Product lending method, and handling determination method and handling method after renting and using electric product

Abstract

This product lending method comprises: a use fee reception step in which a lender periodically receives, from a renter, a use fee corresponding to use of a product; and an economic value determination step in which, before return or during use of the product, an economic value of the product after or during use is determined on the basis of at least one of a use period until the return of the product or a prescribed time point, and a deterioration degree or a use state of the product. When the product is returned or the use fee is charged, the lender refunds an amount corresponding to the economic value to the renter or charges the renter by deducting the amount corresponding to the economic value from the use fee.

Description

Method for lending products, method for determining handling of electrical products after rental use, and method for handling the same

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for lending products such as electrical products, and a method for determining handling of an electrical product after rental use and a method for handling the same.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an equipment ordering system used by a subscription user who uses equipment such as air conditioning equipment in a subscription-based usage mode (hereinafter may be referred to as "subscription"). In the equipment ordering system, when a subscription user transmits request information for requesting new equipment using a terminal device, an operator of the equipment ordering system sends new equipment to the subscription user based on the transmitted request information. When the subscription contract period expires, the subscription user returns the equipment in use, and the subscription use ends. The returned equipment is brought to a reuse factory, refreshed, and put into a standby state as inventory of reused products.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a business management system comprising: a server provided with a file storing information about an individual who uses leased textile products; and a terminal of a lease management department connected to the server, wherein the file of the server is provided with an item for recording customer delivery date data of the leased textile products to a customer.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-45665 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-7556

[0005] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, a borrower who receives a product lent via a subscription has no motivation or advantage to cooperate with cyclic utilization, which is utilization that contributes to product resource circulation. Therefore, realization of a method for promoting cyclic utilization in society is desired.

[0006] On the other hand, there are cases where a right holder rents and uses an electrical product for which a rental right of use has been established via rental, leasing or the like of the electrical product, but how to handle the electrical product after the end of the rental use has not been determined. Accordingly, there is room for improvement in terms of efficiently performing cyclic utilization of electrical products.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is at least one of the following: to promote the cyclical use of products in the method of lending products, and to enable the efficient cyclical use of electrical products in the method of determining and handling electrical products after they have been leased and used.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure of a method of lending a product includes a fee collection step in which the lender periodically receives a usage fee from the borrower for the use of the product, and an economic value determination step in which the economic value of the product after use or during use is determined based on at least one of the period of use up to the return of the product or a predetermined time, and the degree of deterioration or use of the product, and at the time of the return of the product or when the usage fee is billed, the lender refunds the borrower an amount corresponding to the economic value or deducts an amount corresponding to the economic value from the usage fee.

[0009] One aspect of this disclosure, the first method for determining the handling of an electrical product after it has been leased and used, is a method for determining the handling of an electrical product after it has been leased and used, in order to promote the cyclical use of an electrical product for which a right of use has been established through lease, and the handling is determined based on the total usage time from the start of use of the new electrical product.

[0010] A second method for determining the handling of an electrical product after it has been leased and used, which is one aspect of this disclosure, is a method for determining the handling of an electrical product after it has been leased and used, for the purpose of cyclically utilizing an electrical product for which a right of use has been established through lease, and includes a judgment step for determining the condition of the electrical product, and the handling is determined based on the judgment result in the judgment step.

[0011] One aspect of this disclosure, a method for handling electrical products after rental use, involves performing one of the following processes on the electrical product: repurposing, continued use, disposal, material recycling, and refurbishment, based on the result of the decision step in the second method for determining how to handle electrical products after rental use of this disclosure.

[0012] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for lending products, the cyclical use of products can be promoted. According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for determining and handling electrical products after rental use, the cyclical use of electrical products can be efficiently achieved.

[0013] This diagram shows the circulation route of products centered on the lending company that implements the product lending method of the embodiment, and the lending and return route consisting of the lending and return routes of products between the lending company and the borrower. This flowchart shows the product lending method of the embodiment. This flowchart shows a different example of the product lending method of the embodiment. This diagram shows the distribution route of electrical products centered on the rental company that implements the method for determining the handling of electrical products after rental use of the embodiment. This flowchart shows a method for handling electrical products, including the method for determining the handling of electrical products after rental use of the embodiment. This flowchart shows one example of a method for determining the handling of electrical products after rental use when the rental use period of electrical products is divided into multiple periods in the embodiment. This flowchart shows a method for handling electrical products, including the method for determining the handling of electrical products after rental use of another example of the embodiment.

