Recycled material formulation design system and recycled material formulation design method

Abstract

The present invention provides a recycled material formulation design system and a recycled material formulation design method capable of searching a group of existing materials for a recycled material having a physical property value close to a target physical property value and having procurement qualification of being actually procurable as an actual material, designing a formulation of the recycled material that matches the aforementioned conditions, and presenting the formulation to a user. This recycled material formulation design system comprises a calculation unit that executes processing, and a storage unit that stores information indicating the physical properties of each material and information indicating procurability of each material. The calculation unit executes search processing for searching a database for an existing material having a physical property value close to a target physical property value, design processing for designing a formulation of a recycled material having a physical property value close to the target physical property value, and determination processing for determining procurement eligibility of the existing material and a new material. This recycled material formulation design method comprises: a search step of searching for an existing material; a design step of designing a formulation of a recycled material; a first determination step of determining procurement eligibility of the existing material; and a second determination step of determining procurement eligibility of a new material.

Description

Recycled material formulation design system and recycled material formulation design method

[0001] The present invention relates to a recycled material formulation design system and a recycled material formulation design method for designing the formulation of recycled material in which used materials are recycled as at least part of the raw materials.

[0002] In recent years, the demand for plastics has been on the rise. On the other hand, in the future, due to concerns about the depletion of fossil fuels and global warming, the production of new petroleum-derived plastics is expected to decrease. The proportion of recycled plastics used as materials for industrial products is expected to increase significantly. Recently, there has been an increase in the release of products that use recycled materials as materials for exterior parts, and the use of recycled materials is becoming a new competitive factor.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a recycling method for reusing recovered materials in new products, as well as an information processing device used therein. This method and device enable the smooth operation of closed-loop material recycling targeting ABS resin and the like. The amount of recovered material used in a product is determined by determining the mixing ratio of recovered material produced from used parts and virgin material.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes an information processing method, an information processing program, and an information processing system that provide users with information on the feasibility of providing a resin composition along with its physical properties. This method and system involves searching a database for formulations that satisfy the search criteria, calculating estimated physical properties of a virtual formulation using a trained model, searching for virtual formulations whose estimated values ​​satisfy the search criteria, and calculating the feasibility of virtual formulations that satisfy the search criteria.

[0005] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-358427 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-046626

[0006] In recent years, there has been a growing demand for recycled materials, which are made from recycled materials, at least partially from used materials, as materials for industrial products. However, plastics degrade under the influence of temperature, oxygen, ultraviolet rays, etc., and their physical properties deteriorate depending on the environment and time of use. Even if used materials are recycled, it is often difficult to reuse them on their own. When using recycled materials as materials for industrial products, it is necessary to blend the recycled material with new material to ensure the physical properties required for the product.

[0007] Furthermore, used materials used as raw materials for recycled materials are often not in a stable supply because they are collected after products are used at various locations. Even if the mixing ratio of used materials to new materials is designed to ensure the required physical properties of the product, there may be a shortage of used materials during the manufacturing of recycled materials. When using recycled materials as materials for industrial products, it is necessary to be able to stably procure recycled materials or their raw materials that have the required properties.

[0008] In recent years, marketplace systems have been developed in various fields to facilitate electronic transactions. In the field of recycled materials, there is an expectation that the system will match the physical properties and quantities required by consumers who manufacture products using recycled materials with those that can be provided by suppliers who collect used materials or manufacture recycled materials. A system is desired that can present users participating in electronic transactions with information on existing recycled materials that possess the required physical properties and are available on the market, as well as information on new recycled materials.

[0009] Patent Document 1 determines the amount of recycled material used in a product by determining the mixing ratio of recycled material and virgin material based on the required amount and allocation amount of ABS material. The allocation amount is determined based on the production volume of recycled material and the amount of used parts collected, and reflects the requirements regarding the availability of recycled material. However, Patent Document 1 does not address the matching of the physical properties of recycled material between suppliers and consumers. Because closed-loop material recycling is assumed, it is difficult to meet the demand that prioritizes physical properties over the type of material.

[0010] Patent Document 2 searches for formulations that satisfy the search criteria, calculates estimated physical properties of virtual formulations, searches for virtual formulations whose estimated values ​​satisfy the search criteria, and calculates feasibility for virtual formulations that satisfy the search criteria. However, Patent Document 2 does not address the fact that virtual formulations that satisfy the search criteria are affected by the availability of the raw materials themselves. Since feasibility is calculated using a trained model with feasibility as the target variable, it is desirable that requirements regarding the availability of the raw materials themselves be reflected in the search.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a recycled material formulation design system and a recycled material formulation design method that can search from a group of existing materials for recycled materials that have physical properties close to target physical properties and are actually procurable as real materials, and then design and present to the user a recycled material formulation that meets these conditions.

[0012] In other words, to solve the above problems, the recycled material formulation design system according to the present invention is a recycled material formulation design system that designs a formulation of recycled material in which used material is recycled as at least part of the raw materials, comprising: a calculation unit that executes processing according to a program; and a storage unit that stores a database containing information indicating the physical properties of each material and information indicating the availability of each material, wherein the calculation unit performs a search process to search for existing materials having physical properties close to the target physical properties from the database based on the similarity between the target physical properties required for the recycled material and the physical properties of the materials stored in the database; a design process to design a formulation of recycled material having physical properties close to the target physical properties by mixing the existing material with a new material that is not used and is different from the existing material; and a determination process to determine the availability of the existing material and the new material based on information indicating the availability of the materials stored in the database.

[0013] Furthermore, the recycled material formulation design method according to the present invention is a recycled material formulation design method for designing a recycled material formulation in which used material is recycled as at least part of the raw materials, and includes: a search step of searching for an existing material having physical properties close to the target physical properties from a group of existing materials based on the similarity between the target physical properties required for the recycled material and the physical properties of existing materials registered in advance; a design step of designing a recycled material formulation having physical properties close to the target physical properties by mixing the existing material with a new material that is not used and is different from the existing material; a first determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of the existing material based on information indicating the procurement eligibility of the material registered in advance; and a second determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of the new material based on information indicating the procurement eligibility of the material registered in advance.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recycled material formulation design system and a recycled material formulation design method that can search from a group of existing materials for recycled materials that have physical properties close to target physical properties and are actually procurable as real materials, and then design and present to the user a recycled material formulation that meets these conditions.

[0015] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a recycled material formulation design system. This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a recycled material formulation design device. This is a diagram illustrating an example of material information registered in a material database. This is a diagram illustrating an example of mathematical model information registered in a model database. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a determination process for determining the procurement eligibility of recycled materials. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a design process for designing the formulation of recycled materials. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a design process for designing the formulation of recycled materials. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a determination process for determining the procurement eligibility of base materials and new materials that will be used as raw materials for recycled materials. This is a diagram illustrating search and design processes for determining physical property conditions. This is a diagram illustrating search and design processes for determining physical property conditions. This is a diagram illustrating search and design processes for determining physical property conditions. This is a diagram illustrating a determination process for determining supply conditions. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. This is a diagram illustrating output processing. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a determination process for determining the cost suitability of recycled materials. This is a diagram illustrating a determination process for determining cost conditions. This is a diagram illustrating a determination process for determining cost conditions.

[0016] The following describes a recycled material formulation design system and a recycled material formulation design method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the following figures, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0017] <Configuration of the Recycled Material Blending Design System> Figure 1 shows the configuration of the recycled material blending design system. As shown in Figure 1, the recycled material blending design system Z consists of a recycled material blending design device 1 and an external device 2. The recycled material blending design system Z is a system that performs recycled material search and recycled material blending design as a service using a communication network. The recycled material blending design system Z is used as an element to realize a recycled material marketplace, etc.

[0018] Recycled materials are materials that are recycled using used materials as at least part of the raw materials. Used materials are materials that have already been used as materials for products, etc. By collecting used materials, recycling them as raw materials, and blending them with new materials or polymerizing them as needed, recycled materials that can be reused as materials for products, etc. are obtained. New materials are materials that have not been used and have not been used as materials for products, etc.

[0019] Examples of recycled materials, used materials, and new materials include resin materials such as synthetic resins and bioplastics, as well as elastomers and rubber. For example, by recycling waste plastics and blending or polymerizing them with new plastics, recycled plastics that can be reused as materials for industrial products can be obtained.

[0020] The recycled material formulation design system Z can be used, for example, when searching for alternative materials to replace materials currently used in products, or when selecting materials to be used in products in the future, to obtain information on the name, type, composition, etc., of suitable recycled materials as alternative or planned materials.

[0021] The recycled material formulation design system Z searches for recycled materials using existing materials pre-registered in the database, based on indicators such as physical properties and supply conditions. It also designs recycled material formulations based on these indicators. Physical properties are set as conditions for determining physical property compatibility to obtain recycled materials with the properties required by the user. Supply conditions are set as conditions for determining procurement eligibility to ensure that recycled materials and their raw materials are actually available on the market.

[0022] The recycled material formulation design system Z can search for recycled materials that meet the physical property and supply conditions from a group of existing materials pre-registered in the database, in response to a request to search for recycled materials. In other words, it can search for recycled materials that have the physical properties required by the user and are actually available as procurable materials. Furthermore, in response to a request to design a recycled material formulation, it can design a recycled material formulation that meets the physical property and supply conditions from a group of existing materials pre-registered in the database. In other words, it can design a recycled material formulation that has the physical properties required by the user and is actually available as procurable materials.

[0023] The recycled material formulation design system Z outputs information about recycled materials that meet the physical properties and supply conditions if they are found in the pre-registered group of existing materials in the database. On the other hand, if no recycled materials meet the physical properties and supply conditions, it designs a recycled material formulation by mixing a recycled material with new materials, using a recycled material with physical properties close to the target physical properties as the base material. The base material and new materials that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material are judged to be eligible for procurement. Information about the designed recycled material is output as a design result.

[0024] The search results for recycled materials include information such as the name and type of the recycled material extracted by the search. The design results for recycled material formulations include information such as the name, type, and formulation of the designed recycled material. The recycled material formulation is specified by the substance name of the base material, the substance name of the new material, and the mixing ratio of the base material and the new material. The search results for recycled materials and the design results for recycled material formulations are presented to the user through output such as images and audio.

[0025] The recycled material formulation design device 1 is a device that searches for recycled materials and designs the formulation of recycled materials. The recycled material formulation design device 1 receives requests from an external device 2 to search for recycled materials and to design the formulation of recycled materials. In response to these requests, the recycled material formulation design device 1 executes a predetermined program and performs a search process to search for recycled materials, a design process to design the formulation of recycled materials, a determination process to determine the procurement eligibility of recycled materials and new materials, and so on.

[0026] External device 2 is located outside the recycled material formulation design device 1 and performs data input and output with the recycled material formulation design device 1. External device 2 is operated, for example, by a user of the recycled material formulation design system Z. Requests to search for recycled materials and requests to design recycled material formulations are input from external device 2 to the recycled material formulation design device 1. In addition, the search results for recycled materials and the design results of recycled material formulations are output from the recycled material formulation design device 1 to external device 2.

[0027] Users of the recycled material formulation design system Z include participants in electronic trading services related to recycled materials. Users on the supply side of recycled materials include material manufacturers that produce recycled materials, recyclers that collect and recycle used materials, and collection companies that collect used materials. Users on the demand side of recycled materials include material manufacturers that produce recycled materials, parts manufacturers that manufacture parts using recycled materials, and product manufacturers that manufacture intermediate and final products using recycled materials.

[0028] External device 2 includes functions for communicating with recycled material formulation design device 1, inputting requests to search for recycled materials, inputting requests to design recycled material formulations, outputting search results for recycled materials, and outputting design results for recycled material formulations. External device 2 is composed of, for example, a computer with communication functions owned by a manufacturer or business operator.

[0029] <Configuration of the recycled material formulation design device> Figure 2 shows the configuration of the recycled material formulation design device. As shown in Figure 2, the recycled material formulation design device 1 comprises a memory resource 10, a processor 11, a network interface (NI) 12, and a user interface (UI) 13.

[0030] The recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 constitutes a processor system that performs various processes by executing a program. The recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 is realized by hardware such as a server computer, cloud server, or personal computer. The recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 may consist of one piece of hardware or multiple pieces of hardware.

[0031] The memory resource 10 is composed of storage devices that store various types of data. The memory resource 10 can consist of volatile main memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), non-volatile main memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), secondary memory, readable storage media, readable storage media, etc. Examples of secondary memory and storage media include hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), flash memory, memory cards, optical discs, magnetic disks, etc.

[0032] The processor 11 reads programs and data stored in the memory resource 10 and executes processing according to a predetermined program. The processor 11 is composed of a microprocessor, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and other arithmetic semiconductor devices.

[0033] NI12 connects the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 and the external device 2 so that they can communicate via a communication network N. NI12 is an interface device that communicates with the external device 2 via the communication network N. NI12 sends and receives data such as requests to search for recycled materials, requests to design the formulation of recycled materials, search result data, and design result data according to a predetermined protocol.

[0034] The communication network N can include the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), etc. In Figure 2, one external device 2 is connected to the recycled material formulation design device 1, but multiple external devices 2 may be connected. The recycled material formulation design device 1 and multiple external devices 2 can be used to construct a framework for a recycled material marketplace.

[0035] UI13 is an interface device that handles data input from and output to the user. Input devices include keyboards, touch panels, mice, and voice input devices equipped with microphones. Output devices include displays, printers, speakers, and voice synthesis devices with speech synthesis capabilities.

[0036] Memory resource 10 constitutes a storage unit that stores a database containing information about materials. Processor 11 constitutes an arithmetic unit that performs search processing to search for recycled materials, design processing to design the composition of recycled materials, and determination processing to determine the procurement eligibility of recycled materials and new materials. NI 12 constitutes an output unit that outputs the results of the processing. When processor 11 executes a predetermined program, search processing, design processing, determination processing, etc. are performed, and a series of search steps to search for recycled materials and a series of design steps to design the composition of recycled materials are carried out.

[0037] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 may be implemented by hardware, by software, or through the cooperation of hardware and software. As hardware, general-purpose devices may be used, or dedicated devices designed for performing the search and design processes may be used. As hardware, devices with fixed circuits and programs may be used, or programmable devices with changeable programs may be used.

[0038] The program executed by the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 may be stored in a storage medium that the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 can read, or in a storage medium that the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1 can read and write. The program may be read directly by the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1, or it may be read by a distribution processor system. The program can also be read from the storage medium by a distribution processor system and then distributed to the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1.

[0039] As shown in Figure 2, the memory resource 10 stores a program 110 for executing processing and databases 120, 130, and 140 used for processing. In Figure 2, the memory resource 10 stores a search program 111, a design program 112, a material database (material DB) 120, a model database (model DB) 130, and a results database (results DB) 140.

[0040] <<Search Program>> Search program 111 is a program for executing a search process to search for recycled materials. The search process includes a search process, a determination process, and an output process. The search process searches for existing materials that have physical properties close to the target physical properties required by the user, from among a group of existing materials pre-registered in the database. The determination process determines the suitability for procurement, such as whether the existing material is actually procurable as a real material. The output process outputs information about existing materials that meet the conditions as a result of the recycled material search.

[0041] Existing materials are existing recycled materials that are available on the market at the time of the search or design request, and whose physical properties and availability are known. Information on existing materials is pre-stored in the material DB120. The availability of existing materials is determined based on the amount of existing material supplied to the market, the amount of existing material already traded in the market, and regulations regarding the trading of existing materials in the market, such as the minimum trading unit.

[0042] In the search process, the search results for recycled materials may include extracting one optimal existing material based on conditions such as physical property compatibility and procurement suitability, or extracting multiple appropriate existing materials. If there are no suitable existing materials with physical property compatibility and procurement suitability among the group of existing materials pre-registered in the database, an existing material that does not have physical property compatibility but has physical property values ​​close to the user's required target values ​​for the physical properties is selected as the base material.

[0043] The base material is a recycled material used as the basis for design in the design process of designing the composition of recycled materials. By mixing the base material with a new, non-used material that is different from the base material, it is possible to design a composition of a new recycled material that has physical properties close to the target physical properties required by the user. As the base material, one existing material that is optimal as a base may be selected, or multiple existing materials that are suitable as a base may be selected.

[0044] The search results from the search process are output to external device 2 for user review. If a suitable existing material with the necessary physical properties and procurement qualifications is found within the pre-registered existing material group in the database, information about that existing material is output as information about the existing recycled material. If no suitable existing material with the necessary physical properties and procurement qualifications is found within the pre-registered existing material group in the database, information about an existing material with physical properties close to the user's target physical property values ​​can be output as the base material search result.

[0045] <<Design Program>> Design program 112 is a program for executing the design process of designing the composition of recycled materials. The design process includes design processing, judgment processing, and output processing. The design processing is the process of designing a composition of recycled materials that has physical properties close to the target physical properties required by the user, based on the mixing of base material and new material. The judgment processing is the process of determining the suitability of the base material and new material that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material, such as whether they are actually procurable and can be procured as real materials. The output processing is the process of outputting information about the composition of recycled materials that meets the conditions as a result of the design of the recycled material composition.

[0046] The design results from the design process are output to external device 2 for user review. If there are no suitable existing materials with the necessary physical properties and procurement qualifications among the pre-registered existing materials in the database, the design results will output information about the recycled material designed during the design process, information about the raw materials of the recycled material, and information indicating the mixing ratio of the base material and the new material as information about the new recycled material.

[0047] <<Material Database (Material DB)>> Material DB 120 is a database that stores data related to materials. Material DB 120 contains information about materials that is pre-registered by service operators, etc. This information includes information about existing materials and information about new materials.

[0048] Information regarding materials includes an ID that identifies the materials, information indicating the name and type of the material, information indicating the model number of the material, information indicating the manufacturer of the material, information indicating the lot number of the material, information indicating the physical properties of the material, information indicating the availability of the material, and information indicating the cost of the material. This information about materials is associated with an ID that identifies the materials and registered as data for each material.

[0049] <<Model Database (Model DB)>> Model DB 130 is a database that stores data related to mathematical models used in calculations. Information about mathematical models is pre-registered in Model DB 130 by the service operator, etc. Information about mathematical models includes information indicating prediction models, information indicating supply index calculation models, and information indicating cost index calculation models.

[0050] Information regarding mathematical models includes an ID that identifies the models, information indicating the name and type of the mathematical model, information indicating the target of application of the mathematical model, information indicating the content of the mathematical model, and information indicating the parameters related to the mathematical model. Information regarding mathematical models is associated with the ID that identifies the models and registered as data for each mathematical model.

[0051] A predictive model is a mathematical model used to predict the physical properties of recycled materials produced by mixing a base material with a new material. Multiple predictive models can be prepared depending on the type of physical property to be predicted. During the design process, a predictive model optimized for predicting the specific physical property requested by the user is selected. Examples of predictive models include mathematical models that predict the physical properties of recycled materials based on theory or experimental rules, and trained models that predict the physical properties of recycled materials optimized through machine learning.

[0052] The supply index calculation model is a mathematical model for calculating the supply index. The supply index is used as an indicator of supply conditions to determine the procurement eligibility of recycled and new materials. The supply index is expressed as a function with variables such as the quantity of material requested by the user, the amount of material supplied to the market, and the amount of transaction already concluded in the material market. For example, if the supply index is greater than a predetermined threshold, the material can be determined to be eligible for procurement.

[0053] The cost index calculation model is a mathematical model for calculating the cost index. The cost index is used as an indicator of cost conditions for determining the cost suitability of recycled and new materials. The cost index is expressed as a function with variables such as the purchase price of the material desired by the user and the representative transaction price of the material in the market. Representative transaction prices include the average price of transactions in the market, the median price of transactions in the market, and the mode price of transactions in the market. For example, if the cost index is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the material can be determined to be cost-suitable.

[0054] <<Result Database (Result DB)>> The Result DB 140 is a database that stores data showing the results of the processing. The Result DB 140 stores data showing search results, which are the results of the search process, and data showing design results, which are the results of the design process. The search results and design results are read from the Result DB 140 and presented to the user via the external device 2. The search results and design results may also be saved in the Result DB 140 and made available for the user to view upon request.

[0055] Search results may include information such as the names and types of existing materials that meet the physical properties and supply conditions extracted during the search process, information indicating the physical properties of the existing materials extracted during the search process, and information indicating the availability of the existing materials extracted during the search process.

[0056] Design results include information on the raw materials of the recycled material designed during the design process, and information indicating the mixing ratio of the base material and the new material. Information on raw materials includes, for example, information indicating the name and type of the base material used as a raw material, information indicating the physical properties of the base material, information indicating the availability of the base material, information indicating the name and type of the new material used as a raw material, information indicating the physical properties of the new material, and information indicating the availability of the new material.

[0057] Figure 3 shows an example of material information registered in the material database. As shown in Figure 3, the material DB 120 stores data such as identification information 121, type information 122, model number information 123, manufacturer information 124, lot information 125, physical property information 126, availability information 127, and cost information 128 for each material.

[0058] Identification information 121 is information that indicates an ID or the like to identify materials registered in the material DB 120 from each other. Identification information 121 is assigned to each material registered in the material DB 120. Type information 122, model number information 123, manufacturer information 124, lot information 125, physical property information 126, availability information 127, cost information 128, etc. are registered in association with the identification information 121 for each material.

[0059] Type information 122 is information indicating the name and type of material. Type information 122 can include the material's substance name, product name, etc. The material's name and type may also be registered separately based on its usage experience. For example, types such as new materials that have not been used as materials in products, used materials that have already been used as materials in products, and recycled materials that have been recycled from used materials can be registered. Additionally, types such as chemically synthesized materials synthesized from fossil fuels and bio-derived materials synthesized from biological resources may be registered.

[0060] Model number information 123 is information indicating the model number of the material. The model numbers of materials may be registered separately according to the form of the material, such as pellets or powders, as well as the grade of the material according to its functionality, application, type of additive, purity, molecular weight, and composition.

[0061] Manufacturer information 124 is information indicating the manufacturer of the material. Manufacturer information 124 can include the name of the manufacturer of the registered material. Manufacturer information 124 may include manufacturers providing new materials that have not been used as materials in products, or manufacturers or businesses providing existing recycled materials that are recycled from used materials.

[0062] Lot information 125 is information indicating the lot number, etc., which identifies the lot of the material. The lot of the material is registered separately according to the place of manufacture, manufacturing plant, date of manufacture, etc.

[0063] The material property information 126 is information that indicates the material properties. The material property information 126 includes information indicating the type of material property and information indicating the material property value for each material property associated with the information indicating the type of material property. Material properties include properties related to mechanical properties and properties related to thermal properties. Properties related to mechanical properties include elastic modulus, tensile strength, impact properties, coefficient of linear expansion, Young's modulus, and shear modulus. Properties related to thermal properties include crystallization temperature, melting temperature, thermal distortion temperature, and thermal conductivity.

[0064] Procurement information 127 is information indicating the availability of materials. Procurement information 127 includes information indicating the amount of material supplied to the market, information indicating the amount of material already traded in the market, and information indicating regulations concerning the trading of materials in the market. Examples of information indicating regulations concerning trading include information indicating the minimum trading unit set by manufacturers or businesses.

[0065] Cost information 128 is information indicating the cost of the material. Cost information 128 is information indicating the cost per unit quantity of the material, and includes information indicating the representative transaction price of the material in the market, information indicating the lowest transaction price of the material in the market, etc. Examples of information indicating the representative transaction price include information indicating the average transaction price in the market, information indicating the median transaction price in the market, and information indicating the mode transaction price in the market.

[0066] The procurement information 127 and cost information 128 are updated to store the latest information, for example, by the operator of the service provided by the recycled material formulation design device 1. The procurement information 127 and cost information 128 may also be associated with and registered update time information indicating the date and time the information was updated. The update time information can be presented to the user, for example, along with search results and design results.

[0067] Figure 4 shows an example of information about mathematical models registered in the model database. As shown in Figure 4, the model DB 130 stores data such as identification information 131, type information 132, target information 133, model information 134, and parameter information 135 for each mathematical model.

[0068] Identification information 131 is information that indicates an ID or the like to identify mathematical models registered in the model DB 130. Identification information 131 is assigned to each mathematical model registered in the model DB 120. Type information 132, target information 133, model information 134, parameter information 135, etc. are registered in association with the identification information 131 for each mathematical model.

[0069] Type information 132 is information indicating the name and type of the mathematical model. Type information 132 can register the name and type of the mathematical model that the user will check when selecting a mathematical model.

[0070] The target information 133 is information indicating the object to which the mathematical model is applied. The target information 133 includes information indicating the process to which the mathematical model is applied, information indicating the physical properties to which the mathematical model is applied, etc. In design and decision processes, the mathematical model registered in the model DB 130 can be applied according to the program that executes the process or the physical properties specified by the user.

[0071] Model information 134 is information that indicates the content of the mathematical model. Model information 134 can include information indicating a prediction model that predicts the physical properties of recycled material by mixing a base material and a new material, information indicating a supply index calculation model that calculates a supply index, and information indicating a cost index calculation model that calculates a cost index. In Figure 4, a mathematical model based on a compound rule is registered as model information 134, but other prediction models, trained models, and calculation models can also be registered.

[0072] Parameter information 135 is information indicating parameters related to the mathematical model. Parameter information 135 can register coefficients and other elements incorporated into each mathematical model. For example, it can register parameters adjusted by machine learning incorporated into a trained model, or coefficients incorporated into the mathematical model.

[0073] The model DB130 is configured to register supply index calculation models and cost index calculation models along with information indicating the forecast model. However, the supply index calculation models and cost index calculation models may be prepared separately in a different database from the forecast model, or they may be applied as fixed calculation models in the program.

[0074] <First Embodiment> Next, the processing in the recycled material formulation design system according to the first embodiment will be described. In the recycled material formulation design system Z described above, the processing is performed separately for determination based on physical properties and determination based on supply conditions. The recycled material formulation design device 1 sequentially performs a search process to search for recycled materials and a determination process to determine the procurement eligibility of recycled materials.

[0075] The recycled material blending design method used in the recycled material blending design system according to this embodiment includes: a search step of searching for existing materials having physical properties close to the target physical properties from a group of existing materials based on the similarity between the target physical properties required for the recycled material and the physical properties of pre-registered existing materials; a design step of designing a recycled material blend having physical properties close to the target physical properties by mixing existing materials with new materials that are not used and are different from the existing materials; a first determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of existing materials based on pre-registered information indicating the availability of materials; a second determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of new materials based on pre-registered information indicating the availability of materials; and an output step of outputting information on the searched existing materials or information on the designed recycled material blend.

[0076] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. As shown in Figure 5, in the search process, the search process S102, the determination process S104, and the output process S106 are executed in this order to collect data on the search results for recycled materials. The search process is performed when the recycled material formulation design device 1 receives a request from an external device 2 to search for recycled materials or to design a formulation of recycled materials, and then the processor 11 executes the search program 111.

[0077] When the search process is started, the processor 11 accepts input of search conditions and physical property items (step S101). The search for recycled materials is performed within the range of search conditions specified by the user from a group of existing materials pre-registered in the database. The search conditions are used to set physical property conditions used to determine the physical property suitability of existing materials and to set supply conditions used to determine the procurement eligibility of existing materials. After the user inputs the data indicating the search conditions and the data indicating the physical property items, the external device 2 transmits them to the recycled material compounding design device 1.

[0078] The search criteria can include the range of existing materials to be searched, the target physical properties required by the user, the permissible upper and lower limits for those target physical properties, the name and type of reference material used when searching for recycled materials, and the quantity of recycled material requested by the user.

[0079] The range of existing materials to be searched is set from among the existing materials pre-registered in the database. Users can set some or all of the existing materials pre-registered in Material DB120 as the search target. Target physical property values, permissible upper limits, and permissible lower limits are set to specify the target values ​​and target ranges of the physical properties that the recycled material should possess for each physical property requested by the user.

[0080] The name and type of reference material can be set to collectively identify target physical property values ​​for the physical properties that the user considers important. Users can set alternative materials, planned materials, etc., as reference materials. The quantity of recycled material is set to specify the quantity of recycled material the user requires. Users can search for recycled material with the required physical properties within the range of recycled material available on the market in the required quantity.

[0081] The user can specify the type of material properties they require. These properties can include mechanical properties such as elastic modulus, tensile strength, impact properties, coefficient of thermal expansion, Young's modulus, and shear modulus, as well as thermal properties such as crystallization temperature, melting temperature, thermal distortion temperature, and thermal conductivity. One or more material properties may be selected. The selection of material properties can be implemented, for example, by displaying images of the options on the screen of the external device 2 using a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

[0082] Next, the processor 11 executes a search process based on the input search conditions (step S102). The processor 11 determines whether the existing materials read from the material DB 120 satisfy the physical property conditions. From the group of existing materials pre-registered in the material DB 120, existing materials that have physical property values ​​close to the target physical property values ​​requested by the user are extracted.

[0083] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not there is an existing material that satisfies the physical property conditions among the group of existing materials pre-registered in the material DB 120 (step S103).

[0084] If the determination shows that no existing material satisfies the physical property conditions (Step S103; No), the process proceeds to Step S200. In this case, the process moves from the search process to the design process (Step S200). On the other hand, if the determination shows that there is an existing material that satisfies the physical property conditions (Step S103; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S104.

[0085] Next, the processor 11 performs a determination process regarding the supply conditions based on the input search conditions (step S104). The processor 11 determines the sufficiency of the supply conditions for existing materials that meet the physical property conditions extracted by the search process.

[0086] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not there is an existing material that satisfies the supply conditions among the group of existing materials extracted by the search process (step S105).

[0087] If the determination shows that there are no existing materials that meet the supply conditions (Step S105; No), the process proceeds to Step S200. In this case, the process moves from the search process to the design process (Step S200). On the other hand, if the determination shows that there are existing materials that meet the supply conditions (Step S105; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S106.

[0088] Next, the processor 11 performs output processing to output the search results (step S106). The processor 11 outputs information on existing materials that satisfy the physical property conditions and the supply conditions. The search result data is stored in the result DB 140. Once the search results are output, the search process ends.

[0089] This search process involves both a search based on physical properties and a determination process based on supply conditions. As a result, it is possible to search for existing recycled materials from a pre-registered group of existing materials that have physical properties close to the user's target values ​​for the physical properties required by the user, and that are actually procureable as real materials. Information on existing recycled materials that are suitable as alternative materials or planned materials can be presented to users, such as participants in electronic transactions, from the perspective of physical property suitability and procurement suitability.

[0090] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. As shown in Figure 6, the search process uses the similarity between the target material properties and the material properties of existing materials as an indicator to determine whether the material properties of existing materials that have been pre-registered in the database are satisfied.

[0091] When the search process is started, the processor 11 reads the search conditions to be used for searching for recycled materials (step S141). The processor 11 reads the calculation formula for calculating similarity stored in the memory resource 10 and the search condition data entered by the user, and determines the search conditions and physical property conditions to be used in the search process. The physical property conditions are determined for each physical property item selected by the user, based on the target physical property value, allowable upper limit, allowable lower limit specified by the input, and the name and type of the reference material specified by the input.

[0092] Next, the processor 11 reads information about existing materials that have been pre-registered in the material DB 120 (step S142). The processor 11 reads information indicating the physical properties of one of the existing materials from the material DB 120.

[0093] Next, the processor 11 selects a physical property item to be used for searching for recycled material (step S143). If multiple physical property items are specified by the user, the processor 11 selects one of them. The priority order of the physical property items to be selected may be specified in advance by the user.

[0094] Next, the processor 11 calculates the similarity between the input target physical property value and the pre-registered physical property value of an existing material for the selected physical property item (step S144). The processor 11 calculates the similarity between the target physical property value and the physical property value of the existing material as the difference between the physical property values, the distance between the data, etc.

[0095] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the read-out existing material satisfies the physical property conditions (step S145). The processor 11 determines whether the similarity between the calculated target physical property values ​​and the physical property values ​​of the existing material conforms to the physical property conditions.

[0096] If the judgment determines that the existing material meets the physical property requirements (Step S145; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S146. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the read-out existing material is suitable for physical properties (Step S146). The process then proceeds to Step S148.

[0097] On the other hand, if the determination shows that the existing material does not meet the physical property requirements (step S145; No), the process proceeds to step S147. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the read-out existing material does not meet the physical property requirements (step S147). After that, the process proceeds to step S148.

[0098] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not the physical property conditions have been determined for all selected physical property items (step S148).

[0099] If the determination result shows that the physical property conditions have not been determined for all physical property items (Step S148; No), the process returns to Step S143. In this case, the remaining physical property items are re-selected. On the other hand, if the determination result shows that the physical property conditions have been determined for all physical property items (Step S148; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S149.

[0100] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not the physical properties have been determined for all existing materials designated as targets for the search (step S149).

[0101] If the determination result shows that the physical properties have not been determined for all existing materials (step S149; No), the process returns to step S142. In this case, the remaining existing materials designated as the search target are re-selected. On the other hand, if the determination result shows that the physical properties have been determined for all existing materials (step S149; Yes), the search process is terminated.

[0102] This search process determines whether all existing materials specified as search targets meet the physical property requirements, allowing for a broad search of potential recycled materials. The output process makes it possible to list multiple existing materials that meet the physical property requirements. Therefore, the user can be presented with several candidate recycled materials, such as alternatives or planned materials.

[0103] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination process for determining the procurement eligibility of recycled materials. As shown in Figure 7, in the determination process regarding supply conditions, a supply index indicating the procurement availability of existing materials is used as an indicator to determine whether the supply conditions of existing materials that meet the physical property conditions extracted by the search process are satisfied.

[0104] When the determination process is started, the processor 11 reads information about existing materials that have been determined to satisfy the physical property conditions (step S161). If multiple existing materials that satisfy the physical property conditions are registered, the processor 11 reads data for one of the existing materials.

[0105] Next, the processor 11 reads the criteria used to determine the procurement eligibility of existing materials (step S162). The processor 11 reads the supply index calculation model stored in the model DB 130 and the search criteria data entered by the user, and determines the supply conditions to be used in the determination process. The supply conditions are determined based on the quantity of recycled material specified by input, the supply quantity of existing materials read from the material DB 120, the transaction quantity of existing materials, and the minimum transaction unit of existing materials.

[0106] Next, the processor 11 calculates a supply index for existing materials that have been determined to meet the physical property conditions (step S163). Based on the information indicating the availability of existing materials read from the material DB 120 and the supply index calculation model read from the model DB 130, the processor 11 calculates a supply index for determining the procurement eligibility of existing materials.

[0107] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the existing material, which has been determined to meet the physical property conditions, also meets the supply conditions (step S164). The processor 11 determines whether the supply index and additional index are within the acceptable range for the existing material, which has been determined to meet the physical property conditions.

[0108] If the determination shows that the existing material meets the supply conditions (Step S164; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S165. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the retrieved existing material is eligible for procurement (Step S165). The process then proceeds to Step S167.

[0109] On the other hand, if the determination shows that the existing material does not meet the supply conditions (step S164; No), the process proceeds to step S166. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the retrieved existing material does not meet procurement eligibility (step S166). The process then proceeds to step S167.

[0110] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the supply conditions have been determined for all existing materials that have been determined to satisfy the physical property conditions (step S167).

[0111] If the determination results in the supply conditions not being determined for all existing materials (step S167; No), the process returns to step S161. In this case, the remaining existing materials are re-selected from the group of existing materials that are determined to satisfy the physical property conditions. On the other hand, if the determination results in the supply conditions being determined for all existing materials (step S167; Yes), the determination process regarding the supply conditions is terminated.

[0112] This type of judgment process determines whether all existing materials that meet the physical property requirements also meet the supply requirements. Therefore, even if multiple existing materials that meet the physical property requirements are selected, a wide range of existing materials that are eligible for procurement can be extracted. In the output process, it becomes possible to list multiple existing materials that meet both physical property requirements and procurement eligibility. As a result, multiple recycled materials that can be traded as alternative materials or planned materials can be presented to the user.

[0113] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the design process for designing the composition of recycled materials. As shown in Figure 8, in the design process, data of the search results for recycled materials can be collected by executing the design process S202, the determination process S204, and the output process S206 in that order. The design process is performed when the processor 11 executes the design program 112 after the search process has been executed.

[0114] When the design process begins, the processor 11 determines the design conditions and base material (step S201). The design of the recycled material formulation is based on existing materials that were determined not to meet the physical property conditions in the search process, and which have physical property values ​​close to the target physical property values ​​required by the user. The design conditions are used to set the physical property conditions used in the design of the recycled material formulation, and to set the supply conditions used to determine the procurement eligibility of the base material and new material.

[0115] As design conditions, the search conditions entered in the search process may be reused, or new conditions entered in the design process may be used. Design conditions can include the range of base materials to be used in the mix design, the range of new materials to be used in the mix design, the target physical properties required by the user, the permissible upper and lower limits for the target physical properties, the name and type of reference material to be referenced when designing the mix of recycled materials, and the quantity of recycled material required by the user.

[0116] The range of base materials used in the mix design is set from existing materials that are determined not to meet the physical property requirements during the search process. The user can set one or more existing materials that have physical property values ​​close to the target values ​​from among the existing materials that are determined not to meet the physical property requirements as candidates for base materials. The range of new materials used in the mix design is set from existing materials that are pre-registered in the database. The user can set some or all of the existing materials pre-registered in the material DB120 as candidates for new materials to be mixed with the base material.

[0117] The quantities of recycled materials are set to determine the amounts of recycled materials, base materials, and new materials required by the user. The user can then design a recycled material formulation with the desired properties, provided that the required quantities of recycled materials and raw materials are available on the market.

[0118] The base material may be selected by the user, or it may be automatically selected based on the ranking of similarity to the target physical properties. If selected by the user, the result of the base material selection is input by the user into the external device 2 and then transmitted from the external device 2 to the recycled material compounding design device 1. The selection of the base material can be implemented, for example, by displaying images of the options on the screen of the external device 2 using a GUI.

[0119] Next, the processor 11 executes the design process based on the determined design conditions (step S202). The processor 11 designs the composition of the recycled material by mixing a base material, which is selected from existing materials that were determined not to satisfy the physical property conditions in the search process, with a new material read from the material DB 120, using the prediction model read from the model DB 130. The composition of the recycled material is designed on the condition that a recycled material with physical property compatibility is virtually generated, having physical property values ​​close to the target physical property values ​​requested by the user for the physical properties requested by the user. The composition of the recycled material is calculated as the mixing ratio of the existing material and the new material.

[0120] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not there is a composition of recycled material that satisfies the physical property conditions (step S203). The processor 11 determines whether or not there is a combination of a base material and a new material that can produce recycled material that satisfies the physical property conditions. For the base material, it is determined from existing materials that were determined not to satisfy the physical property conditions in the search process, within the range set as the design conditions. For the new material, it is determined from existing materials that have been pre-registered in the material DB 120, within the range set as the design conditions.

[0121] If the determination shows that there is no recycled material formulation that satisfies the physical property conditions (Step S203; No), the design process is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination shows that there is a recycled material formulation that satisfies the physical property conditions (Step S203; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S204.

[0122] Next, the processor 11 performs a determination process based on the determined design conditions (step S204). The processor 11 determines whether the supply conditions are met for the base material and new material that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material designed by the design process.

[0123] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not there is a combination of base material and new material that satisfies the supply conditions among the group of raw materials for recycled material designed by the design process, i.e., combinations of base material and new material (step S205).

[0124] If the determination shows that there is no combination of base material and new material that satisfies the supply conditions (Step S205; No), the design process is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination shows that there is a combination of base material and new material that satisfies the supply conditions (Step S205; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S206.

[0125] Next, the processor 11 performs output processing to output the design results (step S206). The processor 11 outputs information on the recycled material for which a formulation has been designed that satisfies both the physical property conditions and the supply conditions. The design result data is stored in the result DB 140. Once the design results are output, the design process is completed.

[0126] This design process involves design processing based on physical properties and judgment processing based on supply conditions. As a result, it is possible to design a new recycled material formulation from a pre-registered group of existing material combinations that has physical properties close to the user's required target values ​​for the physical properties they demand, and that the raw materials are actually available for procurement. Information on appropriate new recycled material formulations as substitute materials or planned materials can be presented to users, such as participants in electronic transactions, from the perspective of physical property compatibility and procurement eligibility.

[0127] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a design process for designing the composition of recycled materials. As shown in Figure 9, the design process predicts the physical properties of the recycled material by mixing the base material and the new material based on a prediction model, and uses the similarity between the target physical properties and the predicted physical properties as an indicator to determine whether the physical property conditions of the recycled material by mixing the base material and the new material are met.

[0128] When the design process begins, the processor 11 reads the design conditions used to design the composition of the recycled material (step S241). The processor 11 reads the prediction model stored in the model DB 130 and the design condition data entered by the user, and determines the design conditions and physical property conditions to be used in the design process. The physical property conditions are determined for each physical property item selected by the user, based on the target physical property value, allowable upper limit, allowable lower limit, and the name and type of reference material specified by the user.

[0129] Next, the processor 11 reads information about the base material that forms the basis of the recycled material formulation (step S242). The processor 11 reads data about one of the base materials from the material DB 120 or the like.

[0130] Next, the processor 11 calculates the ratio between the target physical property value specified by the user and the physical property value of the selected base material (step S243). The processor 11 calculates the ratio for each physical property item selected by the user. The ratio between the target physical property value and the physical property value of the base material can be used to determine the priority of new materials to be mixed with the base material, or to determine the priority of physical property items, etc.

[0131] Next, the processor 11 reads information about the prediction models that have been pre-registered in the model DB 130 (step S244). The processor 11 reads the prediction models corresponding to the physical properties selected by the user from the model DB 130. The prediction models can be selected in ascending order of the ratio between the target physical property value and the physical property value of the base material.

[0132] Next, the processor 11 reads information about new materials that have been pre-registered in the material DB 120 (step S245). The processor 11 reads data for one of the new materials from the material DB 120. The data for the new materials can be selected in order of likelihood of obtaining recycled material with properties close to the target properties, based on the ratio of the target physical properties to the physical properties of the base material.

[0133] Next, the processor 11 calculates the composition of the recycled material based on the prediction model (step S246). The composition of the recycled material is determined by the mixing ratio of the base material and the new material. The composition of the recycled material is designed so that the recycled material virtually obtained by mixing the base material and the new material has physical properties close to the target physical properties required by the user.

[0134] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the recycled material virtually obtained based on the prediction model satisfies the physical property conditions (step S247). The determination of whether the recycled material satisfies the physical property conditions may be performed integrally with the calculation of the recycled material composition (step S246), or independently of the calculation of the recycled material composition (step S246). If performed integrally, the prediction model determines whether an appropriate solution for the combination of the base material and the new material can be obtained for the target physical property values.

[0135] If the result of the determination indicates that the recycled material virtually obtained based on the prediction model satisfies the physical property conditions (step S247; Yes), the process proceeds to step S248. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the combination of the read-out base material and the new material has physical property compatibility (step S248). After that, the process proceeds to step S250.

[0136] On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the recycled material virtually obtained based on the prediction model does not meet the physical property conditions (step S247; No), the process proceeds to step S249. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the combination of the read-out base material and the new material does not have physical property compatibility (step S249). After that, the process proceeds to step S250.

[0137] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not the physical properties of the recycled material obtained by mixing the base material and the new material have been determined for all the specified new materials (step S250).

[0138] If, as a result of the determination, the physical property conditions have not been determined for all the new materials (step S250; No), the process returns to step S245. In this case, the remaining new materials are selected again. On the other hand, if, as a result of the determination, the physical property conditions have been determined for all the new materials (step S250; Yes), the design process ends.

[0139] According to such a design process, for all the new materials designated as raw material candidates, it is determined whether the recycled material obtained by mixing the base material and the new material satisfies the physical property conditions. Therefore, raw material candidates for the recycled material can be extracted from a wide range. In the output process, it becomes possible to list up combinations of a plurality of base materials and new materials that can obtain a recycled material having physical property compatibility. Therefore, a plurality of raw material candidates for the recycled material can be presented to the user.

[0140] The calculation of the blending of the recycled material can be performed using a prediction model that predicts the physical properties of the recycled material. As the prediction model, a mathematical model that predicts the physical properties of the recycled material based on theory or experimental rules, or a learned model that predicts the physical properties of the recycled material optimized by machine learning can be used. Examples of the mathematical model include models based on the composite rule, logarithmic mixing rule, homogenization method, atomic group contribution method, etc., models based on modified methods obtained by modifying these, and models specific to each physical property. Examples of the machine learning model include, for example, linear regression, decision tree, random forest, k-nearest neighbor method, PLS, neural network, etc.

[0141] For example, the mathematical model based on the composite rule is represented by the following mathematical formula (1). However, in the mathematical formula (1), V Ｋ is the physical property value of the recycled material, V Ｋ ｒ is the physical property value of the base material, V Ｋ ν is the physical property value of the new material, γ Ｋ ｒ is the volume fraction of the base material, γ Ｋ ν indicates the volume fraction of the new material.

[0142]

[0143] A trained model can be created by subjecting a trained model to machine learning, based on a training model for predicting the physical properties of recycled materials and a dataset of data on multiple existing materials. For example, target physical property values ​​for each physical property item can be set as the dependent variable. In addition, the volume fraction of the base material, the volume fraction of the new material, the physical properties of the base material, and the physical properties of the new material can be set as independent variables. By adjusting and validating the hyperparameters set in the trained model through supervised learning, a trained model optimized for predicting the physical properties of recycled materials can be prepared.

[0144] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination process for determining the procurement eligibility of base materials and new materials that will be used as raw materials for recycled materials. As shown in Figure 10, in the determination process for supply conditions, the supply index, which indicates the availability of existing materials, is used as an indicator to determine whether the supply conditions for base materials and new materials that will be used as raw materials for recycled materials, which will satisfy the physical property conditions designed by the design process, are met.

[0145] When the determination process is started, the processor 11 reads information about the base material that will be used as the raw material for the recycled material that has been determined to satisfy the physical property conditions in the design process, and information about the new material (step S261). If multiple new materials that satisfy the physical property conditions are registered, the processor 11 reads data for one of the new materials.

[0146] Next, the processor 11 reads the criteria used to determine the procurement eligibility of base materials and new materials (step S262). The processor 11 reads the supply index calculation model stored in the model DB 130 and the design condition data entered by the user, and determines the supply conditions to be used in the determination process. The supply conditions are determined based on the quantity of recycled material specified by input, the supply quantities of base materials and new materials read from the material DB 120, the transaction quantities of base materials and new materials, and the minimum transaction units of base materials and new materials.

[0147] Next, the processor 11 calculates the supply index for the base material and the new material that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material, which have been determined to meet the physical property conditions (step S263). Based on the information indicating the availability of the base material and the new material read from the material DB 120 and the supply index calculation model read from the model DB 130, the processor 11 calculates the supply index for determining the procurement eligibility of the base material and the new material.

[0148] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the base material and new material that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material, which have been determined to meet the physical property conditions, meet the supply conditions (step S264). The processor 11 determines whether the supply index and additional index are within the acceptable range for the base material and new material that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material, which have been determined to meet the physical property conditions.

[0149] If the determination shows that the base material and new material meet the supply conditions (step S264; Yes), the process proceeds to step S265. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the read base material and new material are eligible for procurement (step S265). The process then proceeds to step S267.

[0150] On the other hand, if the determination shows that the base material and new material do not meet the supply conditions (step S264; No), the process proceeds to step S266. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the read base material and new material do not meet procurement eligibility (step S266). The process then proceeds to step S267.

[0151] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the supply conditions have been determined for all base materials and all new materials that will be used as raw materials for recycled materials that have been determined to meet the physical property conditions (step S267).

[0152] If the determination results in the supply conditions not being determined for all base materials and all new materials (step S267; No), the process returns to step S262. In this case, the remaining base materials and new materials are re-selected from the group of base materials and new materials that are determined to satisfy the physical property conditions for recycled materials. On the other hand, if the determination results in the supply conditions being determined for all base materials and all new materials (step S267; Yes), the determination process ends.

[0153] This type of judgment process determines whether all recycled materials that meet the physical property requirements also meet the supply requirements. Therefore, even when combinations of multiple base materials that meet the physical property requirements and new materials are designed, a wide range of raw materials with procurement eligibility can be extracted. In the output process, it becomes possible to list combinations of multiple base materials and new materials that have both physical property compatibility and procurement eligibility. As a result, multiple recycled materials that can be used as alternative materials or planned materials can be presented to the user.

[0154] Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C illustrate the search and design processes for determining physical property conditions. Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C show the case where the physical property conditions of a target material are determined for two types of physical property items, physical property A and physical property B. Figures 11A and 11B conceptually show the coordinate space related to physical properties. Figure 11C conceptually shows the coordinate system corresponding to the distance between data in the coordinate space related to physical properties.

[0155] In Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C, reference numeral 301 indicates a target physical property value specified by the user. Reference numeral 302 indicates the physical property of the target material for which the physical property conditions are to be determined. Reference numeral 303 indicates the physical property of the target material whose physical property values ​​are within the target range. Reference numeral C indicates the target range of physical property values ​​specified by the user. The target material is the material for which the physical property conditions are to be determined. In the search process, the target material corresponds to an existing material pre-registered in the database, and in the design process, it corresponds to a recycled material for which a compound has been designed. The physical property conditions are the conditions that specify the target range C of the physical property values.

[0156] In Figures 11A and 11B, the horizontal axis represents the physical property value for physical property A, and the vertical axis represents the physical property value for physical property B. In Figure 11C, the symbol V Ｔ This is the target physical property value, sign V. Ｋ The symbol L represents the physical property value of the material in question. Ｋ V is the distance between the target material property and the material property of the target material. Ｕ This is the upper limit of the permissible value for the physical property, sign V. Ｌ This indicates the lower limit of the permissible value of the physical property. The upper and lower limits of the permissible value are parameters specified by the user and define the target range C of the physical property for each physical property.

[0157] Figure 11A corresponds to the case where there is a target material that satisfies the physical property conditions within the group of target materials. When the similarity between the target physical property value 301 and the physical property value 302 of the target material is high, the physical property value 302 of the target material is located within the target range C. Such a target material is determined to satisfy the physical property conditions because it has physical property values ​​close to the target physical property values ​​required by the user for all the physical properties required by the user. Because such a target material has physical property compatibility, it can be presented to the user as a candidate for an existing recycled material in the search results, or as a candidate for a new recycled material presented to the user as a design result.

[0158] Figure 11B corresponds to the case where there is no target material in the group of target materials that satisfies the physical property conditions. When the similarity between the target physical property value 301 and the physical property value 302 of the target material is low, the physical property value 302 of the target material lies outside the target range C. Such a target material is determined not to satisfy the physical property conditions because it does not have a physical property value close to the target physical property value required by the user for any of the physical properties required by the user. Since such a target material does not have physical property compatibility, it will not be presented to the user as a candidate recycled material in the search results, but will be used as a candidate base material for designing the recycled material composition.

[0159] As candidates for the base material, existing materials located outside the target range C can be selected, such as the existing material with the highest similarity between the target physical property value 301 and the existing material's physical property value 302, or multiple existing materials with high similarity between the target physical property value 301 and the existing material's physical property value 302. When selecting multiple base materials, priority may be given to the satisfaction of the physical property conditions for the physical property items that the user considers important, by weighting the physical property values ​​for each item.

[0160] The satisfaction of physical property conditions can be determined using the similarity between the target physical property values ​​and the physical property values ​​of the target material as an indicator. The similarity between the target physical property values ​​and the physical property values ​​of the target material can be calculated as the difference between physical property values ​​for each physical property, or as the distance between data in a coordinate space relating to multiple physical properties, for example, as the Euclidean distance. The processor 11 can calculate the difference between physical property values ​​and the distance between data for each target material based on information indicating the physical properties of existing materials read from the material DB 120, information indicating the physical properties of recycled materials calculated in the design process, and the specified target physical property values.

[0161] In Figures 11A and 11B, two types of physical properties, physical property A and physical property B, are set. However, one type of physical property may be set, or three or more types of physical property may be set. The similarity of three or more types of physical property may be determined individually, or the similarity may be determined collectively. By sequential determination or determination in coordinate space, existing materials that satisfy the physical property conditions for all specified physical property items can be extracted.

[0162] The similarity between the target physical property value and the physical property value of the target material is preferably normalized. Normalization can be performed by dividing the physical property item specified by the user by a representative value of the physical property value within the range from the allowable lower limit to the allowable upper limit of the physical property value. Normalization allows for highly accurate determination of physical property conditions even when the units and variability of physical property values ​​differ for each physical property item, or when the rate of change of physical property values ​​differs depending on the type of raw material and composition. By reducing errors for each physical property item and for each target material, it becomes possible to make appropriate comparisons of similarities.

[0163] As shown in Figure 11C, the similarity between the target material property and the material property of the target material is the distance L between the target material property and the material property of the target material. Ｋ It can be expressed as follows: In a one-dimensional coordinate system in which material properties are defined as coordinate axes, the distance L between the target material property and the material property of the target material is expressed as follows. Ｋ As such, the target physical property value V Ｔ and the physical properties of the existing material V Ｋ The difference with (V Ｋ -V Ｔ , V Ｔ -VＫ ) can be calculated. For example, V Ｋ ≧V Ｔ When V Ｋ -V Ｔ It is possible to calculate V. Ｋ ≤ V Ｔ When V Ｔ -V Ｋ It can be calculated.

[0164] The distance L between the target material property and the material property of the target material. Ｋ That is, the target physical property value V Ｔ and the physical properties V of the target material Ｋ The difference with (V Ｋ -V Ｔ , V Ｔ -V Ｋ ) is calculated according to the following formula (2), which gives the allowable lower limit V Ｌ From the allowable upper limit V Ｕ Within the range up to, the permissible upper limit V Ｕ Upper limit and target physical property value V Ｔ The difference with (V Ｕ -V Ｔ Division by ) or target physical property value V Ｔ and the acceptable lower limit V Ｌ The difference with (V Ｔ -V Ｌ It can be normalized by division by (). The acceptable lower limit V Ｌ or the permissible upper limit V Ｕ These are specified by the user for each physical property item as search criteria or design conditions.

[0165]

[0166] However, in formula (2), L Ｋ V is the distance between the target material property and the material property of the target material. Ｔ V is the target physical property value. Ｋ The physical properties of the target material are V. Ｕ V is the upper limit of the allowable value of the physical property. Ｌ The value indicates the lower limit of the permissible value of the physical property. K is an index representing the physical property item, and represents an integer from 1 to N. N indicates the number of physical property items specified by the user.

[0167] The process for determining physical property conditions is based on a similarity index D, which is derived from the similarity between the target physical property value and the physical property value of the target material. ＲThis can be done by comparing it with a pre-set threshold. Similarity Index D Ｒ The first similarity index D is expressed by the following formula (3): Ｒ１ , second similarity index D Ｒ２ , third similarity index D Ｒ３ The following can be used.

[0168]

[0169] However, in formula (3), D Ｒ１ This is the first similarity index, and the distance L Ｋ The average number of physical properties of the sum of squares and square roots, D Ｒ２ This is the second similarity index, and the distance L Ｋ The average number of physical properties, D Ｒ３ This is the third similarity index, and the distance L Ｋ The maximum value of L Ｋ This indicates the distance between the target material property value and the material property value of the existing material. k is an index representing a material property item, and represents an integer from 1 to N. N indicates the number of material property items specified by the user.

[0170] Such similarity index D Ｒ This method allows for the extraction of an appropriate number of target materials that meet the required physical properties, taking into account factors such as the balance of satisfaction with multiple physical property requirements specified by the user, and ensuring satisfaction with all physical property requirements specified by the user. Because the satisfaction of multiple physical property requirements can be determined simultaneously, the load on search and design processes can be reduced.

[0171] Figures 12A and 12B illustrate the determination process for determining supply conditions. Figures 12A and 12B show the case where supply conditions are determined after determining the physical property conditions for two types of physical properties, physical property A and physical property B. Figure 12A illustrates the concept of classification based on supply index and additional index in the determination of supply conditions. Figure 12B conceptually shows the results of reflecting the supply condition determination results onto the search results and design results represented in the coordinate space for the physical properties shown in Figure 11A.

[0172] In Figure 12A, reference numeral 401 indicates data for existing materials whose supply conditions are determined, and reference numeral 402 indicates data for categories corresponding to the degree of satisfaction of the supply conditions. In Figure 12B, reference numeral 301 indicates target physical property values ​​specified by the user. Reference numeral 304 indicates existing materials that have been determined to have a high procurement risk. Reference numeral 305 indicates existing materials that have been determined to have a moderate procurement risk. Reference numeral 306 indicates existing materials that have been determined to have a low procurement risk. Reference numeral C indicates the target range of physical properties specified by the user.

[0173] In Figures 12A and 12B, the reference numeral D ｓ This indicates a supply index representing the supply risk of existing materials used as a supply condition. Symbol A ｓ This indicates an additional index representing the tradability of existing materials used as an additional supply condition. Symbol T ｈ１ This indicates the threshold for determining the sufficiency of the supply index. Symbol T ｈ２ This indicates the threshold for determining the sufficiency of the additional index. In Figure 12B, the horizontal axis shows the physical property value for physical property A, and the vertical axis shows the physical property value for physical property B.

[0174] As shown in Figure 12A, in the process of determining supply conditions, the data 401 of the target material is classified into one of the categories of data 402 according to the supply conditions. The categories to which it is classified are distinguished from each other according to the supply risk and tradability of the material. The data 401 of the target material can be registered in association with one of the categories of data 402 according to the degree to which the supply conditions are met.

[0175] The supply conditions are based on supply index D, which represents the supply risk of existing materials. ｓ A value index representing the tradability of existing materials. ｓ This can be used as an indicator for determination. The supply condition is the supply index D. ｓ While it may be acceptable to use only this as an indicator, from the perspective of determining the actual trading feasibility for the user, the supply index D is also important. ｓ and additional index A ｓ It is preferable to use as an indicator. The processor 11 calculates the supply index D based on information indicating the availability of existing materials read from the material DB 120, the search conditions entered in the search process, and the design conditions determined in the design process.ｓ and the additional index A ｓ can be calculated for each target material.

[0176] The determination of the supply conditions is based on the supply index D representing the supply risk of the existing material ｓ and the additional index A representing the tradability of the existing material ｓ by comparing them with preset threshold values. The supply index D ｓ is expressed by the following formula (4). The additional index A ｓ is expressed by the following formula (5). The determination of the supply conditions is, as expressed by the following formula (6), by comparing the supply index D ｓ with a preset threshold value T ｈ１ and, at the same time, comparing the additional index A ｓ with a preset threshold value T ｈ２ to perform it as a logical product.

[0177]

[0178]

[0179]

[0180] However, in formulas (4), (5) and (6), D ｓ is the supply index representing the supply risk of the existing material, A ｓ is the additional index representing the tradability of the existing material, M Ｃ is the quantity of the existing material required by the user, M Ｓ ｒ is the supply quantity of the existing material to the market, M Ｔ ｒ is the already contracted trading volume in the market of the existing material, M ｍｉｎ is the minimum trading unit of the existing material, T ｈ１ is the threshold value for determining the supply risk of the existing material, T ｈ２ is the threshold value for determining the tradability of the existing material.

[0181] The threshold value T ｈ１ can be preset as a numerical value greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1, for example, a numerical value approximated to 1, considering risks related to the supply of the existing material to the market, shortages in the tradable volume associated with contracts in the market of the existing material, and avoidance of holding excess quantities of the existing material. The threshold value T ｈ２For example, a value greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1, such as a value close to 1, can be pre-set, taking into account that trading of existing materials is actually possible in the market and that the amount of existing materials purchased should be reduced.

[0182] Such supply index D ｓ Using this method, it is possible to identify existing materials that are eligible for procurement by considering factors such as the availability of existing materials in the market and the required amount of recycled materials and existing materials used as raw materials. ｓ Using this method, it is possible to identify existing materials that are eligible for procurement, taking into account trading constraints and other factors related to existing materials in the market. Supply Index D ｓ and additional index A ｓ By using this indicator for assessment, it is possible to determine the actual availability in the market, thereby facilitating the procurement of existing recycled materials and raw materials for new recycled materials.

[0183] The determination of supply conditions may be performed collectively for both the base material and the new material that will be used as raw materials for the new recycled material. The process of collectively determining the supply conditions for the base material and the new material involves a combined index D, which is a combination of the volume ratio of the base material, the volume ratio of the new material, the supply index of the base material, and the supply index of the new material. ｓ This can be done by comparing it with a pre-set threshold. Combination index D ｓ For this, the exponent represented by the following formula (7) can be used.

[0184]

[0185] However, in formula (7), D ｓ ' is a combination index relating to physical properties, V Ｋ ν These are the physical properties of the new material, γ Ｋ ｒ γ is the volume fraction of the base material. Ｋ ν This is the volume ratio of the new material, M Ｃ This is the quantity of recycled material required by the user, M Ｓ ｒ This is the supply volume of base material to the market, M Ｔ ｒ This is the amount of transactions already concluded in the market for base materials, M Ｓ νThis refers to the supply volume of new materials to the market, M Ｔ ν This indicates the volume of transactions already concluded in the market for new materials.

[0186] Such combination index D ｓ By using this method, it is possible to identify base materials and new materials that are eligible for procurement, taking into account the balance of the sufficiency of supply conditions for base materials and new materials, according to the ratio of base materials and new materials that will be used as raw materials for new recycled materials. Since the sufficiency of supply conditions for both base materials and new materials can be determined at once, the number of base materials and new materials extracted as a result can be reduced, thereby reducing the burden of the determination process.

[0187] As shown in Figure 12A, the supply index D ｓ , D ｓ ' and additional index A ｓ The pre-set threshold T ｈ１ , T ｈ２ By comparing with this, existing materials, which are the subject of supply condition assessment, can be classified into categories according to supply risk and tradeability. In Figure 12A, supply index D ｓ threshold T ｈ１ The materials are compared with a boundary value α. By comparing them with the boundary value α, existing recycled materials and existing materials used as raw materials for new recycled materials are classified into four categories: low supply risk, medium supply risk, high supply risk, and not meeting the criteria.

[0188] The boundary value α can be set to a number greater than 0 and less than 1, for example. The boundary value α can be set to a single number, or to multiple different numbers. Supply index D ｓ , D ｓ By further classifying existing materials that satisfy the criteria based on ' using one or more boundary values ​​α, the supply risk of existing materials can be evaluated more quantitatively. The procurement eligibility of existing recycled materials, as well as the procurement eligibility of base materials and new materials that serve as raw materials for new recycled materials, can be presented to users in the form of a quantitative ranking according to supply risk.

[0189] Figure 12B shows the result of determining whether an existing material that meets the physical property conditions also meets the supply conditions, when such an existing material exists within a pre-registered group of existing materials. In the process of determining the supply conditions, existing materials that meet the physical property conditions extracted in the search process, existing materials that do not meet the physical property conditions selected as base materials, and new materials that will be used as raw materials for recycled materials with designed formulations can be classified into categories according to supply risk and tradeability.

[0190] In Figure 12B, existing materials 304, which were determined to have a high procurement risk, existing materials 305, which were determined to have a moderate procurement risk, and existing materials 306, which were determined to have a low procurement risk, are all subject to supply index D. ｓ and additional index A ｓ These materials correspond to existing materials that satisfy the criteria for judgment based on the indicators. Such existing materials are actually procureable as real materials and are judged to meet the supply conditions. Because such existing materials are eligible for procurement, they become base materials or new materials that serve as raw materials for existing recycled materials presented to users as search results, or for new recycled materials presented to users as design results.

[0191] On the other hand, in Figure 12B, the additional index A ｓ Existing materials that do not meet the criteria for evaluation based on the indicator are not plotted. Such existing materials are not actually available as real materials and are judged not to meet the supply conditions. Because such existing materials do not have procurement eligibility, they will not be used as base materials or new materials for existing recycled materials presented to users as search results, or as raw materials for new recycled materials presented to users as design results.

[0192] The process for determining supply conditions may include all existing materials that meet the physical properties extracted in the search process, existing materials that do not meet the physical properties selected as the base material, and new materials that will be used as raw materials for recycled materials with designed formulations, or it may include only existing materials that meet the physical properties extracted in the search process. Including all materials allows information on all existing materials that meet the supply conditions to be presented to the user as reference information, etc.

[0193] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the output processing. Figure 13 shows the case where supply conditions are determined after determining the physical property conditions for two types of physical properties, physical property A and physical property B. Figure 13 shows an example of a UI image displayed on the screen of the external device 2. The UI image can display search results and design results along with the UI operated by the user. The search results and design results are transmitted from the recycled material compounding design device 1 to the external device 2.

[0194] The UI image 500 includes, for example, an input field 501 for reference material, an input field 502 for physical property items, an input field 503 for physical property values, an input field 504 for the quantity of recycled material, an input field 505 for the range of existing material to be searched or designed, a reference material display field 511, a physical property display field 512, a recycled material quantity display field 513, a range of existing material to be searched or designed display field 514, a result display field 515, and so on.

[0195] The reference material input field 501 is where the name and type of the reference material are entered. The reference material input field 501 can display information in a dropdown menu or similar format based on a pre-registered list of reference materials. Information such as the name and type of the reference material specified by the user can be displayed in the reference material display field 511.

[0196] The input field 502 for physical properties is where the type of physical property is entered. The input field 502 for physical properties can display information in a dropdown menu or similar format based on a pre-registered list of physical properties. Information on the type of physical property specified by the user can be displayed in the physical property display field 512. The user can input the target value, allowable upper limit, and allowable lower limit for each physical property they specify.

[0197] The physical property input field 503 is where the target physical property value, permissible upper limit, and permissible lower limit are entered. The physical property input field 503 can be displayed by entering numerical values ​​or by operating a gauge to specify the target range. The information of the physical property target value, permissible upper limit, and permissible lower limit specified by the user can be displayed in the physical property display field 512.

[0198] The input field 504 for the quantity of recycled material is where the user enters the quantity of recycled material they request. The input field 504 for the quantity of recycled material can be displayed by entering a numerical value or by operating a gauge or other device to specify a numerical value. The information on the quantity of recycled material specified by the user can be displayed in the recycled material quantity display field 513. When displaying the design results, the quantities of the base material and new material that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material may be calculated based on the designed mix according to the quantity of recycled material specified by the user, and the quantities of the base material and new material may be displayed.

[0199] The input field 505 for the range of existing materials to be searched or designed is a field where the search range for existing recycled materials to be searched or designed, as well as the search range for base materials and new materials that will be used as raw materials for new recycled materials, are entered. The input field 505 for the range of existing materials to be searched or designed can be displayed in a dropdown menu or similar format based on a list of pre-registered range patterns. Information for one or more range patterns specified by the user can be displayed in the display field 514 for the range of existing materials to be searched or designed.

[0200] The results display area 515 is the area where the processing results are displayed. The results display area 515 can display search results and design results as lists for each existing recycled material and each new recycled material. The search results and design results may be displayed in a ranking system according to the satisfaction of physical property conditions, the satisfaction of supply conditions, etc. The list for each recycled material can be displayed with color coding, display size coding, texture coding, etc., according to the rank of satisfaction of physical property conditions, the rank of satisfaction of supply conditions, etc.

[0201] The search results can display information about existing recycled materials extracted during the search process, such as identification ID, type information, model number information, manufacturer information, physical properties information, and availability information. For physical properties information, the system can display the physical property values ​​of existing recycled materials for each physical property item specified by the user.

[0202] As a design result, for new recycled materials extracted during the design process, information such as an identification ID, physical properties of the recycled material, composition of the recycled material (i.e., the mixing ratio of the base material and new material used as raw materials for the recycled material), type of base material, model number of base material, manufacturer of base material, physical properties of base material, availability of base material, type of new material, model number of new material, manufacturer of new material, physical properties of new material, and availability of new material can be displayed.

[0203] When the search and design processes are executed sequentially, the search results and design results may be displayed as individual images or as a single image. The search results may be displayed at the end of the search process or at the end of the design process. The search results and design results may be displayed using scatter plots, graphs, tree diagrams, etc., as shown in Figures 11A, 11B, and 12B.

[0204] This output processing allows the UI, search results, and design results to be displayed on the screen of external device 2 as operation images and result images. This enables intuitive input and information visualization for the user, making it easy to present information on existing recycled materials (search results) and information on new recycled materials (design results) to the user in an easy-to-understand manner. By sharing information on existing recycled materials (search results) and information on new recycled materials (design results) between consumers and suppliers over a communication network, it can contribute to the smooth trading of recycled materials.

[0205] <Second Embodiment> Next, the processing in the recycled material formulation design system according to the second embodiment will be described. The processing according to the second embodiment is performed simultaneously in the recycled material formulation design system Z described above, with determination based on physical properties as an indicator and determination based on supply conditions as an indicator. The recycled material formulation design device 1 integrally performs a search process to search for recycled materials and a determination process to determine the procurement eligibility of recycled materials. The search process using the similarity index as an indicator and the determination process using the supply index as an indicator can be performed integrally using a combined index that combines the similarity index and the supply index as indicators.

[0206] The recycled material blending design method used in the recycled material blending design system according to this embodiment includes: a search step of searching for existing materials with physical properties close to the target physical properties from a group of existing materials based on the similarity between the target physical properties required for the recycled material and the physical properties of pre-registered existing materials; a design step of designing a recycled material blend with physical properties close to the target physical properties by mixing existing materials with new materials that are not used and are different from the existing materials; a first determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of existing materials based on pre-registered information indicating the availability of materials; a second determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of new materials based on pre-registered information indicating the availability of materials; and an output step of outputting information on the searched existing materials or information on the designed recycled material blend, wherein the search step and the design step are performed together with the determination step.

[0207] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. As shown in Figure 14, in the search process, the search determination process S110 and the output process S106 are executed in this order to collect data on the search results for recycled materials. The search process is performed when the recycled material formulation design device 1 receives a request from an external device 2 to search for recycled materials or to design a formulation of recycled materials, and then the processor 11 executes a search program 111.

[0208] When the search process is started, the processor 11 accepts input of search conditions and physical property items (step S111). The search conditions and physical property items are input in the same way as in the process shown in Figure 5.

[0209] Next, the processor 11 performs a search determination process based on the input search conditions (step S112). The processor 11 performs a comprehensive determination of the satisfaction of physical property conditions and supply conditions for existing materials read from the material DB 120. From the group of existing materials pre-registered in the material DB 120, existing materials are extracted that have physical property compatibility, possessing physical property values ​​close to the target physical property values ​​requested by the user for the physical properties requested by the user, and that are also procurement eligible, meaning they can actually be procured as actual materials.

[0210] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not there is an existing material that satisfies the physical property conditions and supply conditions among the group of existing materials pre-registered in the material DB 120 (step S113).

[0211] If the determination shows that there are no existing materials that meet the physical properties and supply conditions (Step S113; No), the process proceeds to Step S200. In this case, the process moves from the search process to the design process (Step S200). On the other hand, if the determination shows that there are existing materials that meet the physical properties and supply conditions (Step S113; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S114.

[0212] Next, the processor 11 performs output processing to output the search results (step S114). The processor 11 outputs information on existing materials that satisfy the physical property conditions and supply conditions, similar to the process shown in Figure 5. The search result data is stored in the results DB 140. Once the search results are output, the search process ends.

[0213] This search process allows for the simultaneous execution of both a search based on physical properties and a determination process based on supply conditions. As a result, it is possible to search a pre-registered group of existing materials for existing recycled materials that possess physical properties close to the user's target values ​​and that are actually procureable as real materials, with minimal processing. This makes it possible to quickly provide users, such as participants in electronic transactions, with information on existing recycled materials that are suitable as alternative or planned materials, from the perspective of physical property compatibility and procurement eligibility.

[0214] The process for determining physical properties and supply conditions together uses a similarity index D based on the similarity between the target physical properties and the physical properties of the target material. Ｒ and supply index D, which represents the supply risk of existing materials. ｓ The combination index C based on this ｓ This can be done by comparing it with a pre-set threshold. Combination index C ｓ For this purpose, the exponent expressed by the following formula (8) can be used.

[0215]

[0216] However, in formula (8), C ｓ This is a combined index related to supply risk, L Ｋ D is the distance between the target material property and the material property of the existing material. ｓ This is a supply index representing the supply risk of existing materials, a １ and a ２ Each of these independently represents a weighting coefficient. k is an index representing a physical property item, and represents an integer from 1 to N. N represents the number of physical property items specified by the user. a １ and a ２ For example, a １ +a ２ It is a number that satisfies the condition = 1.

[0217] Such combination index C ｓ By using this method, it is possible to extract an appropriate number of existing materials that meet the required physical properties and procurement requirements, taking into account factors such as the balance of satisfaction of physical property conditions for multiple physical property items specified by the user, ensuring satisfaction of all physical property conditions specified by the user, the availability of existing materials in the market, and the required amount of recycled materials and existing materials used as raw materials. Since the satisfaction of physical property conditions and supply conditions can be determined collectively, the number of existing materials extracted as a result can be reduced, thereby reducing the load on the search and judgment process.

[0218] <Third Embodiment> Next, the processing in the recycled material formulation design system according to the third embodiment will be described. The processing according to the third embodiment involves the recycled material formulation design system Z performing a determination based on cost conditions in addition to the determination based on physical properties and the determination based on supply conditions. The recycled material formulation design device 1 performs a search process to search for recycled materials, a determination process to determine the procurement eligibility of recycled materials, and a determination process to determine the cost suitability of recycled materials. The determination of the cost suitability of recycled materials can be performed as a logical AND with the determination of the procurement eligibility of recycled materials.

[0219] The recycled material blending design method used in the recycled material blending design system according to this embodiment includes: a search step of searching for an existing material having physical properties close to the target physical properties from a group of existing materials based on the similarity between the target physical properties required for the recycled material and the physical properties of pre-registered existing materials; a design step of designing a recycled material blend having physical properties close to the target physical properties by mixing the existing material with a new material that is different from the existing material and is not used; a first determination step of determining the procurement suitability of the existing material based on information indicating the procurement suitability of the material pre-registered; a second determination step of determining the procurement suitability of the new material based on information indicating the procurement suitability of the material pre-registered; a third determination step of determining the cost suitability of the existing material based on information indicating the cost of the material pre-registered; a fourth determination step of determining the cost suitability of the new material based on information indicating the cost of the material pre-registered; and an output step of outputting information on the searched existing material or information on the designed recycled material blend.

[0220] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a search process for searching for recycled materials. As shown in Figure 15, in the search process, the search process S122, the determination process S124 regarding supply conditions, the determination process S126 regarding cost conditions, and the output process S128 are executed in this order to collect data on the search results for recycled materials. The search process is performed when the recycled material formulation design device 1 receives a request from an external device 2 to search for recycled materials or to design a formulation for recycled materials, and then the processor 11 executes a search program 111.

[0221] When the search process is started, the processor 11 performs the following steps, similar to the process shown in Figure 5: receiving input of search conditions and physical property items (step S121), search processing (step S122), determination of existing materials that satisfy the physical property conditions (step S123), determination processing regarding supply conditions (step S124), and determination of existing materials that satisfy the supply conditions (step S125).

[0222] The search criteria are used to set physical property conditions for determining the suitability of existing materials, supply conditions for determining the procurement eligibility of existing materials, and cost conditions for determining the cost suitability of existing materials. The cost conditions are set as criteria for determining cost suitability so that recycled materials and their raw materials are actually available for purchase on the market.

[0223] The search criteria include additional settings such as the desired transaction price for the recycled material the user is looking for. The desired transaction price is set to specify the transaction price of the recycled material the user desires. Users can search for recycled materials with the required physical properties within a range that is cost-effectively purchasable in the market.

[0224] If the determination shows that there are no existing materials that meet the supply conditions (Step S125; No), the process proceeds to Step S200. In this case, the process moves from the search process to the design process (Step S200). On the other hand, if the determination shows that there are existing materials that meet the supply conditions (Step S125; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S126.

[0225] Next, the processor 11 performs a determination process regarding cost conditions based on the input search conditions (step S126). The processor 11 determines whether the cost conditions are met for existing materials that meet the supply conditions.

[0226] Next, the processor 11 determines whether or not there is an existing material that satisfies the cost condition among the group of existing materials that satisfies the supply condition (step S127).

[0227] If the determination shows that there are no existing materials that meet the cost conditions (Step S127; No), the process proceeds to Step S200. In this case, the process moves from the search process to the design process (Step S200). On the other hand, if the determination shows that there are existing materials that meet the cost conditions (Step S127; Yes), the process proceeds to Step S128.

[0228] Next, the processor 11 performs output processing to output the search results (step S128). The processor 11 outputs information on existing materials that meet the physical property conditions, supply conditions, and cost conditions. The search result data is stored in the results DB 140. Once the search results are output, the search process ends.

[0229] This search process involves both a search based on physical properties and a determination process based on supply and cost conditions. As a result, it is possible to search for existing recycled materials from a pre-registered group of existing materials that have physical properties close to the user's target values ​​for the physical properties required by the user, are actually procureable as real materials, and have acceptable cost compatibility. Information on existing recycled materials that are suitable as alternative or planned materials can be presented to users, such as participants in electronic transactions, from the perspectives of physical property compatibility, procurement compatibility, and cost compatibility.

[0230] In Figure 15, the cost condition determination process (step S126) and the determination of existing materials that meet the cost condition (step S127) are added in the search process, but these processes may also be added in the design process. These processes can also be performed after the determination of combinations of base materials and new materials that meet the supply conditions (step S205), targeting combinations of base materials and new materials that meet the supply conditions.

[0231] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination process for determining the cost suitability of recycled materials. As shown in Figure 16, in the determination process for cost conditions, a cost index indicating the cost-effectiveness of existing materials is used as an indicator to determine whether existing materials that meet the supply conditions, or base materials and new materials that meet the supply conditions, meet the cost conditions.

[0232] When the determination process is started, the processor 11 reads information about existing materials that have been determined to meet the supply conditions (step S261). If multiple existing materials that meet the supply conditions are registered, the processor 11 reads data about one of the existing materials.

[0233] Next, the processor 11 reads the determination conditions used to determine the cost suitability of the existing material (step S262). The processor 11 reads the cost index calculation model stored in the model DB 130 and the search condition data entered by the user, and determines the cost conditions to be used in the determination process. The cost conditions are determined based on the desired transaction price of the existing material specified by input, the market transaction price of the existing material read from the material DB 120, the representative market transaction price of the existing material, and the lowest market transaction price of the existing material.

[0234] Next, the processor 11 calculates a cost index for the existing material that has been determined to meet the supply conditions (step S263). Based on the information indicating the cost of the existing material read from the material DB 120 and the cost index calculation model read from the model DB 130, the processor 11 calculates a cost index for determining the cost suitability of the existing material.

[0235] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the existing material determined to meet the supply conditions also meets the cost conditions (step S264). The processor 11 determines whether the cost index and the additional index are within an acceptable range for the existing material determined to meet the supply conditions.

[0236] If the determination shows that the existing material meets the supply conditions (step S264; Yes), the process proceeds to step S265. In this case, the processing result registers that the retrieved existing material is cost-suitable (step S265). The process then proceeds to step S267.

[0237] On the other hand, if the determination shows that the existing material does not meet the cost requirements (step S264; No), the process proceeds to step S266. In this case, the processing result is registered as indicating that the retrieved existing material does not meet cost requirements (step S266). The process then proceeds to step S267.

[0238] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the cost conditions have been determined for all existing materials that have been determined to meet the supply conditions (step S267).

[0239] If the determination result shows that the cost conditions have not been determined for all existing materials (step S267; No), the process returns to step S261. In this case, the remaining existing materials are re-selected from the group of existing materials that have been determined to meet the supply conditions. On the other hand, if the determination result shows that the cost conditions have been determined for all existing materials (step S267; Yes), the determination process regarding the cost conditions is terminated.

[0240] This type of determination process allows for the assessment of whether all existing materials that meet supply requirements also meet cost requirements. Therefore, even if multiple existing materials that meet supply requirements are selected, a wide range of cost-compatible existing materials can be extracted. In the output process, it becomes possible to list multiple existing materials that meet physical property requirements, procurement eligibility, and cost compatibility. As a result, multiple recycled materials that can be traded and purchased as alternative materials or planned materials can be presented to the user.

[0241] Figures 17A and 17B illustrate the determination process for determining cost conditions. Figures 17A and 17B show a case where cost conditions are determined after determining supply conditions, based on two types of physical properties, property A and property B. Figure 17A illustrates the concept of classification based on cost index and additional index in the determination of cost conditions. Figure 17B conceptually shows the results of reflecting the supply condition determination results and cost condition determination results onto the search results and design results represented in the coordinate space for physical properties shown in Figure 11A.

[0242] In Figure 17A, reference numeral 601 indicates data for existing materials for which cost conditions are determined, and reference numeral 602 indicates data for categories corresponding to the satisfaction of the cost conditions. In Figure 17B, reference numeral 301 indicates target physical property values ​​specified by the user. Reference numeral 307 indicates existing materials that have been determined to have high purchase costs. Reference numeral 308 indicates existing materials that have been determined to have moderate purchase costs. Reference numeral 309 indicates existing materials that have been determined to have low purchase costs. Reference numeral C indicates the target range of physical properties specified by the user.

[0243] In Figures 17A and 17B, the reference numeral D ｐThis indicates a cost index representing the purchase cost of existing materials used as a cost condition. Symbol A ｐ This indicates an additional index representing the feasibility of purchasing existing materials, which are used as an additional cost condition. The symbol T represents the additional index. ｈ３ This indicates the threshold for determining the sufficiency of the cost index. (Symbol T) ｈ４ This indicates the threshold for determining the sufficiency of the additional index. In Figure 17B, the horizontal axis shows the physical property value for physical property A, and the vertical axis shows the physical property value for physical property B.

[0244] As shown in Figure 17A, in the process of determining cost conditions, the data 601 of the target material is classified into one of the categories of data 602 according to the cost conditions. The categories to which it is classified are distinguished from each other according to the purchase cost of the material and the feasibility of purchasing the material. The data 601 of the target material can be registered in association with one of the categories of data 602 according to the degree to which the cost conditions are met.

[0245] The cost condition is cost index D, which represents the purchase cost of existing materials. ｐ or an additional index A representing the feasibility of purchasing existing materials ｐ This can be used as an indicator for determination. The cost condition is cost index D. ｐ While this alone may be used as an indicator, from the perspective of determining the actual likelihood of purchase for the user, the cost index D is also important. ｐ and additional index A ｐ It is preferable to use the cost index D as an indicator. The processor 11 calculates the cost index D based on the cost-effectiveness information of existing materials read from the material DB 120, the search conditions entered in the search process, and the design conditions determined in the design process. ｐ and additional index A ｐ This can be calculated for each material.

[0246] The cost condition is determined by cost index D, which represents the purchase cost of existing materials. ｐ or an additional index A representing the feasibility of purchasing existing materials. ｐ This can be done by comparing it with a pre-set threshold. Cost index D ｐ This is expressed by the following formula (9): Additional index A ｐThis is expressed by the following formula (10). The determination of the cost condition is expressed by the supply index D, as shown in the following formula (11). ｐ A pre-set threshold T ｈ３ In comparison with, the additional index A ｐ A pre-set threshold T ｈ４ This can be done as a logical AND operation by comparing them.

[0247]

[0248]

[0249]

[0250] However, in formulas (9), (10), and (11), D ｐ A is a cost index that represents the purchase cost of existing materials. ｐ P is an additional index representing the feasibility of purchasing existing materials. Ｃ The user's desired purchase price for existing materials, P Ｔ ｒ P is the representative transaction price in the market for existing materials. ｍｉｎ This is the lowest transaction price in the market for existing materials, T ｈ３ T is a threshold for determining the purchase cost of existing materials. ｈ４ This indicates a threshold for determining the feasibility of purchasing existing materials.

[0251] Threshold T ｈ３ As such, a value greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1, for example, a value close to 1, can be pre-set, taking into account the cost of purchasing existing materials in the market and the reduction of the cost of purchasing existing materials. Threshold T ｈ４ For example, a value greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1, such as a value close to 1, can be pre-set, taking into account that existing materials are actually available for purchase in the market and that the cost of purchasing existing materials can be reduced.

[0252] Such supply index D ｐ Using this method, it is possible to identify existing materials that are cost-effective by considering the cost-effectiveness of existing materials in the market, as well as the price of recycled materials and existing materials purchased as raw materials. Furthermore, such an additional index A ｐ Using this method, it is possible to identify existing materials that are cost-effective, taking into account the lowest prices of existing materials in the market. Cost Index Dｐ and additional index A ｐ By using this indicator for assessment, it is possible to determine the actual likelihood of purchase in the market, thus enabling low-cost purchases of existing recycled materials and raw materials for new recycled materials.

[0253] As shown in Figure 17A, the supply index D ｐ or additional index A ｐ The pre-set threshold T ｈ３ , T ｈ４ By comparing with this, existing materials that are the subject of cost condition assessment can be classified into categories according to purchase cost and purchase feasibility. In Figure 17A, cost index D ｐ threshold T ｈ３ The materials are compared with a boundary value β. By comparing them with the boundary value β, existing recycled materials and existing materials used as raw materials for new recycled materials are classified into four categories: low purchase cost, medium purchase cost, high purchase cost, and not meeting the criteria.

[0254] The boundary value β can be set to a number greater than 0 and less than 1, for example. The boundary value β can be set to a single number, or to multiple distinct numbers. Cost index D ｐ By further classifying existing materials that satisfy the criteria based on the indicator using one or more boundary values ​​β, the purchase cost of existing materials can be evaluated more quantitatively. The cost suitability of existing recycled materials, as well as the cost suitability of base materials and new materials that serve as raw materials for new recycled materials, can be presented to users in the form of a quantitative ranking based on purchase cost.

[0255] Figure 17B shows the result of determining whether an existing material that satisfies both the physical properties and supply conditions satisfies the cost conditions, given that there is an existing material that satisfies the physical properties conditions within a pre-registered group of existing materials. In the process of determining the cost conditions, existing materials that satisfy both the physical properties and supply conditions, existing materials that do not satisfy the physical properties conditions but satisfy the supply conditions and are selected as base materials, and new materials that satisfy the supply conditions and are used as raw materials for recycled materials with designed formulations can be classified into categories according to purchase cost and purchase feasibility.

[0256] In Figure 17B, existing material 307, which was determined to have a high purchase cost, existing material 308, which was determined to have a moderate purchase cost, and existing material 309, which was determined to have a low purchase cost, are all associated with cost index D. ｐ and additional index A ｐ These materials correspond to existing materials that satisfy the criteria for evaluation based on the indicators. Such existing materials are actually available for purchase as real materials and are judged to meet the cost conditions. Because such existing materials are cost-suitable, it is preferable to use them as base materials or new materials that serve as raw materials for existing recycled materials presented to the user as search results, or for new recycled materials presented to the user as design results.

[0257] On the other hand, in Figure 17B, the additional index A ｐ Existing materials that do not meet the criteria for evaluation based on the indicator are not plotted. Such existing materials are not actually available for purchase as real materials and are judged not to meet the cost conditions. Because such existing materials do not have cost suitability, it is preferable not to use them as base materials or new materials for existing recycled materials presented to the user as search results, or as raw materials for new recycled materials presented to the user as design results.

[0258] The process for determining cost conditions may include all existing materials that meet the physical properties extracted in the search process, existing materials that do not meet the physical properties selected as the base material, and new materials that will be used as raw materials for the recycled material for which the blend has been designed. Alternatively, it may include only existing materials that meet the physical properties extracted in the search process. Including all materials allows information on all existing materials that meet the cost conditions to be presented to the user as reference information, etc.

[0259] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations of the embodiments described above. Some configurations of one embodiment may be replaced with other configurations, some configurations of one embodiment may be added to other forms, or some configurations of one embodiment may be omitted.

[0260] For example, the material database 120, model database 130, result database 140, etc., may be stored in an external storage device connected via a communication network, rather than being part of the recycled material formulation design apparatus 1.

[0261] Furthermore, while the recycled material formulation design system Z designs new recycled material formulations by mixing recycled material and new material, it may also design new recycled material formulations by mixing recycled material, new material, and additives. Additives can also be incorporated into the recycled material formulation design by pre-registering them in a database and pre-digitizing their contribution to the physical properties of the recycled material. In addition, the recycled material formulation design system Z may handle composite materials, metal materials, inorganic materials, etc., that become reusable by mixing recycled material and new material, in addition to resin materials, etc.

[0262] 1. Recycled material formulation design device 2. External device 10. Memory resources 11. Processor 12. Network interface 13. User interface 110. Program 111. Search program 112. Design program 120. Material database 130. Model database 140. Results database Z. Recycled material formulation design system

Claims

1. A recycled material formulation design system for designing the formulation of recycled material in which used material is recycled as at least part of the raw materials, comprising: a calculation unit that executes processing according to a program; and a storage unit that stores a database containing information indicating the physical properties of each material and information indicating the availability of each material, wherein the calculation unit performs a search process to search for existing materials having physical properties close to the target physical properties based on the similarity between the target physical properties required for the recycled material and the physical properties of the materials stored in the database; a design process to design a recycled material formulation having physical properties close to the target physical properties by mixing the existing material with a new material that is different from the existing material and is not used; and a determination process to determine the availability of the existing material and the new material based on information indicating the availability of the materials stored in the database.

2. A recycled material formulation design system according to claim 1, wherein the search process is a process of calculating the difference between the target physical property value for a physical property specified by the user and the physical property value of a material stored in the database for the physical property, normalizing the difference within a range from the allowable lower limit to the allowable upper limit of the physical property, and comparing the index value based on the normalized difference with a preset threshold.

3. A recycled material formulation design system according to claim 1, wherein the design process is a process of calculating the mixing ratio of the existing material and the new material, on the condition that the recycled material having physical properties close to the target physical properties is produced by a mathematical model that predicts the physical properties of the recycled material produced by mixing the existing material and the new material based on theory or experimental rules, or a trained model that predicts the physical properties of the recycled material optimized by machine learning.

4. A recycled material blending design system according to claim 1, wherein the determination process is a process of calculating a supply index for the existing material or the new material with the supply amount of the material and the transaction amount of the material as variables, and comparing the calculated supply index with a preset threshold.

5. A recycled material formulation design system according to claim 1, comprising an output unit that outputs the results of processing by the calculation unit, wherein the output unit outputs information of the retrieved existing material when there is an existing material in the database that has physical properties close to the target physical properties and satisfies the procurement eligibility, and outputs information of the formulated recycled material when there is no existing material in the database that has physical properties close to the target physical properties and satisfies the procurement eligibility.

6. A recycled material formulation design system according to claim 1, wherein the search process is a process of calculating a combination index for the existing material by combining a physical property index representing the similarity and a supply index representing the availability, and comparing the calculated combination index with a preset threshold.

7. A recycled material formulation design system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores information indicating the cost of each material, and the calculation unit performs a determination process to determine the cost suitability of the existing material and the new material based on the information indicating the cost of the materials stored in the database.

8. A recycled material formulation design system according to claim 7, wherein the determination process is a process of calculating a cost index for the existing material or the new material with the desired purchase price of the material and the representative market transaction price of the material as variables, and comparing the calculated cost index with a preset threshold.

9. A recycled material blending design method for designing a recycled material blend in which used material is recycled as at least part of the raw materials, comprising: a search step of searching for an existing material having physical properties close to the target physical properties from a group of existing materials based on the similarity between the target physical properties required for the recycled material and the physical properties of existing materials registered in advance; a design step of designing a recycled material blend having physical properties close to the target physical properties by mixing the existing material with a new material that is not used and is different from the existing material; a first determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of the existing material based on information indicating the procurement eligibility of the material registered in advance; and a second determination step of determining the procurement eligibility of the new material based on information indicating the procurement eligibility of the material registered in advance.

10. A recycled material formulation design method according to claim 9, comprising an output step of outputting information on the retrieved existing material or information on the formulation of the designed recycled material.

11. A recycled material formulation design method according to claim 9, comprising: a third determination step of determining the cost suitability of the existing material based on information indicating the cost of a pre-registered material; and a fourth determination step of determining the cost suitability of the new material based on information indicating the cost of a pre-registered material.

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