expression 810 may be associated with data related to the relational expression. The data may be used by a distributed network node to collect the relational expression from a distributed data consumption network node associated with the relational expression (e.g., a node associated with a storage environment that stores the relational expression). The data related to the relational expression may include a distributed relational expression identifier and a digital representation that points to the relational expression. The data related to the relational expression may be associated with data related to the chemical product passport (PP). The data related to the chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier and a digital representation that points to the chemical product data or a portion thereof.

[0163] The distributed identifier ID4 included in relational expression 810 may be associated with a product passport (PP) for intermediate chemical product 804. The product passport for intermediate chemical product 804 may include the distributed identifier ID4 as described in the context of Figure 3, and data related to the intermediate chemical product data. The product passport (PP) 804 may include relational expression 806 which includes the distributed digital twin identifier ID4, the distributed identifier ID1 associated with a first raw material used to manufacture the intermediate chemical product, and the distributed identifier ID1 associated with the first raw material used to manufacture the intermediate chemical product. The relational expression may further include distributed identifiers associated with other raw materials or intermediate chemical products (not shown) used to manufacture the intermediate product. Relational expression 810 may be associated with data related to the aforementioned relational expression. The data may be used by a distributed network node to collect the relational expression from a distributed data consumption network node associated with the relational expression, as described above.

[0164] The distributed identifier ID3 included in relational expression 810 may be associated with the material passport (PP) of raw material 3 814. The material passport (PP) of raw material 3 may include the distributed identifier ID3 as described in the context of Figure 2A, and data related to the raw material data associated with raw material 3.

[0165] The distributed identifier ID2 included in relational expression 806 may be associated with the material passport (PP) of raw material 2 812. The material passport (PP) of raw material 2 may include the distributed identifier ID2 as described in the context of Figure 2A, and data related to the raw material data associated with raw material 2.

[0166] The distributed identifier ID1 included in relational expression 806 may be associated with the material passport (PP) 802 of raw material 1. The material passport (PP) of raw material 1 may include the distributed identifier ID1 as described in the context of Figure 2A, and data related to the raw material data associated with the current quantity 1.

[0167] By linking passports via relational expressions, it becomes possible to reflect the supply and production chain of chemical products. This allows for the creation of a bill of materials tree for a chemical product, where the chemical product is the top-level node and the raw materials used in its production are the end-level nodes. This bill of materials tree can be used to efficiently identify one or more specific materials used in the manufacturing process of a chemical product.

[0168] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram illustrating how a distributed data provision network node provides access to chemical product data or a portion thereof related to a chemical product, using a chemical product passport associated with that chemical product. The chemical product may be a further chemical product manufactured by chemical production 204 as described in the context of Figure 4. A distributed data consumption network node can request access to chemical product data or a portion thereof related to a chemical product. The chemical product data may include a distributed identifier, at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data related to the production of further chemical products.

[0169] A chemical product passport may be generated during or after the manufacture of further chemical products, as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figures 10 and 12. A chemical product passport may be associated with chemical product data or a portion thereof. A chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier and at least one digital representation pointing to chemical product data or a portion thereof. An example of such a chemical product passport is shown in Figure 7. A chemical product passport may include, or be associated with, authentication and / or authorization information associated with a distributed identifier. The authentication and / or authorization information may be provided for authentication and / or authorization of the distributed data provision network node 924 and / or the distributed data consumption network node 912. A chemical product passport may be provided to the distributed registry 908. The distributed access element registry 908 can store the product passport and associated digital representation. A chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier and chemical product data. A chemical product passport may further include, or be associated with, authentication and / or authorization information associated with a distributed identifier. A chemical product passport may be associated with a digital representation (e.g., an access element) that points to chemical product data or a portion thereof. A distributed identifier contained in the chemical product passport may be linked to the digital representation. The digital representation may include one or more representations for accessing the chemical product data or a portion thereof. An example of such a digital representation is shown in Figure 7. The digital representation may be provided to a distributed registry 908. The distributed access element registry 908 may store the digital representation associated with such a chemical product passport.

[0170] The distributed data provision network node 924 may be associated with a chemical production 204 that produces further chemical products. The distributed data provision network node 912 may belong to a data owner. The data owner may be a chemical production. The data owner may be an entity that operates a chemical production. The chemical production may be a chemical production as described in relation to Figure 5A or Figure 5B. The chemical production may be associated with an operating system as described in relation to Figures 2A and 2B. The distributed data consumption network node 912 may be associated with a consumption location 404 that consumes chemical products provided by a chemical production, for example, as described in the context of Figure 4. The chemical products 206 produced by the chemical production network 204 may be provided to the entry point of consumption location 404 in association with a chemical product passport and may be used to produce one or more products 402 from the chemical products at consumption location 404. The products 402 produced by consumption location 404 may be provided to the exit point of consumption location 404. The chemical products produced by chemical production 204 and further chemical products 206 may include pigment pastes, base varnishes, thinners, rheology modifiers, and coating materials. The product 402 produced by consumption location 404 may include coated substrates, components, or other chemical products.

[0171] Chemical products provided at consumption location 404 may include a physical identifier attached to the chemical product. The physical identifier may be physically attached to the corresponding chemical product or its components (such as a packaging unit containing the chemical product) via an identifier element such as a marker embedded in the chemical product, a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), a tag such as an RFID tag, or a similar physical arrangement that makes the chemical product digitally identifiable. The physical identifier may encode a distributed identifier. The physical identifier may encode a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product.

[0172] At consumption location 404, the code reader 902 may read a physical identifier. The code reader 902 may be a smartphone running a code reading application such as a QR code (registered trademark) reader app. The data obtained by the code reading application may be used to determine a distributed identifier. The data obtained by the code reading application may be used to determine a chemical product identifier. The data obtained by the code reading application may be used to determine a digital representation. The distributed identifier, chemical product identifier, and digital representation may be determined by the code reader 902. For example, the distributed identifier determined by the code reader 902 is a DID, and the code reader 902 may be configured to obtain an associated DID document (see Figure 7) containing the distributed identifier and digital representation (e.g., using a DID resolver). As another example, the chemical product identifier may be determined by the code reader 902 and used to obtain the distributed identifier and associated digital representation (e.g., from a database such as a distributed registry 908). Accordingly, the code reader 902 may be configured to retrieve a chemical product passport or access element, including a distributed identifier and digital representation, from the distributed registry 908. The code reader 902 may be configured to provide a distributed identifier to a database 906 related to consumers of chemical products. The code reader 902 may be configured to provide the determined distributed identifier and digital representation to a distributed data consumption network node 912.

[0173] The code reader 902 may be configured to display the determined / acquired data on a user interface, as indicated by reference numeral 904. The user interface may display the determined distributed identifier (PP identifier) ​​and the determined digital representation (DT location). The user interface may further display the determined chemical product identifier (CP identifier). The user interface may also initiate an operation to acquire chemical product data or a portion thereof based on the distributed identifier and digital representation, as described below. This process may be initiated by a button labeled "Access DT". When this button is pressed, the code reader 902 may send an access request for chemical product data or a portion thereof to the distributed data consumption network node 912.

[0174] A distributed data consumption network node 912 (such as the operating system of consumption location 926) associated with consumption location 404 may generate access requests to chemical product data or a portion thereof. The distributed data consumption network node 912 may generate requests based on data collected from the code reader 902. For example, the distributed data consumption network node 912 may generate requests based on distributed identifiers collected from the code reader 902. The data consumption network node 912 may also generate requests based on distributed identifiers provided to the database 906. For example, the distributed data consumption network node 912 may be configured to collect distributed identifiers and digital representations from the distributed registry 908 based on identifiers stored in the database 906. The data consumption network node 912 may also generate requests based on data collected from the operating system 924. Requests generated by the distributed data consumption network node 912 may include distributed identifiers and distributed participant identifiers associated with the distributed data consumption network node 912. The distributed data consumption network node 912 may be configured to determine the distributed data provision network node 924 associated with the chemical product data based on a digital representation collected from the code reader 902, the operating system 926, or the distributed registry 908.

[0175] The distributed data consumption network node 912 may send an access request for chemical product data or a portion thereof to the determined distributed data provision network node 924, as indicated by arrow 910. The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with a chemical product producer. The distributed data provision network node 924 may be associated with a chemical production apparatus 204 that produces chemical products. The distributed data provision network node 924 may be associated with the data owner of the chemical product data (e.g., a chemical product producer). The distributed data provision network node 924 may be associated with a database 922 that stores the chemical product data. In addition to the request, the distributed data consumption network node 912 may also provide authentication and / or authorization information.

[0176] Requests are authenticated, for example, using a certificate-based authentication mechanism. Requests can be verified by the distributed data serving network node 924, for example, by retrieving access rules from the distributed data serving network node 924's database based on the distributed participant identifier and distributed identifier included in the received request. At least some of the retrieved access rules may be applied to the received request. This makes it possible to filter distributed data consuming network nodes requesting access based on the distributed participant identifier associated with the network node. If the request is invalid, for example, if the distributed data consuming network node does not have permission to access the chemical product data, the distributed data serving network node 924 terminates the peer-to-peer communication channel and the chemical product data is not provided.

[0177] If the request is valid, the distributed data providing network node 924 may initiate contract negotiations with the distributed data consuming network node 912. The distributed data providing network node 924 may provide the distributed data consuming network node 912 with an electronic contract. The electronic contract may include access rules associated with the distributed identifier. This allows data users (e.g., chemical product consumers) to determine the access and usage conditions associated with the desired data. The distributed data providing network node 924 and the distributed data consuming network node 912 may be configured to negotiate and sign the electronic contract. The use of the electronic contract ensures that the distributed data consuming network node 912 and any further systems handling chemical products or parts thereof comply with the access rules associated with the chemical product data or parts thereof. After the electronic contract is signed, the distributed data providing network node 924 may collect the chemical product data or parts thereof stored in the DT storage 922 based on the distributed identifier included in the received request (indicated by arrows 914 and 916). The distributed data provision network node 924 may apply determined access rules to the collected chemical product data or a portion thereof. Subsequently, the distributed data provision network node 924 may provide the chemical product data or a portion thereof to the distributed data consumption network node 912 in accordance with the applied access rules (indicated by arrow 918). This ensures that the chemical product data is provided to data consumers under the control of the data owner of the chemical product data.

[0178] The digital twin provided by the distributed data provision network node 924 may be stored in the database 906 associated with the distributed data consumption network node 910 according to the access rules, as indicated by arrow 920.

[0179] Through decentralized identifiers, chemical product data can be uniquely associated with chemical products. Through a decentralized network, chemical product data, or parts thereof, can be transferred between chemical producers and consumers in a standardized and secure manner, and chemical producers can control access to chemical products, or parts thereof, by multiple decentralized data consumption network nodes within the decentralized network. This allows chemical product data, or parts thereof, to be directly shared among participants in the chemical product ecosystem without a central intermediary, while maintaining a unique association with the chemical product. This ensures transparency of chemical product data for users while avoiding data sharing with unauthorized downstream participants, such as those who do not use the chemical product. The generated chemical product passport associated with the digital twin enables the sharing of chemical product data under simplified and customizable conditions without compromising data security and data sovereignty.

[0180] Figure 10 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling the production of a chemical product by chemical manufacturing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This method may be implemented by a chemical manufacturing operating system, such as operating system 208, as described in the context of Figures 2A, 2B, and 4.

[0181] In block 1002, a chemical product can be manufactured from one or more inbound materials using a chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204. The chemical product manufacturing apparatus may be the chemical product manufacturing apparatus described in the context of Figures 2A, 2B, 5A, or 5B. At least a portion of the manufactured chemical product may be supplied to a consumption location, such as a consumption location 404 described in the context of Figure 4. The manufactured chemical product may be contained in a packaging unit and supplied to the consumption location. Each packaging unit may contain a predetermined amount of the chemical product. At least a portion of the packaging unit may include a sensor device, such as a sensor device 608 described in Figures 6A-6C. The chemical product may be stored in a product storage unit 602 (see Figure 6A) associated with the consumption location 404. The chemical product supplied to the consumption location may be used to manufacture further products 402, as described in Figure 4.

[0182] In block 1004, data indicating the amount of chemical products at the consumption site is collected and may be compared with a predefined minimum threshold. Data collection and comparison of the collected data with the predefined minimum threshold may be performed, for example, as described in the context of Figures 11A and 11B. Block 1004 can be considered as monitoring the amount of chemical products at the consumption site.

[0183] In block 1006, it may be determined whether the data collected in block 1004 has reached or fallen below a predefined minimum threshold. If so, the process may proceed to block 1008. Otherwise, the process may return to block 1004 and continue monitoring the remaining amount of chemical products at the consumption site. Blocks 1004 and 1006 may be executed at predefined time intervals. Blocks 1004 and 1006 may be executed at regular time intervals to continuously monitor the remaining amount of chemical products at the consumption site.

[0184] In block 1008, the production of further chemical products may be triggered. Production may be triggered by the chemical production operating system. Production triggers may include the generation of chemical production data and the production of further chemical products using the generated chemical production data. Chemical production data may be generated based on a chemical product identifier associated with a chemical product. Chemical production data may also be generated based on a consumption location identifier associated with a consumption location. Using the consumption location identifier, chemical production data can be generated to adjust the production of further chemical products to the needs of the consumption location. Chemical production data can identify the production chain of chemical product production. Chemical production data may include bills of materials for one or more production chains of chemical product production. Chemical production data may include one or more recipes that identify one or more inbound materials in the chemical product manufacturing process.

[0185] In block 1010, a request may be received to provide a distributed identifier associated with the chemical product data of further chemical products produced, and preferably the data owner. The request may be received from a requester, for example, as illustrated in the context of Figure 13. The request may include data related to the chemical product data, and / or the chemical product data owner or an owner identifier or product identifier associated with the chemical product.

[0186] In block 1012, a chemical product passport may be generated that includes a distributed identifier and data related to chemical product data, and the distributed identifier contained in the chemical product passport may be assigned to a physical identifier associated with a chemical product. The chemical product passport may be generated using the method described in the context of Figure 12. The chemical passport may be generated by the apparatus described in the context of Figure 13. The generated chemical passport may further include an owner identifier. The generated chemical product passport may be associated with, or include, one or more authentication mechanisms or schemes associated with the distributed identifier and data related to chemical product data as described above. The generated chemical product passport may be associated with, or include, one or more authentication mechanisms or schemes associated with the distributed identifier and data related to chemical product data. A digital representation of the chemical product passport may be generated. The digital representation may include one or more representations for accessing the chemical product passport or a part thereof. The digital representation may be linked to the distributed identifier contained in the chemical product passport.

[0187] The process of assigning distributed identifiers to physical identifiers may be performed by the ID assigner described in the context of Figures 2A, 2B, 3, and 13.

[0188] In block 1014, a defined quantity of further chemical products produced is supplied to the consumption location 404. This block is generally optional. The defined quantity may be contained within a packaging unit. The defined quantity may be determined based on a predefined maximum threshold associated with the consumption location. The predefined maximum threshold may be associated with the maximum quantity of chemical products to be stored at the consumption location. The defined quantity may be determined from data related to the remaining quantity and the maximum threshold. The defined quantity may be determined based on data related to the available storage space and the remaining quantity. This ensures that a sufficient quantity of further chemical products is supplied while avoiding supplying an amount of further chemical products that exceeds the available storage space at the consumption location.

[0189] In block 1016, the generated chemical product passports and / or chemical product data are provided for access by distributed data consumption network nodes. This block is generally optional. Chemical product passports or digital representations may be provided to registry 908 as described in the context of Figures 9 and 13. Distributed data consumption network nodes can use the passports to access the chemical product data associated with them, for example, as described in the context of Figure 9. Distributed data consumption network nodes can use the digital representations to access the chemical product passports or portions thereof associated with them, for example, as described in the context of Figure 9. Chemical product data or portions thereof may be provided in an accessible manner under the control of the distributed data provision network node associated with the chemical product data, as described in the context of Figure 9.

[0190] Figure 11A is a flowchart showing one side view of block 1004 of Figure 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in Figure 11A may be carried out in relation to a sensor device physically attached to a chemical product or its components (e.g., a packaging unit constituting the chemical product). The sensor device may be the sensor device 608 described in Figures 6A to 6C. The method of Figure 11A may also be carried out by the quantity monitoring unit 212 described in Figures 6A to 6C.

[0191] In block 1102, data from one or more sensor devices associated with a chemical product may be collected via a computing interface. The computing interface may be one or more communication interfaces that enable data exchange between the sensor devices and a computing node implementing the method of Figure 11A (see, for example, Figure 6B). The data may be collected while the chemical product is stored in a product storage facility at the consumption site. The data may also be collected during the use of the chemical product within the plant at the consumption site for the production of further chemical products or individual products. The use of sensor devices attached to packaging units containing chemical products makes it possible to monitor the consumption of chemical products in real time. This minimizes the time delay in determining the current available quantity of chemical products at the consumption site, thereby ensuring that a sufficient quantity of chemical products is always available at the consumption site.

[0192] The collected data may include data indicating the amount of chemical product present in each packaging unit (e.g., the amount of chemical product in the packaging unit). The data indicating quantity may include the filling level of the product in the packaging unit. The data indicating quantity may include an acoustic signal indicating the amount detected by the sensor device (e.g., the filling level). The data indicating the amount of chemical product may include data indicating whether the chemical product and the associated packaging unit were used in the production of further products. For example, the collected data may include data indicating that the chemical product present in the packaging unit has been consumed.

[0193] The sensor device may be configured to acoustically stimulate a packaging unit to generate at least one acoustic signal indicating the filling level of the chemical product within the packaging unit. The sensor device may be configured to detect the generated acoustic signal and process the detected acoustic signal as necessary. The detected or processed acoustic signal may be collected by a computing node. The sensor device may include an actuator, at least one microphone, a computer processor (particularly a microprocessor), a data storage medium, at least one additional sensor for detecting the position and / or movement of the packaging unit, and at least one power supply. Processing of the detected acoustic signal may include digital sampling of the detected acoustic signal.

[0194] Data may be collected from a sensor device at predefined time intervals. The sensor device may be configured to provide the data when it detects a predefined trigger. For example, the sensor device may be configured to provide the data when it detects that a packaging unit has moved from a product storage location to a production plant. This avoids unnecessary data transfer within the network and extends the lifespan of battery-powered sensor devices.

[0195] The data collected from the sensor device may include data indicating the location of consumption. This ensures that the data collected from the sensor device is assigned to the appropriate consumption location, making it possible to monitor the amount of chemical products at multiple different consumption locations.

[0196] In block 1104, data related to the remaining amount of chemical products can be determined using the collected sensor device data. The data related to the remaining amount of chemical products at the point of consumption may correspond to the sum of all data indicating the amount of chemical products collected from at least some of the sensor devices. Determining the data related to the remaining amount may include determining data indicating the amount of chemical products present in each packaging unit associated with the sensor device from which the data was collected. The data related to the remaining amount may include the remaining amount. The remaining amount may be expressed in terms of volume or mass. The data related to the remaining amount may include classifiers such as "empty" and "not empty".

[0197] The data indicating the amount of chemical products present in the packaging unit may be determined based on data collected using different methods from a sensor device attached to the packaging unit. One such method is described in published patent application WO 2022 / 233596 A1, which is briefly outlined below.

[0198] The method described in WO 2022 / 233596 A1 may include processing of the collected data. Processing may include sorting the collected data (e.g., audio samples), calculating the Fourier spectrum of the collected data, extracting at least one predefined feature from the calculated Fourier spectrum as needed, and combinations of the extracted features as needed. Predefined features may include: the highest energy frequency, (normalized) mean frequency, (normalized) median frequency, standard deviation of the frequency distribution, skewness of the frequency distribution, deviation of the frequency distribution from the mean or median frequency in different Lp spaces, spectral flatness, (normalized) root mean square, fill level-specific audio coefficients, fundamental frequency calculated by the Yin algorithm, (normalized) spectral flux between two consecutive frames, and any combination thereof. Predefined features may be calculated from the spectrogram of each audio frame, or from the calculated amplitude of frequency and phase, or from the logarithmic power domain using known methods. The extracted features are combined by reducing the dimensionality of predefined features using algorithms known at a technical level, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), because the calculation of the aforementioned features may result in data that is unsuitable for machine learning. In particular, the number of features can be reduced to less than 50 before performing machine learning. The PCA component with the largest eigenvalue can be used as the combined feature. As another example, predefined features are combined by aggregating the extracted features.

[0199] The collected or processed data may be provided to a data-driven model parameterized based on past audio signals, past liquid fill levels, and past digital representations of containers, which may determine the fill level of the chemical product within each packaging unit. The data-driven model may provide a relationship between the liquid fill level in the container and the detected or processed audio signals, which may be derived from past audio signals, past liquid fill levels in the container, and past data on the packaging unit. Past packaging unit data may include data on the size of the packaging unit, data on the contents of the packaging unit, data on the initial fill level, data on the shelf life of the packaging unit, data on the usage cycle of the packaging unit, and any combination thereof. The trained data-driven model may be selected from (i) deep learning algorithms such as the Long-Term Short-Term Memory (LSTM) algorithm, the Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) algorithm, or the Perceptron algorithm; (ii) instance-based algorithms such as the Support Vector Machine (SVM); (iii) regression algorithms such as the Linear Regression algorithm; or (iv) ensemble algorithms such as the Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Gradient Boosting Regression Tree (GBRT), or Random Forest, or a combination thereof, especially ensemble algorithms. Higher accuracy can be obtained by stacking classifiers or regressors from different algorithms and audio samples.

[0200] Another method for determining the amount of chemical products present in a packaging unit based on data collected from a sensor device attached to the packaging unit is described in unpublished patent application EP23151905.9, which is briefly outlined below.

[0201] The method described in EP23151905.9 may include determining frequency spectra, such as Fourier spectra, from the collected data. This method may include determining at least one root mean square (RMS) value based on predetermined time interval data (such as time interval data used to generate reference measurement data that includes RMS values ​​of defined time interval data). One root mean square (RMS) value may be determined for each time interval included in the time interval data. Calculating RMS values ​​for specific time intervals makes it possible to condense the information contained in the collected data into a small number of values.

[0202] The determined RMS value may be compared to reference measurement data. The reference measurement data may include RMS values ​​for a defined time interval. The RMS value may be determined experimentally for different quantities and time intervals. The RMS value may also be obtained by interpolation of experimentally determined RMS values. At least a portion of the reference root mean square (RMS) values ​​included in the reference measurement data may be associated with error data.

[0203] The comparison of the determined RMS value with the reference data may include determining the arithmetic mean error and / or root mean square error between the determined RMS value and the reference measurement data. The residual quantity may be determined by determining a defined quantity related to the minimum error (e.g., residual quantity), for example, by determining the residual quantity related to the minimum error. The determined error may be used to determine whether the accuracy of the determined residual quantity is sufficient by comparing the determined error with one or more predefined thresholds. The predefined thresholds may be included in the reference measurement data. If at least some of the errors exceed one or more predefined thresholds, the accuracy may be insufficient, and the sensor device may be triggered to start a new measurement.

[0204] Data related to the remaining amount, determined from data collected for at least some of the packaging units, may be aggregated by a sensor device, and data related to the remaining amount of chemical products present at the place of consumption may be obtained.

[0205] Data related to remaining quantities may be associated with chemical product identifiers associated with chemical products. This makes it possible to associate data related to remaining quantities with specific chemical products. Data related to remaining quantities may also be associated with consumption location identifiers. This makes it possible to associate data related to remaining quantities with specific consumption locations.

[0206] In block 1106, the determined remaining quantity data may be compared with a predefined minimum threshold. The predefined minimum threshold may include data relating to the minimum amount of chemical product that should be present at the consumption location. The predefined minimum amount may be associated with a specific consumption location. The predefined minimum amount may be stored in a storage medium such as a database and may be collected based on a consumption location identifier associated with each consumption location. The minimum amount of chemical product may be the amount that allows for the production of further products from that chemical product at the consumption location for a predetermined period of time. After the predetermined period has elapsed, the chemical product becomes unavailable at the consumption location. The minimum amount may be determined according to the amount and / or frequency of use of the chemical product at the consumption location, as described above.

[0207] Figure 11B is a flowchart showing one side view of block 1004 of Figure 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The method of Figure 11B is executable using production data from the consumption location. The method of Figure 11B is implemented by the quantity monitoring unit 212 described in Figures 6A to 6C.

[0208] In block 1108, data relating to the consumption of chemical products at a consumption site may be collected via a computing interface. The collected data may be aggregated to calculate the total amount of chemical products consumed at the consumption site. The collected data may include the amount of chemical products consumed within a specific time interval. Such data may be collected from a storage environment that is associated with the consumption site and accessible to the computing system implementing the method in Figure 11. For example, an operating system associated with a consumption site may be configured to collect data relating to the consumption of chemical products in one or more plants within the consumption site. Thus, the operating system may be configured to track incoming chemical products and associated usage amounts used during processes performed within the plant. The collected data may be provided to a storage environment.

[0209] In block 1110, data relating to the quantity of chemical products supplied to consumption locations may be collected. This data may be collected by an operating system 208 associated with a chemical production apparatus 204 that produces the chemical product 206 (see, for example, Figures 2A, 2B, and 4). Based on the chemical product identifiers and consumption location identifiers contained in the collected data, the operating system 208 may be configured to collect the quantity of produced chemical products supplied to that particular consumption location. Collecting the quantity of produced chemical products may involve mapping the chemical product identifiers contained in the collected data to chemical product identifiers used within the chemical product production 204 to identify the chemical product 206. The quantity of produced chemical products supplied to each consumption location may be collected for defined time intervals related to the supply of chemical products. The collected data may be summed to calculate the total quantity of chemical products supplied to each consumption location.

[0210] In block 1112, data related to the remaining amount of chemical products can be determined using the data collected in blocks 1108 and 1110. Determining the data related to the remaining amount may include determining the difference between the data collected in block 1108 (e.g., the amount of chemical products supplied) and the data collected in block 1110 (e.g., the amount of chemical products consumed).

[0211] In block 1114, the data related to the determined remaining amount may be compared with a predefined minimum threshold, for example, as explained in the context of Figure 11A.

[0212] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing one side of block 1012 of Figure 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in Figure 12 may be carried out using the system shown in Figure 13. Since a chemical product passport can be generated for a chemical product, it can be associated with that chemical product. The chemical product may be chemical product 206 produced by chemical product 204 as described in the context of Figures 2A, 2B, 5A, and 5B. The chemical product may be a further chemical product produced by chemical product 204 as described in the context of Figure 4.

[0213] The generated chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier and data related to chemical product data associated with the chemical product. The data related to chemical product data may include one or more digital representations that point to the chemical product data or a portion thereof. Therefore, the generated chemical product passport may correspond to a digital access element that enables access to the associated chemical product data or a portion thereof, as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figure 9. An example of such a digital access element is the DID document shown in Figure 7. The data related to chemical product data may include the chemical product data or a portion thereof. Therefore, the generated chemical product passport may correspond to a digital twin of a chemical product.

[0214] Block 1202 may receive a request to provide a distributed identifier associated with the chemical product data of a manufactured chemical product, and preferably the data owner. This request may be received from a requester, for example, as illustrated in the context of Figure 13. The request may include data related to the chemical product data, and / or the chemical product data owner or the owner identifier or product identifier associated with the chemical product, respectively.

[0215] Block 1204 may include a selection or provision of an authentication mechanism or scheme, and this block is generally optional. Multiple authentication mechanisms may be selected. The authentication mechanism may include a public-key / private-key infrastructure. Through the authentication mechanism, data access by decentralized data consumption network nodes can be securely controlled, and the integrity of decentralized data provision network nodes can be ensured. This enables more reliable, controlled, and secure data exchange or sharing.

[0216] Block 1206 may provide chemical product data or a portion thereof. Alternatively, a digital representation pointing to chemical product data or a portion thereof may be provided. The digital representation may point to dedicated storage (e.g., DT storage 922 as described in Figure 9) that stores the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The chemical product data may be provided from a storage environment that stores chemical product data collected for the manufactured chemical product 206. The chemical product data may include the data referred to in the context of Figures 2A and 2B. Block 1206 may further include providing an owner identifier associated with the data owner of the chemical product data. This makes it possible to associate data transactions related to the chemical product passport with the explicit name of the data owner, as described above. Block 1206 may further include providing a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product.

[0217] In block 1208, a chemical product passport may be generated. The generated chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier provided in response to a request received in block 1202, and the provided chemical product data or a portion thereof. Alternatively, the generated chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier provided in response to a request received in block 1202, and a provided digital representation pointing to the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The generated chemical product passport may include a provided or selected authentication mechanism. The chemical product passport may further include an owner identifier and / or a chemical product identifier. The generation of a chemical product passport may include providing one or more authorization mechanisms and associating the provided authorization mechanisms with the distributed identifier. To enable finer-grained access to chemical product data, different classes of chemical product data can be associated with different authorization rules. For example, a class containing emission data, recycling content data, and bio-based content data may be associated with stricter authorization rules than a class containing information certificate data and / or chemical product safety data. The authorization mechanism may include authorization rules, including data trading instructions or data trading protocols, which may include data usage policies, smart data contracts, or more complex data processing instructions related to distributed data provision and / or distributed data consumption network nodes. Through the authorization mechanism, access to and use of chemical product data or portions thereof by distributed data consumption network nodes can be controlled in a secure manner. One or more authorization mechanisms may be provided to distributed data provision network nodes associated with the chemical product passport, such as the distributed data provision network node 924 described in the context of Figure 9. A digital representation of the chemical product passport may be generated. This digital representation may include one or more representations for accessing the chemical product passport or portions thereof (such as chemical product data or portions thereof). The digital representation may be linked to a distributed identifier contained in the chemical product passport.The digital representation may be used, for example, in the context of Figure 9, for a data consumption network node to access a chemical product passport or a portion thereof.

[0218] In block 1210, the distributed identifiers included in the generated chemical product passport may be assigned to physical identifiers associated with the chemical product. The assignment may include encoding the distributed identifiers into codes physically attached to the chemical product or its components (e.g., packaging units) (as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figure 3). The assignment may be performed by an ID assigner, as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figures 2A, 2B, and 13.

[0219] Figure 13 shows an exemplary system and related method for generating a chemical product passport associated with a chemical product produced by a chemical product manufacturing operation, and providing access to the chemical product passport and / or the chemical product data associated with the chemical product passport. The device for generating the chemical product passport may be included in the operating system 208 of the chemical product manufacturing operation 204 (see, for example, Figure 2A). The chemical product passport generating device may be communicatively connected to the operating system 208 of the chemical manufacturing apparatus 204 (see, for example, Figure 2B).

[0220] The chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204 can produce at least one chemical product 206 from one or more inbound materials 202. The inbound materials may be supplied to the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204, for example, as described in the context of Figures 2A, 2B, 5A, and 5B. The inbound materials may enter the system boundary of the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204 at inlet points such as the production plant and material storage facilities associated with the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204. The inbound materials may be used in the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204 to produce one or more chemical products from the inbound materials, for example, as described in Figures 2A, 2B, 5A, and 5B. The operating system 208 of the chemical production apparatus 204 can monitor and / or control the chemical production apparatus 204 based on the operating parameters of different processes, as described in Figures 2A, 2B, 5A, and 5B.

[0221] The generated chemical product 206 may be provided at one or more exit points of the chemical production. The chemical product 206 may be discharged from the system boundary 1304 of the chemical production 204. A chemical product passport may be generated when the chemical product 206 is generated or discharged from the chemical production 204. The chemical product passport may be generated by a chemical product passport generator 1302. The generator 1302 may be configured to generate chemical product passports. The generator 1302 may be configured to receive requests providing a distributed identifier associated with the chemical product data of the generated chemical product, and preferably the data owner. The generator 1302 may be configured to generate chemical product passports in response to received requests.

[0222] Requester 1306 may be configured to generate requests for distributed identifiers. Such requests may be triggered by a labeling system, such as a QR code (registered trademark) generator. The requests may include owner identifiers and / or chemical product identifiers, as described above. Requests for distributed identifiers may be provided to a distributed ID generator 1314 configured to provide distributed identifiers. The distributed ID generator 1314 may be part of device 1303. The distributed ID generator 1314 may be communicatively connected to device 1302, for example, device 1302 may not include a distributed ID generator 418 (not shown).

[0223] The distributed ID generator 1314 may be configured to generate distributed identifiers associated with chemical product data, and optionally, data owners (e.g., data owners of chemical product data). The distributed ID generator 1314 may include additional identifiers, such as dataset identifiers associated with different classes of chemical product data, or be configured to generate distributed identifiers associated with them. For example, the distributed ID generator 1314 may be configured to generate distributed identifiers such as DIDs and UUIDs. The distributed ID generator 1314 may be configured to generate dataset identifiers such as DIDs and UUIDs. The distributed ID generator 1314 may include a component configured to generate distributed identifiers (DIDs). The distributed ID generator 1314 may include a component configured to generate universally unique identifiers (UUIDs). The distributed identifiers generated by the distributed ID generator 1314 may be one or more DIDs and / or UUIDs. One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be associated with chemical product data or a portion thereof (e.g., a dataset). One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be further associated with chemical products. For example, a distributed identifier may include a distributed identifier associated with chemical product data and one or more dataset identifiers associated with different classes of chemical product data. A distributed identifier may further include a chemical product identifier associated with a chemical product. The distributed ID generator 1314 can be a central or distributed network node. The distributed ID generator 1314 can be a computing node that functions as a management module for the DID owner, a user agent, an ID hub, and / or an authentication issuer. The distributed ID generator 1314 may be configured to provide the generated distributed identifiers to the distributed ID provider 1308. The distributed ID generator 1314 and the distributed ID provider 1308 may be separate devices, as shown in Figure 13. The distributed ID generator 1314 and the distributed ID provider 1308 may be housed in a single device (not shown) configured to generate distributed identifiers and provide the generated distributed identifiers.

[0224] The distributed ID provider 1308 may provide the generated distributed identifier to the requester 1306. The requester 1306 may be configured to associate or link the received distributed identifier to a manufactured chemical product. Thus, the requester 1306 may include an ID assignment device configured to assign the distributed identifier to a physical identifier. Such association may include encoding the distributed identifier into a code such as a barcode, QR code®, embossed code, optical holographic code, or tag such as an RFID tag, and providing the code or tag for labeling the chemical product. This may provide a physical identifier that associates the physical entity of the chemical product with the distributed identifier received from the distributed ID provider 1308. Since the physical identifier is associated with the chemical product and its virtual digital chemical product passport, the chemical product is provided associated with the chemical product passport, thereby enabling access to the chemical product data or part thereof associated with or contained in the chemical product. Thus, the chemical product associated with the physical identifier may be provided physically, while the chemical product passport and chemical product data or part thereof associated with the physical identifier may be provided virtually.

[0225] The distributed identity provider 1308 can provide a distributed identifier to the chemical product passport generator 1310, which is configured to generate a chemical product passport based on the distributed identifier received from the distributed identity provider 1308 and data related to chemical product data. The chemical product passport generator 1310 can generate a chemical product passport as described, for example, in the context of Figure 12. The chemical product passport may include a distributed identifier and data related to chemical product data. The data related to chemical product data may include a digital representation that points to the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The representation may include the endpoint address of the distributed data delivery network node associated with the chemical product data or a portion thereof (i.e., the distributed data delivery network node 924 associated with the corresponding digital twin storage 922 in Figure 9). Using the endpoint address of the distributed data delivery network node avoids the disclosure of internal endpoint addresses to the digital twin (DT) storage 922, improving security and preventing unintended access or leakage of the digital twin or a portion thereof. The data related to chemical product data may include the chemical product data or a portion thereof. Chemical product data may be collected by chemical manufacturing 204 and stored in one or more databases associated with chemical manufacturing 204. The chemical product passport may include, or be associated with, one or more authentication mechanisms associated with the distributed identifier and / or data associated with the chemical product data as described in the context of Figure 12. The chemical product passport may be associated with one or more authorization mechanisms associated with the distributed identifier and / or data associated with the chemical product data as described in the context of Figure 12.

[0226] The generated chemical product passports may be provided to the digital twin (DT) storage 922. This makes it possible to save the generated chemical product passports and avoid regenerating them.

[0227] The chemical product passport generating device 1310 may further be configured to generate a digital representation of the chemical product passport. The digital representation may include one or more representations (such as locators or pointers) for accessing the chemical product passport or a portion thereof (e.g., chemical product data or a portion thereof). The digital representation may be linked to a distributed identifier contained in the chemical product passport.

[0228] The generated chemical product passport or digital representation may be provided to a distributed data provision network node 924. The generated chemical product passport or digital representation may also be provided to a registry 908. The registry 908 may be part of a distributed network 1312. The registry 908 is configured to store digital chemical product passports or digital representations and can function as a central or distributed repository for existing chemical product passports or digital representations. For example, the registry 908 may store distributed identifiers and associated digital representations. The registry 908 may be made public, thereby enabling transparency regarding existing chemical product passports and associated chemical product data. However, access to the chemical product data associated with the chemical product passport, or any part thereof, may be controlled by the data owner of the chemical product passport, for example, by using a distributed data provision network node 924 that implements an appropriate authentication and authorization scheme. This makes it possible to entrust control over access to and use of chemical product data to the data owner while ensuring transparency regarding available chemical product passports and associated chemical product data.

[0229] The distributed data consumption network node 912 can access the registry 908 and obtain a digital representation based on a distributed identifier, as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figure 9. The distributed data consumption network node 912 may also be part of the distributed network 1312. The distributed data consumption network node 912 may also be associated with a chemical product consumer, as illustrated, for example, in the context of Figure 9. This makes it possible to transfer or access the digital twin or a portion thereof in a controlled and secure manner.

[0230] The distributed data provision network node 924 may be configured to provide chemical product data or a portion thereof for access by the distributed data consumption network node 912. The distributed data provision network node 924 may be configured to provide chemical product data or a portion thereof based on a distributed identifier and an arbitrary dataset identifier received from the distributed data consumption network node 912, for example, as described in the context of Figure 9. The distributed data provision network node 924 can control the distributed data consumption network node 912's access to the chemical product data or a portion thereof. The distributed data provision network node 924 may also be a distributed data provision network node associated with the chemical product manufacturing apparatus 204. The distributed data provision network node 924 may belong to or be under the control of the data owner of the digital twin.

[0231] The described system and related methods enable the generation of chemical product passports associated with chemical products. These generated chemical product passports allow for simplified and customizable sharing or exchange of chemical product data related to manufactured chemical products, from the chemical industry to participants in the chemical supply chain.

[0232] This disclosure has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments and examples. However, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other modifications from the drawings, this disclosure and the claims. In particular, each of the presented steps can be performed in any order, i.e., the present invention is not limited to a specific order of these steps. Furthermore, the different steps do not need to be performed in a specific location or on a single node of a distributed system, i.e., each step can be performed on different nodes using different equipment / data processing.

[0233] In this specification, “determine” also includes “initiate or cause to determine,” “generate” also includes “initiate and / or cause to generate,” and “provide” also includes “initiate or cause to determine, generate, select, transmit and / or receive.” “Initiate or cause to perform an action” includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node or device to perform such action.

[0234] In the claims and specification, the word “including” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude the plural form. A single element or other unit may satisfy the function of several entities or items described in the claims. The fact that certain measures are described in different dependent claims does not mean that combinations of these measures cannot be used in a favorable embodiment.

[0235] The disclosures and embodiments described herein relate to the methods, systems, apparatus, and computer program elements listed above, and vice versa. Advantageously, the advantages provided by any one embodiment and example apply equally to all other embodiments and examples, and vice versa.

[0236] All terms and definitions used herein are to be interpreted broadly and have their general meanings.

Claims

1. A control method for manufacturing chemical products by chemical manufacturing, the following: (a) A process of manufacturing a chemical product from one or more inbound materials using chemical manufacturing, and supplying the manufactured chemical product to a place of consumption. (b) A process of collecting data indicating the amount of chemical products at the place of consumption and comparing the collected data with a predefined minimum threshold, (c) A process that triggers the production of further chemical products when it is determined that the data indicating the amount of chemical products collected has reached or fallen below a predetermined minimum threshold. (d) The step of receiving a request to provide chemical product data of further chemical products produced and preferably a distributed identifier associated with the data owner. (e) In response to a request, generate a chemical product passport containing a distributed identifier and data related to the chemical product data, and assign a physical identifier attached to further products produced to the distributed identifier. A method that includes this.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined amount of a chemical product is supplied to a place of consumption.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein providing a chemical product generated at a place of consumption includes supplying the generated chemical product to a product storage facility at the place of consumption, or supplying the generated chemical product to a plant associated with the place of consumption.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of chemical product at the place of consumption is monitored via at least one sensor device.

5. The collection of data showing the quantity of chemical products at the point of consumption is - A step of collecting data from one or more sensor devices associated with a chemical product via a computing interface, wherein the data includes data relating to the current quantity of each chemical product and a chemical product identifier associated with each chemical product. - A process of determining data related to the remaining amount of chemical products using collected sensor device data. The method according to claim 1 or 2, including the method described in claim 1 or 2.

6. The collection of data showing the quantity of chemical products at the point of consumption is - A process of collecting data related to the consumption of chemical products at the point of consumption via a computing interface. - A process of collecting data related to the amount of chemical products supplied to the place of consumption via a computing interface, and - A process of determining data related to the remaining amount of chemical products using the received data. The method according to claim 1 or 2, including the method described in claim 1 or 2.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a predefined minimum threshold includes data relating to the minimum amount of a chemical product.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the trigger for the production of further chemical products includes the generation of chemical manufacturing data and the production of further chemical products using the generated chemical manufacturing data.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the generation of a chemical product passport includes providing a distributed identifier associated with the physical entity of a chemical product.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the data related to the chemical product data includes one or more digital representations that refer to the chemical product data or a portion thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the data related to chemical product data includes chemical product data or a part thereof.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the chemical product data further includes data relating to the properties of further chemical products and / or data relating to the use of further chemical products.

13. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of providing further generated chemical products and / or chemical product data associated with the generated chemical product passport for access by distributed data consumption network nodes, wherein such access is controlled by distributed data provision network nodes associated with the data owner of the chemical product data.

14. A device for controlling the production of chemical products by chemical manufacturing, the following: - A chemical production unit configured to produce chemical products and further chemical products from one or more inbound materials, and to supply the produced chemical products and further chemical products to the place of consumption. - A monitoring unit configured to collect data indicating the amount of chemical products at the point of consumption and to compare the collected data with a predefined minimum threshold. - A trigger unit configured to trigger the production of further chemical products when data indicating the amount of chemical products collected reaches or falls below a predetermined minimum threshold. - A collection unit configured to collect further chemical product data related to chemical products, - A chemical product passport generation unit configured to receive a request for the provision of a distributed identifier linked to chemical product data related to at least further chemical products, and in response to that request, generate a chemical product passport including the distributed identifier and data related to the chemical product data associated with the further chemical products. - An assignment unit configured to assign a physical identifier attached to the generated further chemical product to a distributed identifier contained in the generated chemical product passport associated with the generated further chemical product. A device that includes this.

15. A computing element comprising instructions, configured to perform the steps of the method described in claim 1 when executed on one or more computing nodes, or configured to be executed by the apparatus described in claim 14.

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