[0014] The following will describe in detail, with reference to the drawings, the method for lending the products related to this disclosure, and the method for determining and handling the electrical products after they have been rented and used. Figure 1 shows a first circulation route 10 of the products centered on the lending company 14 that implements the product lending method of the embodiment, a second circulation route 11 consisting of a product transport route between the lending company 14 and the maintenance factory 15, and a third circulation route 12 consisting of a product lending and return route between the lending company 14 and the borrower 13.

[0015] The following explanation will primarily focus on cases where the product to be leased is an electrical product, specifically a lighting fixture. However, the product to be leased may also be an electrical product other than a lighting fixture, such as an air conditioner, wiring device, or refrigerator, or even a product other than an electrical product. Furthermore, the following explanation will focus on cases where the lending company 14 and the product manufacturer 17 are different, but the lending company 14 may also be the product manufacturer 17. In this case, the product manufacturer 17 manufactures the product and, as the lending company 14, allows the borrower 13 to use the product on a subscription basis.

[0016] The first recycling route 10 includes a product manufacturer 17, a lessor company 14, and a recycling company 16. The product manufacturer 17 is a company that manufactures lighting fixtures as electrical products. The product manufacturer 17 sells lighting fixtures to the lessor company 14 and transports the lighting fixtures to the lessor company.

[0017] The lessor company 14 leases the lighting fixtures to the user, lessee 13, in accordance with the subscription terms stipulated in the subscription agreement, and lessee 13 uses the lighting fixtures on a subscription basis. Lessee 13 uses the lighting fixtures for a certain period, and after ending the subscription, returns the lighting fixtures to the lessor company 14.

[0018] In a subscription model, borrower 13 does not need to pay the purchase price for each product. Instead, borrower 13 periodically pays a usage fee to lender company 14 for the right to use the product for a certain period, and lender company 14 periodically receives the usage fee from borrower 13. This allows borrower 13, as a subscription user, to frequently replace products with new products with new features, or refurbished products that are not new but have a lower usage fee than new products, without having to purchase them, thus reducing the burden of costs. After the product is returned, its characteristics are evaluated, and a decision is made to carry out one of the following: reuse, refurbishment, or material recycling. The product is then processed according to that decision. In this case, a product that is decided to be reused may be leased to borrower 13 or another borrower at a low usage fee, or it may be sold to a prospective buyer as a refurbished product at a lower price than new.

[0019] The lessor company 14 then leases the lighting fixtures on a subscription basis to the lessee, or to another user who is also a lessee, in accordance with the subscription terms set forth in the subscription agreement, and this is repeated.

[0020] Furthermore, the borrower 13 and the other borrower to whom the lighting fixtures are leased are not limited to natural persons, but may also be corporations or other entities.

[0021] When the lessor company 14 receives notification from the lessee 13 that they have terminated their subscription, and is processing the rental lighting fixtures before their return, the lessor company 14 performs an economic value determination step before the rental lighting fixtures are returned, determining the economic value of the rental lighting fixtures after use based on at least one of the period of use until the rental lighting fixtures are returned and the degree of deterioration or usage of the rental lighting fixtures.

[0022] The economic value determination step may, for example, be performed on a computer 20 owned by the lending company 14. Upon return of the lighting fixture, the lending company 14 refunds the borrower 13 an amount corresponding to the economic value determined in this economic value determination step. The refund is made in exchange for the return of the lighting fixture by the borrower 13. This makes it easier for the borrower 13 to cooperate in cyclical use, which contributes to the resource recycling of lighting fixtures, by avoiding use that burdens the lighting fixtures after use in order to maximize the economic value when using the subscription service. For this reason, cyclical use of lighting fixtures is promoted in society.

[0023] Furthermore, the lessor company 14 performs a recycling route determination step in which it evaluates the characteristics of the lighting fixtures after use and decides whether to implement one of the following: reuse, refurbishment, material recycling, or disposal. The lighting fixtures are then handled in accordance with that decision.

[0024] Here, a lighting fixture includes, for example, a light source, a case, a power supply circuit, and a circuit board. The light source is a fluorescent tube of a fluorescent lamp, multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs), etc. The type of lighting fixture can be a base light, a ceiling light, a downlight, or a spotlight, etc. The light source may also be a light bulb. The case of the lighting fixture forms the outer casing of the lighting fixture and houses a circuit board on which the power supply circuit is mounted. The power supply circuit is a circuit that supplies power to the light source. For example, if the lighting fixture includes a fluorescent lamp, the power supply circuit is connected to an AC power source that outputs commercial AC power, and includes a glow lamp or inverter and a capacitor, supplying high voltage to the fluorescent tube to light it up. If the lighting fixture includes an LED, the power supply circuit is connected to an AC power source and converts the commercial AC voltage to a DC voltage and supplies it to the light source to light it up.

[0025] Furthermore, "reuse" refers to using products such as lighting fixtures after they have been used, either by renting them out through subscriptions or selling them.

[0026] Furthermore, "refurbishment" refers to the process of replacing only certain parts of a product, such as a lighting fixture, with new parts when necessary, thereby creating a refurbished product that can be reused through subscriptions, rentals, or sales. "Material recycling" involves disassembling products such as lighting fixtures to extract materials such as metals and resins, and then using these recovered materials in the future manufacture of lighting fixtures. If it is decided to recycle the materials of a lighting fixture, the lighting fixture is transported from the lending company 14 to the recycling company 16.

[0027] At the recycling company 16, workers extract recovered materials such as metals and resins obtained by disassembling the transported lighting fixtures and carry out recycling procedures for reusing the recovered materials. The extracted recovered materials may be transported to the product manufacturer 17 and reused in the future manufacture of lighting fixtures and other products. At the recycling company 16, parts of the lighting fixtures that cannot be used as recovered materials may be discarded. The recycling company 16 may also be a dismantling plant that primarily handles waste disposal.

[0028] When the lessor company 14 decides to "refurbish" the lighting fixtures, the lessor company 14 or a repair shop replaces any parts of the lighting fixtures that cannot be used as is with new parts, resulting in refurbished products.

[0029] If the lessor company 14 decides to "dispose" of the lighting fixtures, the lighting fixtures may be transported to a waste disposal facility of the waste disposal company 19, where they may be crushed or otherwise processed as prescribed, and then disposed of at a designated location.

[0030] Furthermore, if either refurbishment or material recycling is carried out on the lighting fixtures after their return, a recycling certificate will be issued. For example, if refurbishment is carried out, the maintenance factory 15 will deliver the refurbished product to the lessor company 14, and at the same time, a recycling certificate proving that refurbishment has been performed will be issued, and the lessor company 14 will receive the recycling certificate and the refurbished product.

[0031] Furthermore, if material recycling is carried out, the recycling company 16 will issue a certificate of circular use to the lessor company 14 certifying that material recycling has been performed, and the lessor company 14 will receive the certificate of circular use.

[0032] If the circular utilization certificate proves, for example, that material recycling has been carried out, then by collecting certificates that specify the amount of recovered material obtained from material recycling and providing them to the product manufacturer 17 that manufactures lighting fixtures, it becomes easier to assert the contribution of the product manufacturer 17 and the lessor company 14 to resource conservation by demonstrating that the recycling rate of those lighting fixtures is high. Furthermore, if the circular utilization certificate proves that refurbishment has been carried out and the number of lighting fixtures that have been refurbished, then by collecting these circular utilization certificates, it is also possible to assert the contribution of the lessor company 14 to resource conservation.

[0033] Furthermore, if it is decided to implement material recycling for the lighting fixtures after use, a step may be taken to select an appropriate recycling company. For example, instead of recycling company 16, another recycling company 18 may be selected, and recycling company 18 may carry out material recycling using the lighting fixtures transported from the lessor company 14. If recycling company 18 carries out material recycling, it will issue a certificate of recycling to the lessor company 14, similar to recycling company 16.

[0034] For example, in selecting a recycling company, the most suitable recycling company may be selected from among several recycling companies 16, 18 that have been pre-registered in a computer 20, etc., depending on their recycling track record and the type of product or material to be recycled, or both. The number of registered recycling companies can be more than two.

[0035] Next, the method of lending lighting fixtures implemented by the lending company 14 will be explained using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a flowchart of the method of lending lighting fixtures according to the embodiment. The lending method is implemented to promote the cyclical use of lighting fixtures for which subscription usage rights have been established. The processes in steps S20 to S27 shown in Figure 2 are the method for determining and handling the lighting fixtures after subscription use, and are implemented by the lending company 14. The processes in steps S12 and S20 to S22 may be implemented on a computer 20 owned by the lending company 14.

[0036] Computer 20 is installed, for example, at a location managed by the lessor company 14. Computer 20 comprises an input device, a storage unit, an arithmetic unit, and an output device. The input device includes a keyboard and a mouse. The storage unit may be RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit has the function of temporarily storing read programs and processing data, and the function of pre-storing control programs, etc. The arithmetic unit is composed of, for example, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit). The arithmetic unit has the function of reading and executing programs, etc., pre-stored in the storage unit. The output device consists of a display and a printer.

[0037] The arithmetic unit executes a program to realize the functions of the subject of the apparatus, system, or method described herein. The arithmetic unit may be of any type as long as it can realize the functions by executing a program. For example, the arithmetic unit may be a CPU. The arithmetic unit may consist of one or more electronic circuits, including semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) or large-scale integrations (LSIs). Multiple electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip or provided on multiple chips. Multiple chips may be aggregated in one device or provided in multiple devices. Non-temporary recording media such as optical discs and hard disk drives may be used as storage. An external storage device may be connected to the arithmetic unit as storage.

[0038] In the lending method shown in Figure 2, first, in step S10, the lending company 14 lends the lighting fixtures, which are the products, to the borrower 13 for subscription use, and a usage fee receiving step is performed in which the lending company 14 periodically receives usage fees from the borrower 13. The usage fees are paid by the borrower 13 to the lending company 14, for example, monthly or annually.

[0039] Next, in step S12, an economic value determination step is performed to determine the economic value of the lighting fixture after the subscription period. In step S12, before the lighting fixture is returned, the economic value of the lighting fixture after use is determined based on at least one of the usage period until the return of the lighting fixture and the degree of deterioration or usage of the lighting fixture. The shorter the usage period, the higher the economic value. Regarding usage, for example, a power monitor is connected to the lighting fixture, and the measured power of the power monitor is recorded to the power monitor and a computer 20 located remotely via a wireless communication unit and a network line, and the actual operating time of the lighting fixture is calculated from the recorded measured power to obtain the usage status of the lighting fixture. For the same usage period, the less the lighting fixture is used, the higher the economic value of the lighting fixture after use.

[0040] Determining the degree of deterioration of a lighting fixture includes, for example, at least one of an optical characteristics evaluation that assesses the degree of deterioration of the lighting fixture's optical characteristics and a power characteristics evaluation that assesses the degree of deterioration of the power characteristics of the lighting fixture's power circuit components. The degree of deterioration may be evaluated in two stages, good and bad, or in three stages, good, medium and bad, or in four or more stages. In evaluations of three or more stages, the evaluation may be either a bad evaluation or an evaluation of multiple stages of good.

[0041] The optical characteristics evaluation includes, for example, the evaluation of the luminous flux maintenance rate and / or chromaticity shift of returned lighting fixtures. The luminous flux maintenance rate is the percentage of the luminous flux relative to the luminous flux at the start of use of the lighting fixture, with the luminous flux at the start of use being set to 100%. The luminous flux maintenance rate gradually decreases with the usage time of the lighting fixture. The luminous flux maintenance rate may be calculated, for example, using an illuminance sensor, from the measured illuminance at the start of use and the measured illuminance of the lighting fixture at the present time, measured under the same conditions as at the start of use. If the luminous flux maintenance rate is above a predetermined value as a percentage of the initial usage, it may be evaluated as good, and if it is below the predetermined value, it may be evaluated as poor. The illuminance sensor may be a portable illuminance sensor. Furthermore, within the good category, the higher the luminous flux maintenance rate, the higher the evaluation level in multiple stages.

[0042] In this case, instead of calculating the luminous flux maintenance rate for all returned lighting fixtures, if there is a group of lighting fixtures that were installed at the same time and used in the same room or similar environment, one or a predetermined number of lighting fixtures may be randomly selected from the group. In this case, the luminous flux maintenance rate of the selected lighting fixtures may be evaluated, and the evaluation of the light characteristics of all lighting fixtures in the group may be combined with the evaluation of the selected lighting fixtures.

[0043] