Information processing apparatus, manufacturing history display system, manufacturing history display method, and manufacturing history display program

Abstract

This information processing device (12) reads, from a server (14), attached information (18) which is associated with traceability information about a product (16) and is attached to the product; acquires, from the server (14), the traceability information associated with the read attached information; and displays the acquired traceability information on a display unit 22. The traceability information is information in which a plurality of pieces of process information, which indicate a process pertaining to the manufacturing of the product (16), are recorded in time series, and pieces of process information, which can be displayed on the display unit (22) for each piece of the attached information, are determined.

Description

Cross - reference to related applications

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2022 - 84682 filed on May 24, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a manufacturing history display system, a manufacturing history display method, and a manufacturing history display program.

Background Art

[0003] In recent years, there has been a growing demand for the management of product manufacturing processes and the management of carbon dioxide emissions during product manufacturing. For this reason, it is required to grasp the manufacturing processes of products.

[0004] Here, Patent Document 1 describes a supply chain management method implemented by a computer for managing transaction records between traders in a supply chain constructed including a plurality of traders.

[0005] In Patent Document 1, taking the logistics route of bread as an example, (1) the seed producer ships wheat seeds to wheat farmers, (2) the wheat farmers ship the wheat grown from the seeds to a wheat flour manufacturer, (3) the wheat flour manufacturer ships the wheat flour made from the wheat to a bread manufacturer, (4) the bread manufacturer ships the bread made from the wheat flour to a convenience store, and (5) the convenience store sells the purchased bread to consumers. In the management method of Patent Document 1, consumers can view transaction records such as raw materials, processing processes, and distribution processes by reading the QR code (registered trademark) attached to the purchased bread.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0007] Patent Document 1 gives an example with relatively few steps. However, in recyclable products, steps such as product manufacturing, shipping, and recycling are repeated. Also, as the number of steps increases, the number of supply chains also increases and becomes more complex.

[0008] And, considering that many supply chains are involved in manufacturing the product, it may not be preferable to enable anyone to check the manufacturing process of the product by reading the QR code attached to the product.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing apparatus, a manufacturing history display system, a manufacturing history display method, and a manufacturing history display program that can restrict browsing of steps related to product manufacturing.

[0010] To solve the above problems, the present disclosure employs the following technical means. The reference signs in parentheses described in the claims are an example showing the correspondence relationship with the specific means described in the embodiments to be described later as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0011] An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a reading unit that reads attachment information associated with product manufacturing history information and attached to the product, an acquisition control unit that acquires the manufacturing history information associated with the attachment information read by the reading unit from a server, and a display control unit that causes a display unit to display the manufacturing history information acquired by the acquisition control unit. The manufacturing history information is information in which a plurality of process information indicating steps related to manufacturing of the product is recorded in time series, and the process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each attachment information.

[0012] This configuration acquires manufacturing history information from a server by reading the attached information attached to a product, and displays it on a display unit. The manufacturing history information is information that records a plurality of process information indicating the processes related to the manufacture of the product in chronological order. The process information is information related to various processes such as, for example, procurement of raw materials for one product, processing of raw materials into parts, assembly of parts into a product, transportation of raw materials and parts, and inspection of parts and products. Also, when recycled materials are used as raw materials, the recycling process is also included in the manufacturing history.

[0013] Here, in the manufacture of a product, multiple supply chains are often involved. For this reason, in view of the fact that many supply chains are involved in manufacturing the product, it may not be preferable to enable anyone to check the manufacturing process of the product by reading the attached information attached to the product.

[0014] Therefore, according to this configuration, process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each piece of attached information. As a result, the user can view the process information only within the range determined by the attached information. Therefore, this configuration can impose restrictions on viewing the processes related to the manufacture of the product.

[0015] In the above information processing apparatus, it may be determined that the attached information enables the display of the process information of the attached product and the process information upstream thereof, and the process information downstream of the attached product is not displayable. According to this configuration, for example, while the manufacturing process upstream of the product manufactured in-house can be viewed, the manufacturing process downstream, which is the manufacturing process by another company using the in-house product, cannot be viewed.

[0016] In the above information processing apparatus, by inputting a predetermined password, the process information that is not displayable may be made displayable. According to this configuration, for example, viewing restrictions can be lifted for persons with special authorities such as supervisors of all processes and administrative personnel.

[0017] In the information processing apparatus described above, the manufacturing history information includes processes related to the recycling of the product, and when the return of raw materials by the recycling, the manufacturing of the product, and the processes of recycling the product are repeatedly recorded a plurality of times, the return of raw materials by the latest recycling may be set as the most upstream process that can be displayed by the display unit.

[0018] According to this configuration, even when the manufacturing process and the recycling process of the product are repeated a plurality of times, the return of raw materials by the latest recycling is set as the most upstream of the processes where it can be viewed, so that the user can easily understand the manufacturing process and the recycling process of the product.

[0019] In the information processing apparatus described above, the attached information may be raw material information, manufacturing information, carbon footprint, due diligence, transaction history of carbon dioxide emissions, carbon tax payment history, carbon border adjustment measure payment history information, or a hash value calculated from their hash values or Merkle roots.

[0020] The attached information is generated including carbon emissions, carbon dioxide emissions trading, carbon tax payment history, carbon border adjustment measure payment history, etc. Also, carbon neutrality, which is the timing when carbon emissions and various emission rights are offset, may be set as the most upstream process that can be displayed by the display unit. Thereby, it is possible to prevent double payment of various taxes related to carbon dioxide emissions and the carbon emissions of materials recycled multiple times from becoming unduly high, leading to the promotion of the use of recycled materials.

[0021] A manufacturing history display system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a server that stores manufacturing history information in which a plurality of process information indicating processes related to the manufacturing of a product is recorded in time series, and an information processing apparatus that reads the attached information associated with the manufacturing history information and attached to the product, obtains the manufacturing history information associated with the attached information from the server, and displays the history information on a display unit, and the process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each attached information.

[0022] The manufacturing history display method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first step of reading, by a reading unit, attached information associated with the manufacturing history information of a product and attached to the product; a second step of acquiring, by an acquisition control unit, the manufacturing history information associated with the attached information read by the reading unit from a server; and a third step of displaying, by a display unit, the manufacturing history information acquired by the acquisition control unit. The manufacturing history information is information in which a plurality of process information indicating processes related to the manufacturing of the product is recorded in chronological order, and the process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each attached information.

[0023] The manufacturing history display program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer included in an information processing apparatus to function as a reading unit that reads attached information associated with the manufacturing history information of a product and attached to the product, an acquisition control unit that acquires the manufacturing history information associated with the attached information read by the reading unit from a server, and a display control unit that causes the display unit to display the manufacturing history information acquired by the acquisition control unit. The manufacturing history information is information in which a plurality of process information indicating processes related to the manufacturing of the product is recorded in chronological order, and the process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each attached information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0024] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to impose restrictions on viewing the processes related to the manufacturing of a product.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] The above objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are examples of implementing the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure to the specific configurations described below. In implementing the present disclosure, specific configurations according to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the manufacturing history display system 10 of the present embodiment. The manufacturing history display system 10 of the present embodiment includes a mobile terminal device 12 and a server 14.

[0028] The mobile terminal device 12 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal including a camera 20 (see FIG. 6) and a display unit 22 such as a touch panel display. Note that the mobile terminal device 12 is not limited to this, and may be a dedicated device for displaying process information as long as it can read the accessory information 18 (for example, a QR code) attached to the product 16 described later and display the process information, or a reading device incorporated in an existing manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the product 16 may be used.

[0029] The mobile terminal device 12 images the accessory information 18 attached to the product 16 by the camera 20 and reads the recorded content of the accessory information 18.

[0030] The attached information 18 is an information code that is linked to the manufacturing history information of the product 16 and is attached to the product 16. The attached information 18 in this embodiment is, as an example, a QR code, but is not limited thereto, and may be other information codes such as two-dimensional codes or one-dimensional codes such as barcodes. The attached information 18 records at least the inquiry destination (such as the IP address or URL of the server 14) of the manufacturing history information of the attached product 16. Note that the manufacturing history information is also information for enabling the tracking of the process from the manufacturing to the consumption of the product 16, and is referred to as traceability information in the following description.

[0031] The traceability information is information that records a plurality of process information indicating the processes related to the manufacturing of the product 16 in chronological order and is stored in the server 14. The product 16 is a raw material, a part manufactured by processing the raw material, a final product obtained by combining a plurality of parts, etc., and takes various forms in its manufacturing process.

[0032] Note that, for example, in the process of procuring raw materials or processing parts, there may be a branch leading to the manufacturing process of other products 16. The other products 16 referred to here include not only the products 16 of the company itself but also the products 16 of other companies. Further, the traceability information may include a series of processes until the used product 16 is collected and recycled and the product 16 is manufactured from the recycled material.

[0033] In the server 14, data related to the manufacturing process of each product 16 is accumulated by being sequentially added to the traceability information as process information in chronological order. Each process information includes information such as the content of the process, the registration date and time of the process information, the product name as the product 16, information related to the supply chain (company name, manufacturing site name, location information of the manufacturing site), and the transportation route of the product 16.

[0034] In addition, each process information includes information such as when and where the process was performed and the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the process. Note that the amount of carbon dioxide emitted includes not only the processes directly related to manufacturing but also the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by transportation equipment such as ships and trucks during the transportation of Product 16. As a result, a carbon footprint based on traceability information is realized.

[0035] For the management of the traceability information in this embodiment, as an example, blockchain technology is used for the purpose of preventing the falsification of traceability information. Specifically, for example, Server 14 generates hash values of the data related to each process of Product 16, forms these data (hash values) into one block, and performs a block incorporation process of linking them to the end of the blockchain. Then, as the manufacturing process of Product 16 progresses, Server 14 repeatedly calculates hash values that reflect the manufacturing processes up to that point. As a result, the hash values provided for each manufacturing process of Product 16 become values (Merkle roots) that reflect all the manufacturing processes up to that point. Thus, the traceability information is stored in a state linked to the process information of Product 16 using the blockchain. And the Server 14 in this embodiment generates the attached information 18 in which the hash value is recorded together with the inquiry destination of the traceability information of the attached Product 16, and outputs it in a form that can be attached to Product 16.

[0036] The QR code that is the attached information 18 is attached to each Product 16 of each process. In addition to being directly attached to Product 16, the attached information 18 may be attached to a container containing Product 16, a tag for managing Product 16, or the like. The attached information 18 is newly generated by Server 14, for example, for each predetermined process. In this case, the manufacturer (supply chain) of Product 16 for which the attached information 18 is newly generated outputs the QR code to a paper medium or the like and attaches it to each Product 16.

[0037] The mobile terminal device 12 captures the attached information 18 attached to the product 16 with the camera 20, and based on the recorded content (inquiry destination) obtained by reading the attached information 18, acquires the traceability information indicating the manufacturing process of the product 16 from the server 14. Then, the mobile terminal device 12 displays the traceability information acquired from the server 14 on the display unit 22.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display mode of process information by the mobile terminal device 12 of the present embodiment. When the mobile terminal device 12 reads the attached information 18 and acquires the process information from the server 14, an application (hereinafter referred to as "display application") pre-installed in the mobile terminal device 12 is activated, and the acquired process information is displayed on the display unit 22.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal device 12 of the present embodiment causes each piece of process information included in the traceability information to be displayed on the display unit 22, and transitions the process information displayed on the display unit 22 in time series according to the operation by the user.

[0040] FIG. 2(A) is a diagram showing the process information that is first displayed on the display unit 22 by reading the attached information 18. By swiping the display unit 22 displayed in FIG. 2(A) to the right, the process information one step before FIG. 2(A) is displayed as shown in FIG. 2(B).

[0041] In this way, the mobile terminal device 12 of the present embodiment transitions the process information to be displayed on the display unit 22 according to the left - right operation on the display unit 22 by the user. As a result, it becomes easier for the user to grasp the process, and the operability is improved. In the present embodiment, the process information to be displayed on the display unit 22 is transitioned by swiping on the display unit 22, but it is not limited to this. For example, an arrow button for transitioning the display of the process may be displayed on the display unit 22, and the process information displayed may be transitioned by clicking this arrow button.

[0042] The mobile terminal device 12 of the present embodiment displays the latest process information as the start time of display so that the user can easily grasp the process being displayed on the display unit 22, and displays the degree of separation between the process information displayed on the display unit 22 and the latest process information on the display unit 22.

[0043] This degree of separation is displayed as "generation" in the generation display column 24 in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2(A), since the latest process information is being displayed, "latest" in the generation display column 24 is highlighted. In FIG. 2(B), since the process information is one generation older than the latest, "one generation ago (1)" in the generation display column 24 is highlighted. Further, in the display state of FIG. 2(B), when the user swipes right, the process information two generations ago is displayed on the display unit 22, and "two generations ago (1)" in the generation display column 24 is highlighted.

[0044] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the mobile terminal device 12 displays an operation image (hereinafter referred to as the "latest return button") 52 on the display unit 22 to return the display of the display unit 22 to the latest process information. Thus, even when upstream process information is being displayed, by operating (clicking) the latest return button 26, the latest process information is displayed on the display unit 22, making it easier for the user to grasp the process and improving the operability. Note that the latest return button 26 is not displayed when the latest process information is being displayed on the display unit 22. As will be described later, when the latest process information cannot be displayed due to viewing restrictions, when the latest return button 26 is operated, the mobile terminal device 12 displays the process information closest to the latest among the process information that can be displayed on the display unit 22.

[0045] Also, on the display unit 22, the name of the process information being displayed such as "pack manufacturing" or "material manufacturing", the registration date and time for traceability information as detailed process information, the product name of the product 16, the company name that manufactured the product 16, the name of the base point which is the manufacturing location, the latitude and longitude indicating the location of the base point, etc. are displayed.

[0046] In addition, on the display unit 22, at least one of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2 amount) discharged for each process and the total amount (cumulative value) of the amount of carbon dioxide discharged in the processes up to that point is displayed. As a result, a carbon footprint is realized, and the user can grasp the amount of carbon dioxide discharged in the manufacturing process.

[0047] Note that in the portable terminal device 12 of the present embodiment, information that cannot be completely displayed on one screen of the display unit 22 may be displayed by swiping in the vertical direction or by accordion display.

[0048] As described above, the portable terminal device 12 of the present embodiment displays on the display unit 22 for each piece of process information included in the traceability information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the portable terminal device 12 may display a plurality of pieces of process information on the display unit 22 at once.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the manufacturing process of the product 16. In the following description, the upstream side of the process is also referred to as the previous process, and the downstream side of the process is also referred to as the subsequent process. In order to manufacture the product 16, various processes are required, including the procurement of various raw materials, the processing into parts, the processing from raw materials to parts, the assembly from parts to the final product, the transportation of raw materials and parts, and the inspection of parts and final products, including the supply chain. In addition, there are various aspects such as the addition of processes, the integration of processes, and the branching of processes. Note that the integration of processes is an aspect in which a plurality of previous processes are made into one subsequent process. The branching of processes is an aspect in which one previous process is made into a plurality of subsequent processes.

[0050] FIG. 3 includes a recycling process in which the final product is recycled and used again as a raw material (recycled material). That is, as an example, the black circles in FIG. 3 indicate the manufacturing process of the product 16, the white circles indicate the final product, and the hatched circular shapes indicate the recycling process. In the example of FIG. 3, the final product is manufactured using not only recycled materials but also virgin materials, which are new raw materials. However, the final product may be manufactured using only recycled materials.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 3, the manufacturing process of the product 16 including the recycling process will repeat the manufacturing and recycling of the final product. Also, thereby, the number of processes increases, and the number of supply chains also becomes large and more complicated. And, considering that many supply chains are involved in manufacturing the product 16, it may not be preferable to enable anyone to check the manufacturing process of the product 16 by reading the attached information 18 attached to the product 16.

[0052] Therefore, in the present embodiment, process information that can be displayed on the display unit 22 is determined for each attached information 18. Thereby, the user will view the process information only within the range determined by the attached information 18. Therefore, the manufacturing history display system 10 of the present embodiment can impose a restriction on viewing the processes related to the manufacturing of the product 16.

[0053] With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the attached information 18 and the process information that can be displayed will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the attached information 18 attached to the product 16 and the processes. In the example of FIG. 4, processes A to C, process D, processes E to G, processes H to J, processes K to M, and processes N to O are processes implemented by different supply chains. And, attached information 18a is attached to the product 16 in processes A to C. This attached information 18a is attached to the product 16 in process A.

[0054] Similarly hereinafter, attached information 18d is attached to the product 16 in process D. This attached information 18d is attached to the product 16 in process D. Attached information 18e is attached to the product 16 in processes E to G. This attached information 18e is attached to the product 16 in process E. Attached information 18h is attached to the product 16 in processes H to J. This attached information 18h is attached to the product 16 in process H. Attached information 18k is attached to the product 16 in processes K to M. This attached information 18k is attached to the product 16 in process K. Attached information 18n is attached to the product 16 in processes N to O. This attached information 18n is attached to the product 16 in process N.

[0055] The attached information 18 of this embodiment is defined to be able to display the process information of the attached product 16 and the process information on the upstream side thereof, and the process information on the downstream side of the attached product 16 is not to be displayed. Thereby, the manufacturing history display system 10 of this embodiment can view, for example, the manufacturing processes on the upstream side of the product 16 manufactured in-house, while the manufacturing processes on the downstream side, which are the manufacturing processes by other companies using the product 16 of the company, cannot be viewed.

[0056] Note that the attached information 18 is replaced for the product 16 every time the viewable process changes. In the example of FIG. 4, the attached information 18a is attached to the product 16 in process A, replaced with the attached information 18d in process D, and similarly, replaced with the attached information 18e in process E, replaced with the attached information 18h in process H, replaced with the attached information 18k in process K, and replaced with the attached information 18n in process N.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the viewable manufacturing processes associated with the attached information 18 and corresponds to FIG. 4. The process filled in black is the current process, the process indicated by the diagonal hatching is the process on the downstream side of the current process, and the process hatched with cross lines is the process on the upstream side of the current process.

[0058] That is, in the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5, when the mobile terminal device 12 reads the attached information 18a, the process information of steps A to C can be displayed, but the process information on the downstream side thereof cannot be displayed. Also, when the mobile terminal device 12 reads the attached information 18d, the process information of steps A to C can be displayed together with the process information of step D, but the process information on the downstream side thereof cannot be displayed. When the mobile terminal device 12 reads the attached information 18e, the process information of steps A to D can be displayed together with the process information of steps E to G, but the process information on the downstream side thereof cannot be displayed. When the mobile terminal device 12 reads the attached information 18h, the process information of steps A to D can be displayed together with the process information of steps H to J, but the process information on the downstream side thereof cannot be displayed. When the mobile terminal device 12 reads the attached information 18k, the process information of steps A to D can be displayed together with the process information of steps K to M, but the process information on the downstream side thereof cannot be displayed. When the mobile terminal device 12 reads the attached information 18n, the process information of steps A to M, that is, all the process information, can be displayed together with the process information of steps N to O.

[0059] Here, a method for generating the attached information 18 that sets viewing restrictions on the process information will be described. The attached information 18 of the present embodiment calculates the mark root for each process and records the precedence relationship of the mark roots for each process in the server 14. In each process, the mark root is described in the attached information 18. When the attached information 18 attached to the product 16 is read by the mobile terminal device 12, the server 14 performs a search only on the upstream process side. Also, when reaching the most upstream process during the search, without performing a search before that, the search result is displayed on the display unit 22 of the mobile terminal device 12. However, by inputting a predetermined password, it becomes possible to perform a search after reaching the most upstream process and a search on the downstream process side. According to this, it becomes possible to allow those with special authorities, such as supervisors of all processes and administrative personnel, to view the necessary information.

[0060] The attached information 18 may be information such as raw material information, manufacturing information, carbon footprint, due diligence, transaction history of carbon dioxide emissions, carbon tax payment history, carbon border adjustment measure payment history, etc., or hash values calculated from these hash values and Merkle roots. That is, the QR code which is the attached information 18 is generated by converting this hash value.

[0061] In this way, the attached information is generated including carbon emissions, carbon dioxide emissions trading, carbon tax payment history, carbon border adjustment measure payment history, etc. Also, in this embodiment, carbon neutrality, which is the timing when carbon emissions and various emission rights are offset, may be set as the most upstream process that can be displayed by the display unit 22. Thereby, it is possible to prevent double payment of various taxes related to carbon dioxide emissions and the carbon emissions of materials recycled multiple times from becoming unduly high, leading to the promotion of the use of recycled materials.

[0062] Also, in the mobile terminal device 12 of this embodiment, by inputting a predetermined password, the process information that is set to be non-displayable becomes displayable. This password is input by the user via, for example, a display application, transmitted to the server 14, and authenticated by the server 14. According to this, for example, browsing restrictions can be lifted for those with special authorities such as supervisors of all processes and administrative staff.

[0063] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram regarding the display of traceability information of the manufacturing history display system 10.

[0064] The mobile terminal device 12 includes a communication unit 30, a storage unit 32, a reading unit 34, a process information acquisition control unit 36, a display control unit 38, and a password reception unit 40, together with a camera 20 and a display unit 22.

[0065] The camera 20 has an imaging function and, in this embodiment, images the attached information 18 attached to the product 16.

[0066] The display unit 22 is, for example, a touch panel display, which displays various data and accepts operations on the mobile terminal device 12 by the user.

[0067] The communication unit 30 transmits and receives information to and from other information processing devices such as the server 14. Note that the communication unit 30 of the present embodiment transmits and receives information to and from the server 14 via the communication unit 50 provided in the server 14. The traceability information of the product 16 is stored in the storage device 52 provided in the server 14.

[0068] The storage unit 32 stores a program (application) related to reading the attached information 18 and displaying process information, and various data such as process information acquired from the server 14.

[0069] The reading unit 34 reads the attached information 18 (QR code) imaged by the camera 20. Then, the reading unit 34 performs a decoding process for decoding the information recorded in the read attached information 18.

[0070] The process information acquisition control unit 36 acquires the traceability information associated with the attached information 18 read by the reading unit 34 from the server 14 via the communication unit 30. Note that the process information acquisition control unit 36 of the present embodiment does not acquire all the traceability information from the server 14 at once, but sequentially acquires the process information before and after the process information displayed on the display unit 22 from the server 14. The process information acquired from the server 14 is stored in the storage unit 32.

[0071] Also, when acquiring the traceability information, the process information acquisition control unit 36 transmits information indicating the displayable range of the process information defined in the attached information 18 (hereinafter referred to as "displayable range information") to the server 14 via the communication unit 30. The displayable range information is obtained by reading the attached information 18 by the reading unit 34. That is, the process information not included in the displayable range information is the process information subject to browsing restriction.

[0072] The display control unit 38 controls the display unit 22 to display various images. The display control unit 38 of this embodiment causes the display unit 22 to display the traceability information acquired by the process information acquisition control unit 36.

[0073] The password accepting unit 40 accepts an input of a password for enabling display of the process information that is not permitted to be displayed, via the display unit 22. The password accepting unit 40 transmits the input password to the server 14 via the communication unit 30.

[0074] The server 14 includes a communication unit 50, a storage device 52, a displayable range determination unit 54, and a viewing restriction removal unit 56.

[0075] The displayable range determination unit 54 determines, based on the displayable range information received from the mobile terminal device 12 via the communication unit 50, the range of process information that can be displayed on the mobile terminal device 12 that transmitted the displayable range information.

[0076] The viewing restriction removal unit 56 authenticates the password received from the mobile terminal device 12 via the communication unit 50, and if the authentication is successful, allows all process information to be displayed on the mobile terminal device 12 that sent the password.

[0077] 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the manufacturing history display process executed by the manufacturing history display system 10. The manufacturing history display process is started by starting a program (display application) stored in a recording medium such as the storage unit 32 included in the mobile terminal device 12. Note that the execution of this program causes a method corresponding to the program to be executed.

[0078] First, in step S100, the mobile terminal device 12 captures an image of the attached information 18 of the product 16 using the camera 20, and reads the content of the attached information 18.

[0079] In the next step S102, the process information acquisition control unit 36 transmits the displayable range information obtained by reading the auxiliary information 18 to the server 14 via the communication unit 30.

[0080] In the next step S104, based on the displayable range information received via the communication unit 50, the displayable range determination unit 54 of the server 14 determines the process information that can be displayed on the mobile terminal device 12 that transmitted the displayable range information.

[0081] In the next step S106, the process information acquisition control unit 36 determines whether a password has been input. If the determination is affirmative, the password is transmitted to the server 14 and the process proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S110.

[0082] In step S108, the browsing restriction release unit 56 of the server 14 authenticates the password. If the authentication is successful, the browsing restriction is released and the process proceeds to step S110.

[0083] In step S110, the process information acquisition control unit 36 acquires process information from the server 14 via the communication unit 30.

[0084] In the next step S112, the display control unit 38 causes the process information to be displayed on the display unit 22. When the user operates the display unit 22 to transition the process information to be displayed on the display unit 22, the process information acquisition control unit 36 sequentially acquires the process information from the server 14. At this time, if the process information that the user intends to display on the display unit 22 is subject to browsing restrictions, an image indicating that the process information is subject to browsing restrictions is displayed on the display unit 22.

[0085] Also, the traceability information of the present embodiment includes processes related to the recycling of the product 16, and the processes of the return of raw materials by recycling, the manufacture of the product 16, and the recycling of the product 16 are repeatedly recorded a plurality of times. In the case of such traceability information, it is possible to display the repetition of the manufacturing process and the recycling process of the product 16 without limitation, but if it is unlimited, it is highly likely to exceed the user's understanding.

[0086] Therefore, the manufacturing history display system 10 of the present embodiment sets the return of raw materials by the latest recycling as the most upstream process that can be displayed by the display unit 22. That is, the displayable process is only a combination of a single manufacturing process and a recycling process. For example, taking FIG. 3 as an example, the procurement process of recycled materials and virgin materials located at the left end of FIG. 3 is set as the most upstream process that can be displayed, and the processes including the recycling process before this are set as non-displayable.

[0087] Thereby, even if the manufacturing process and the recycling process of the product 16 are repeated multiple times, the return of raw materials by the latest recycling is set as the most upstream of the processes where it can be browsed, so that the user can easily understand the manufacturing process and the recycling process of the product 16.

[0088] Also, as an example, the total amount of carbon dioxide discharged in each process displayed on the display unit 22 is reset at the time of procurement of raw materials for recycled materials or virgin materials, and is set as the cumulative value in subsequent processes.

[0089] In the next step S114, it is determined whether an operation to end the display application has been performed. If the determination is affirmative, the display application is ended. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S106.

[0090] As described above, the present disclosure has been described using the above embodiments, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the gist of the disclosure, and the forms with such changes or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A reading unit (28) that reads the attached information (18) associated with the manufacturing history information of the product and attached to the product; An acquisition control unit (30) that acquires the manufacturing history information associated with the attached information read by the reading unit from a server (14); A display control unit (32) that causes the display unit (22) to display the manufacturing history information acquired by the acquisition control unit; comprising: The manufacturing history information is information that records a plurality of process information indicating processes related to the manufacture of the product in chronological order, and displayable range information indicating the process information that can be displayed on the display unit for each attached information is defined. The acquisition control unit acquires the process information defined by the displayable range information from the server. The display control unit causes the display unit to display the process information acquired by the acquisition control unit. An information processing apparatus (12).

2. The attached information is defined such that the process information of the attached product and the process information upstream thereof can be displayed, and the process information downstream of the attached product cannot be displayed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. By inputting a predetermined password, the process information that is not defined as displayable becomes displayable. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The manufacturing history information includes processes related to the recycling of the product. When the return of raw materials by the recycling, the manufacture of the product, and the processes of the recycling of the product are repeatedly recorded a plurality of times, the return of raw materials by the latest recycling is set as the most upstream process that can be displayed by the display unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The attached information is raw material information, manufacturing information, carbon footprint, due diligence, transaction history of carbon dioxide emissions, carbon tax payment history, carbon border adjustment measure payment history information, or a hash value calculated from their hash values or Merkle roots. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. A server that stores manufacturing history information that records a plurality of process information indicating processes related to the manufacture of a product in chronological order; An information processing apparatus that acquires the manufacturing history information associated with the attached information by reading the attached information associated with the manufacturing history information and attached to the product, and displays the manufacturing history information on a display unit; comprising: Displayable range information indicating the process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each of the attached information. The information processing apparatus acquires the process information determined by the displayable range information from the server and causes the acquired process information to be displayed on the display unit. Manufacturing history display system (10).

7. A first step in which a reading unit reads attached information associated with the manufacturing history information of a product and attached to the product. A second step in which an acquisition control unit acquires the manufacturing history information associated with the attached information read by the reading unit from a server. A third step in which a display control unit displays the manufacturing history information acquired by the acquisition control unit on a display unit. The manufacturing history information is information in which a plurality of process information indicating processes related to the manufacture of the product are recorded in time series, and displayable range information indicating the process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each of the attached information. The acquisition control unit acquires the process information determined by the displayable range information from the server. The display control unit causes the process information acquired by the acquisition control unit to be displayed on the display unit. Manufacturing history display method.

8. A computer included in an information processing apparatus is caused to function as a reading unit that reads attached information associated with the manufacturing history information of a product and attached to the product, an acquisition control unit that acquires the manufacturing history information associated with the attached information read by the reading unit from a server, and a display control unit that causes the manufacturing history information acquired by the acquisition control unit to be displayed on a display unit. The manufacturing history information is information in which a plurality of process information indicating processes related to the manufacture of the product are recorded in time series, and displayable range information indicating the process information that can be displayed on the display unit is determined for each of the attached information. The acquisition control unit acquires the process information determined by the displayable range information from the server. The display control unit causes the process information acquired by the acquisition control unit to be displayed on the display unit. Manufacturing history display program. ​

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