Manufacturing process management system, manufacturing process management method, and program

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention is a system for managing a manufacturing process by a plurality of manufacturers, said system comprising a plurality of information processing units corresponding to the plurality of manufacturers, wherein: each of the plurality of information processing units generates first data regarding the specifications of a component manufactured by the manufacturer corresponding thereto, generates second data by encrypting the first data with a secret key of said manufacturer, and generates verification data including the first data, the second data, and a distributed identifier of said manufacturer and supplies the verification data to the information processing unit for the next manufacturing process; and it is possible for the verification data supplied from the information processing unit of the prior manufacturing process to be provided to a third party.

Description

Manufacturing process management system, manufacturing process management method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing process control system, a manufacturing process control method, and a program.

[0002] A system has been disclosed that makes it possible to grasp the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from a specific product by calculating the amounts of materials that make up the product and creating emission data that records the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per unit amount emitted when each material is burned (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses that when a specific product has multiple parts manufacturers, each parts manufacturer accesses their own recording data and inputs the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, and the final manufacturer (for example, OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer) adds up the amount of carbon dioxide emissions for each material to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions for the entire product.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-293064

[0004] However, with the conventional technology, the final manufacturer of a particular product must receive all of the emission data from the component manufacturers, which can place a heavy burden on the final manufacturer.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a manufacturing process management system, manufacturing process management method, and program that make it possible to accurately and easily prove to a third party that each process in the manufacturing process of parts (including parts as final products) by multiple manufacturers has been carried out correctly based on the results of the previous process.

[0006] The manufacturing process control system, manufacturing process control method, and program according to the present invention employ the following configuration: (1): A manufacturing process control system according to one aspect of the present invention is a system for managing manufacturing processes carried out by a plurality of manufacturers, and includes a plurality of information processing units corresponding to the plurality of manufacturers, each of which generates first data relating to specifications of a part manufactured by a corresponding manufacturer, generates second data by encrypting the first data with a private key of the manufacturer, and generates verification data including the first data, the second data, and a distributed identifier of the manufacturer, and supplies the verification data to an information processing unit of a next manufacturing process, and the manufacturing process control system is capable of providing the verification data supplied from the information processing unit of a previous manufacturing process to a third party.

[0007] (2): In the aspect of (1), when the verification data is supplied from a previous manufacturing process, each of the plurality of information processing units generates verification data for its own manufacturing process based on the first data contained in the verification data.

[0008] (3): In the aspect (1) or (2), when generating verification data for the own manufacturing process, each of the plurality of information processing units includes second data contained in the verification data supplied from the previous manufacturing process in the first data of the verification data generated for the own manufacturing process.

[0009] (4): In any of the aspects (1) to (3), the plurality of information processing units each generate second data by hashing the first data and encrypting the resulting hash value with the private key.

[0010] (5): In any one of (1) to (4), the first data is a value related to the environmental load caused by manufacturing the part.

[0011] (6): In any of the aspects (1) to (5), the verification data is used as management information for a battery passport, which is an initiative to ensure transparency in the disclosure of information about batteries, and the first data indicates the cumulative value of carbon dioxide emissions for each process in the manufacturing process of the battery.

[0012] (7): A manufacturing process control method according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for managing manufacturing processes carried out by a plurality of manufacturers, in which a manufacturing process control system includes a plurality of information processing units corresponding to the plurality of manufacturers, wherein the plurality of information processing units each generate first data relating to specifications of parts manufactured by the corresponding manufacturer, generate second data by encrypting the first data with the manufacturer's private key, generate verification data including the first data, the second data, and a distributed identifier of the manufacturer, and supply this to an information processing unit of a next manufacturing process, and provide the verification data supplied from the information processing unit of a previous manufacturing process to a third party.

[0013] (8): Another aspect of the present invention provides a program for a manufacturing process management system that manages manufacturing processes by multiple manufacturers and includes multiple information processing units corresponding to the multiple manufacturers, the program causing each of the multiple information processing units to generate first data regarding the specifications of a part manufactured by the corresponding manufacturer, generate second data by encrypting the first data with the manufacturer's private key, generate verification data including the first data, the second data, and the manufacturer's distributed identifier, and supply the verification data to an information processing unit of a next manufacturing process, and provide the verification data supplied from the information processing unit of a previous manufacturing process to a third party.

[0014] According to aspects (1) to (8), it becomes possible to accurately and easily prove to a third party that each process in the manufacturing process of parts (including parts as final products) by multiple manufacturers has been performed correctly based on the results of the previous process.

[0015] More specifically, according to aspects (1), (7), and (8), a third party can verify the VC (Verifiable Credential) presented by the final manufacturer to confirm that the specification data presented by each manufacturer regarding the final product or part has not been tampered with.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the aspect (2), a third party can grasp the specifications of the entire manufacturing process, such as a manufacturing process in which new parts are manufactured using parts from a previous process.

[0017] Furthermore, according to the aspect (3), the second data relating to each manufacturing process is accumulated in the first data of the verification data, so that a third party can grasp the specifications of the manufacturing process as a whole and can verify that the specification information has been correctly transmitted to the subsequent process in each manufacturing process.

[0018] Furthermore, according to the aspect (4), a third party who has acquired the verification data can verify the validity of the verification data by comparing the hash value obtained by decrypting the second data using the public key with the hash value obtained by hashing the first data.

[0019] Furthermore, in the past, when manufacturers manufactured their own parts using components provided by upstream manufacturers, they obtained information necessary to calculate the environmental impact (hereinafter referred to as "environmental impact value") associated with the manufacture of their own parts from the upstream manufacturer. For example, carbon footprint (CFP) is one example of an environmental impact value. However, manufacturers providing the information wanted to avoid disclosing a large amount of specification information solely for the purpose of determining the environmental impact value. In contrast, according to aspects (5) and (6), the upstream manufacturer communicates the environmental impact value itself to downstream manufacturers, eliminating the need for manufacturers to disclose more specification information than necessary. This is expected to encourage manufacturers to proactively disclose environmental impact values, which in turn contributes to the promotion of the Battery Passport initiative, which aims to ensure transparency in battery information disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of verifiable credentials. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is an image diagram (part 1) showing how the information processing system according to an embodiment adds up the amount of CO2 emissions in each manufacturing process and links it to the final manufacturer. FIG. 5 is an image diagram (part 2) showing how the information processing system according to an embodiment adds up the amount of CO2 emissions in each manufacturing process and links it to the final manufacturer. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a process in which the information processing device according to an embodiment generates certification information for a corresponding manufacturing process.

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of a manufacturing process control system, a manufacturing process control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] <Overview> An information processing system according to an embodiment generates information (hereinafter referred to as "certification information") to certify that each process in a product manufacturing process, which includes multiple processes, was performed based on the results of the preceding process. In the following embodiments, information indicating the cumulative amount of carbon dioxide emitted in each process (hereinafter referred to as "CO2 emission information") will be described as an example of the certification information. The CO2 emission information is generated by each process in the product manufacturing process adding up the carbon dioxide emissions of that process and the carbon dioxide emissions of the preceding process and supplying the total to the following process. In this case, the certification information created by the final process in the product manufacturing process serves as the CO2 emission information for the entire product manufacturing process. Furthermore, by generating the certification information (CO2 emission information) as a verifiable credential, the information processing system according to an embodiment can ensure that the certification information has not been tampered with during the product manufacturing process. For example, by ensuring that the certification information has not been tampered with, a product manufacturer can prove that the performance of the preceding process in the product manufacturing process was correctly linked to the following process. For example, the CO2 emission information allows a product manufacturer to assert that it has presented an accurate amount of CO2 emissions during the product manufacturing process. Here, we will explain CO2 emission information as an example of certification information, but the items certified by the certification information (i.e., the items carried out in each process based on the results of the previous process) may be items other than accumulating CO2 emissions.

[0023] <Details> Figure 1 is a diagram outlining verifiable credentials. Verifiable credentials are credentials that have been digitized and can be verified mechanically. Credentials refer to information used for authentication to control access in information security, and are generally equivalent to what is known as qualification information or authentication information. Specific examples of credentials include user IDs and passwords, biometric information, and certificates. Verifiable credentials are not simply image data created by scanning the face of a card; they use digital signature technology to enable mechanical verification of the identity of the issuer and whether the contents have been tampered with. The specifications and data model of verifiable credentials have been standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, a verifiable credential mechanism generally involves the following parties: an issuer, a holder, a verifier, a subject, and a verifiable data registry. An issuer is a party that issues a credential for a subject, and an owner is a party that possesses the issued credential. A credential is information in which an issuer asserts that a subject has a specific attribute. A credential may also be information that indicates a specific attribute that an issuer asserts about a subject. Generally, the owner is often the subject, but the owner and the subject may be different.

[0025] A verifier is a person who receives credentials from an owner and verifies their legitimacy. A verifiable data registry is a storage area for data used by issuers, owners, and verifiers. The verifiable data registry records information necessary for verification, such as the issuer's identifier, public key, and credential revocation information. A verifiable data registry is configured as an area that anyone can access, but cannot arbitrarily rewrite. Due to its nature, a verifiable data registry is often implemented using a blockchain.

[0026] An issuer converts information to be certified about a subject into a credential by applying a digital signature to the information using its own private key. Since a public key corresponding to the private key is required to verify the credential, the issuer associates the public key with its own DID (Decentralized Identifier) ​​and registers it in a verifiable data registry. This allows a verifier to obtain the public key of the credential from the verifiable data registry by specifying the issuer's DID corresponding to the credential. By using DIDs to manage public keys, the verifiable data registry decentralizes the association between the issuer and the public key without relying on a trusted third party such as a certificate authority.

[0027] The information processing system of this embodiment generates certification information (CO2 emission information) of CO2 emissions in a product manufacturing process based on the above-described verifiable credential mechanism.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information processing system 1 of this embodiment. For simplicity, FIG. 2 illustrates a case in which a product manufacturing process to be processed by the information processing system 1 consists of three processes: a first process, a second process, and a third process. For simplicity, the second process is assumed to manufacture a second part using a first part manufactured in the first process, and the third process is assumed to complete a product using the second part manufactured in the second process. However, the order of the processes included in the product manufacturing process need only be in terms of generating CO2 emission information, and need not necessarily be in terms of the manufacturing process. The finished product may include parts other than the first and second parts.

[0029] In the example of FIG. 2 , the information processing system 1 includes a first information processing device 10 corresponding to the first step, a second information processing device 20 corresponding to the second step, a third information processing device 30 corresponding to the third step, and a verifiable data registry 40. For simplicity, it is assumed that the first information processing device 10, the second information processing device 20, and the third information processing device 30 can communicate with each other via a network NW and can access the verifiable data registry 40 via the network NW. The network NW may include any wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a cellular network, or a dedicated line, or may include any local area network (LAN), or may include both. Note that the first information processing device 10, the second information processing device 20, and the third information processing device 30 do not necessarily need to be able to communicate with each other as long as they are capable of exchanging information with each other. For example, information exchange between the first information processing device 10, the second information processing device 20, and the third information processing device 30 may be manually achieved via a removable storage medium in each information processing device.

[0030] The first information processing device 10 generates information (hereinafter referred to as "first emission information") for linking the CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process (first process) of the first part to the second process, and transmits it to the second information processing device 20. The second information processing device 20 generates information (hereinafter referred to as "second emission information") for linking the integrated value of CO2 emissions before the manufacturing process (second process) of the second part to the third process, and transmits it to the third information processing device 30. In other words, the second emission information links the sum of the CO2 emissions in the first process (first emission amount) and the CO2 emissions in the second process (second emission amount) to the third process.

[0031] The third information processing device 30 generates CO2 emission information based on the integrated value of CO2 emissions before the manufacturing process (third process) of the finished product. That is, the CO2 emission information certifies the total CO2 emissions in the product manufacturing process, which is the sum of the CO2 emissions in the first process (first emission amount), the CO2 emissions in the second process (second emission amount), and the CO2 emissions in the third process (third emission amount). The third information processing device 30 may provide the generated CO2 emission information to a third party, such as an auditor.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first emission information, the second emission information, and the CO2 emission information are generated in the same procedure using a method described below. In this sense, the first information processing device 10, the second information processing device 20, and the third information processing device 30 can be considered to be functionally equivalent devices. Therefore, hereinafter, unless there is a need to particularly distinguish between them, the first information processing device 10, the second information processing device 20, and the third information processing device 30 will be collectively referred to as the "information processing device 100."

[0033] [Configuration of Information Processing Device] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and an information processing unit 130. The information processing unit 130 is realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0034] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW, and is, for example, a network interface card.

[0035] The storage unit 120 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 120 is used as a storage area for various information necessary for the operation of the information processing device 100, such as programs and setting information. The storage unit 120 may also be used as a storage area for information generated by the information processing device 100, temporary data for processing executed by the information processing device 100, etc.

[0036] The information processing unit 130 generates certification information related to the process corresponding to its own device in the product manufacturing process (hereinafter referred to as "its own process"). More specifically, the information processing unit 130 generates certification information related to its own process based on certification information supplied from the previous process, and supplies the generated certification information to the subsequent process. The information processing unit 130 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 131, a certification information generation unit 132, and an information provision unit 133.

[0037] The information acquisition unit 131 acquires certification information (first emission amount information) generated for a previous process from another information processing device 100 corresponding to the previous process of the own process. The information acquisition unit 131 supplies the acquired certification information to the certification information generation unit 132. The information acquisition unit 131 may provide the acquired certification information to the certification information generation unit 132 via the storage unit 120.

[0038] The certification information generation unit 132 recognizes the total amount of CO2 emissions generated in processes prior to the current process based on the certification information of the previous process. The certification information generation unit 132 calculates the total amount of CO2 emissions in processes prior to the current process (including the current process) by adding the CO2 emissions amount in the current process to the total amount of CO2 emissions in processes prior to the current process (excluding the current process). The certification information generation unit 132 generates certification information for linking the calculated total amount of CO2 emissions prior to the current process to subsequent processes, and supplies the generated certification information to the information provision unit 133. The certification information generation unit 132 generates certification information for the current process as a verifiable credential. The certification information generation unit 132 may provide the generated certification information to the information provision unit 133 via the storage unit 120.

[0039] The information providing unit 133 transmits the certification information generated by the certification information generating unit 132 to another information processing device 100 corresponding to a subsequent process.

[0040] In a product manufacturing process having multiple steps, by providing the information processing device 100 having the above configuration for each step, it becomes possible to sequentially add up the CO2 emissions of each step in the same manner and link them to the subsequent steps. Therefore, with the information processing system 1 of the embodiment, it becomes possible to generate, with less effort, information to prove that each step was performed based on the performance of each previous step in a manufacturing process that manufactures a product through a series of steps with a chronological relationship.

[0041] Furthermore, according to the information processing device 100 of the embodiment, the CO2 emissions generated in each step of the product manufacturing process are sequentially accumulated and transmitted to the subsequent step, thereby improving the confidentiality of the CO2 emissions of each step between manufacturers corresponding to each step. Furthermore, according to the information processing device 100 of the embodiment, by generating certification information of the CO2 emissions as a verifiable credential, the product manufacturer can prove to a third party that the certification information indicates a correctly calculated CO2 emission amount without tampering.

[0042] 4 and 5 are conceptual diagrams illustrating how the total CO2 emissions in product manufacturing are shared with the final manufacturer C by multiple parts manufacturers including battery passport data in certification information that shares the CO2 emissions of their own processes and sharing this information with subsequent processes. First, parts manufacturer A manufactures a first part in a first process. Part manufacturer A supplies the manufactured first part to parts manufacturer B. In response, a first information processing device 10 corresponding to the first process obtains the CO2 emissions of the first process from parts manufacturer A and generates certification information (first emission information) for that information. Because the first process has no previous process, the first information processing device 10 generates certification information in which the CO2 emissions of the first process are the total emissions, and supplies the generated certification information to a second information processing device 20 corresponding to the second process.

[0043] More specifically, the first information processing device 10 generates, as proof information, a verifiable credential VC10 including verification target data D11 indicating the amount of CO2 emissions in the first process and signature data D12 for the verification target data D11. For example, the first information processing device 10 calculates a hash value of the verification target data D11 and encrypts the hash value with a private key SKA of parts manufacturer A to generate signature data D12. The first information processing device 10 links a public key PKA corresponding to the private key SKA to the DID of parts manufacturer A and registers it in the verifiable data registry 40.

[0044] Next, in the second process, parts manufacturer B manufactures a second part using the first part manufactured in the first process. Part manufacturer B supplies the manufactured second part to final manufacturer C. In response to this, the second information processing device 20 corresponding to the second process obtains the CO2 emissions in the second process from part manufacturer B and generates certification information (second emission information). Here, the second information processing device 20 first recognizes the CO2 emissions in the first process based on the verifiable credential VC10 supplied from the first information processing device 10. The second information processing device 20 generates certification information in which the total emission amount is the CO2 emissions in the first process plus the CO2 emissions in the second process, and supplies the generated certification information to the third information processing device 30 corresponding to the third process.

[0045] If component manufacturer B has acquired or can acquire component manufacturer A's DID, component manufacturer B can acquire public key PKA from verifiable data registry 40 using the DID. Component manufacturer A's DID may be included in verifiable credential VC10 and provided to component manufacturer B, or may be shared in advance between vendors by some means. In this case, when generating the proof information, second information processing device 20 may verify verification target data D11 using signature data D12 included in verifiable credential VC10. Furthermore, in this case, second information processing device 20 may be configured to generate the proof information after confirming that verification target data D11 has not been tampered with. In this way, information processing device 100 (here, information processing device 100B) that receives a verifiable credential from a previous process information processing device 100 (here, information processing device 100A) may be configured to verify the acquired verifiable credential. Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may be configured to generate a verifiable credential to be supplied to the information processing device 100 of the subsequent process (here, information processing device 100C) when the verification confirms the validity of the verifiable credential provided from the previous process.

[0046] More specifically, the second information processing device 20 generates, as proof information, a verifiable credential VC20 including verification target data D21 indicating the CO2 emissions up to the second process, signature data D22 for the verification target data D21, and signature data D12 included in the verifiable credential VC10 linked from the first process. For example, the second information processing device 20 calculates a hash value of the verification target data D21 and encrypts the hash value with the private key SKB of part manufacturer B to generate the signature data D22. The second information processing device 20 links the public key PKB corresponding to the private key SKB to the DID of part manufacturer B and registers it in the verifiable data registry 40.

[0047] Next, in the third process, the final manufacturer C manufactures a final product using the second parts manufactured in the second process. The manufactured final product may be sold by the final manufacturer C or shipped to a wholesaler or the like other than the manufacturer. In response to this, the third information processing device 30 corresponding to the third process obtains the CO2 emissions in the third process from the final manufacturer C and generates certification information (CO2 emission information). Here, the third information processing device 30 first recognizes the CO2 emissions up to the second process based on the verifiable credential VC20 provided by the second information processing device 20. The third information processing device 30 generates certification information in which the CO2 emissions up to the second process are added to the CO2 emissions in the third process to determine the total emissions, and provides the generated certification information to a third party such as an auditor. Note that, when generating the certification information, the third information processing device 30 may verify the verification target data D21 using the signature data D22 included in the verifiable credential VC20. In this case, the third information processing device 30 may be configured to generate the proof information after confirming that the verification target data D21 has not been tampered with.

[0048] More specifically, the third information processing device 30 generates, as proof information, a verifiable credential VC30 including verification target data D31 indicating the CO2 emissions up to the third step (i.e., the total CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process of the target product), signature data D32 for the verification target data D31, and signature data D12 and D22 included in the verifiable credential VC20 linked from the second step. For example, the third information processing device 30 calculates a hash value of the verification target data D31 and encrypts the hash value with the private key SKC of the final manufacturer C to generate the signature data D32. The third information processing device 30 links the public key PKC corresponding to the private key SKC to the DID of the final manufacturer C and registers it in the verifiable data registry 40.

[0049] Based on the verifiable credential VC30 provided by the final manufacturer C, a third party can recognize the amount of CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process of the target product.

[0050] By providing such a verifiable credential VC30, the final manufacturer C can disclose to a third party the amount of CO2 emissions generated in the manufacturing process of the target product, and can also prove to the third party that the disclosed amount of CO2 emissions has been correctly calculated.

[0051] In addition, a third party can understand the amount of CO2 emitted in the manufacturing process of the target product using the verifiable credential VC30 provided by the final manufacturer C, and by verifying the verifiable credential VC30, can confirm the legitimacy of the CO2 emissions published by the final manufacturer C.

[0052] More specifically, first, the third party obtains the public key PKC of the end manufacturer C from the verifiable data registry 40 based on the DID of the end manufacturer C. The third party uses the public key PKC to decrypt the signature data D32 included in the verifiable credential VC30, and calculates a hash value of the verification target data D31 included in the verifiable credential VC30. The third party compares the hash value obtained by decrypting the signature data D32 with the hash value obtained from the verification target data D31, and confirms that the two match, thereby verifying the authenticity of the verifiable credential VC30 (i.e., that it has not been tampered with).

[0053] Furthermore, a third party can confirm that the CO2 emissions at each process have been correctly calculated by inquiring of the manufacturer of each process about the CO2 emissions at the corresponding process, calculating the hash value, and verifying that each calculated hash value matches each hash value obtained by decrypting each signature data included in the verifiable credential V30. The third party can also obtain the public key of each manufacturer from the verifiable data registry 40 based on the DID of the manufacturer of each process.

[0054] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in which the information processing device 100 of this embodiment generates certification information for a corresponding manufacturing process. By being configured to execute such a flow, the information processing device 100 can generate certification information for each process in the product manufacturing process in a similar procedure.

[0055] First, the information processing device 100 determines whether its own device corresponds to the first step of the product manufacturing process (S101). Here, for example, it is assumed that setting information indicating which step of the product manufacturing process the own device corresponds to is pre-registered in the storage unit 120 of the information processing device 100. In this case, the information processing device 100 can determine whether its own device corresponds to the first step by referring to the setting information.

[0056] If it is determined in S101 that the information processing device 100 does not correspond to the first process, the information processing device 100 acquires certification information related to the previous process from the information processing device 100 corresponding to the previous process of the information processing device 100 (S102). Based on the acquired certification information, the information processing device 100 recognizes the total CO2 emissions before the previous process and calculates the total CO2 emissions before the current process by adding the CO2 emissions of the current process to that value (S103). The information processing device 100 generates certification information for linking the total CO2 emissions calculated in S103 to the subsequent process (S104).

[0057] On the other hand, if it is determined in S101 that the device itself corresponds to the first process, there is no manufacturing process prior to the device itself, so the information processing device 100 generates certification information for linking to subsequent processes using the CO2 emissions in the device itself as the total emissions (S105).

[0058] The information processing device 100 supplies the certification information generated in S104 or S105 to another information processing device 100 corresponding to a process subsequent to the information processing device 100 itself (S106).

[0059] By providing the information processing device 100 configured in this way in association with each step in the product manufacturing process, the CO2 emissions from each step after the first step are added up and communicated to the final manufacturer, which therefore eliminates the need for the final manufacturer to compile CO2 emissions for manufacturing steps prior to the final step, thereby reducing the burden on the final manufacturer.

[0060] Furthermore, by the information processing device 100 generating a verifiable credential containing the signature data of the data to be verified together with the data to be verified as certification information, the final manufacturer can disclose the amount of CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process of the target product to a third party who obtains the certification information, and can provide a means to verify that the CO2 emission information disclosed for the target product has not been tampered with.

[0061] According to the information processing system 1 of the embodiment described above, it is possible to generate, with less effort, information to prove that each process in a manufacturing process that produces a product through multiple processes has been carried out based on the performance of the previous process.

[0062] For example, one international standard for batteries is the Battery Passport. The Battery Passport is an initiative to ensure transparency in the disclosure of information about batteries. When batteries are manufactured in a hierarchical manufacturing process in which components supplied by a manufacturer in a previous process are used to create new components, and the created components are then supplied to a manufacturer in a subsequent process, the battery manufacturer is required to certify that it created its own emission data using the emission data supplied from the previous process as is (hereinafter referred to as "emission certification") in order to comply with the Battery Passport. However, in the past, methods and means for achieving such emission certification were largely left up to each manufacturer, making operation complicated. The information processing system 1 of the embodiment also contributes to providing a standardization method for the operation of the Battery Passport, which has traditionally been complicated.

[0063] In the above embodiment, it is assumed that an information processing device 100 is provided for each manufacturer, and the first information processing device 10, the second information processing device 20, and the third information processing device 30 are configured separately from each other. However, the first information processing device 10, the second information processing device 20, and the third information processing device 30 may be configured as an integrated device. Also, in the above embodiment, the information processing system 1 includes the verifiable data registry 40, but the verifiable data registry 40 does not necessarily have to be included in the information processing system 1. For example, the information processing system 1 may realize the verifiable data registry 40 using an external service such as a cloud service.

[0064] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows: A manufacturing process management system configured to manage manufacturing processes by a plurality of manufacturers, the system comprising: one or more computers including a plurality of information processing units corresponding to the plurality of manufacturers, each of the one or more computers comprising: a storage medium storing computer-readable instructions; and a processor connected to the storage medium, the processor executing the computer-readable instructions to: generate first data relating to specifications of parts manufactured by a corresponding manufacturer, encrypt the first data with a private key of the manufacturer to generate second data, generate verification data including the first data, the second data, and a distributed identifier of the manufacturer, and supply the verification data to an information processing unit of a next manufacturing process, and provide the verification data supplied from the information processing unit of a previous manufacturing process to a third party.

[0065] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0066] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information processing system 10 First information processing device 20 Second information processing device 30 Third information processing device 40 Verifiable data registry 100 Information processing device 110 Communication unit 120 Storage unit 130 Information processing unit 131 Information acquisition unit 132 Proof information generation unit 133 Information provision unit

Claims

1. A manufacturing process management system that manages manufacturing processes carried out by multiple manufacturers, comprising multiple information processing units corresponding to the multiple manufacturers, each of the multiple information processing units generating first data relating to the specifications of parts manufactured by the corresponding manufacturer, generating second data by encrypting the first data with the manufacturer's private key, generating verification data including the first data, the second data, and the manufacturer's distributed identifier, and supplying this to an information processing unit in a next manufacturing process, and that is capable of providing the verification data supplied from the information processing unit in a previous manufacturing process to a third party.

2. The manufacturing process management system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of information processing units generates verification data for its own manufacturing process based on first data included in the verification data when the verification data is supplied from a previous manufacturing process.

3. The manufacturing process management system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of information processing units, when generating verification data for the own manufacturing process, includes second data contained in the verification data supplied from the previous manufacturing process in first data of the verification data generated for the own manufacturing process.

4. The manufacturing process control system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of information processing units generates second data by hashing the first data and encrypting the resulting hash value with the private key.

5. The manufacturing process control system according to claim 1, wherein the first data is a value relating to an environmental load caused by manufacturing the part.

6. The manufacturing process management system of claim 1, wherein the verification data is used as management information for a battery passport, which is an initiative to ensure transparency in the disclosure of information about batteries, and the first data indicates the cumulative amount of carbon dioxide emissions for each process in the manufacturing process of the battery.

7. A method for managing manufacturing processes carried out by multiple manufacturers, comprising a manufacturing process management system having multiple information processing units corresponding to the multiple manufacturers, wherein each of the multiple information processing units: generates first data relating to the specifications of a part manufactured by the corresponding manufacturer; generates second data by encrypting the first data with the manufacturer's private key; generates verification data including the first data, the second data, and the manufacturer's distributed identifier and supplies it to an information processing unit in a next manufacturing process; and provides the verification data supplied from the information processing unit in a previous manufacturing process to a third party.

8. A manufacturing process management system that manages manufacturing processes by multiple manufacturers and that includes multiple information processing units corresponding to the multiple manufacturers, comprising a program for causing each of the multiple information processing units to generate first data relating to the specifications of parts manufactured by the corresponding manufacturer, generate second data by encrypting the first data with the manufacturer's private key, generate verification data including the first data, the second data, and the manufacturer's distributed identifier and supply it to an information processing unit in a next manufacturing process, and provide the verification data supplied from the information processing unit in a previous manufacturing process to a third party.

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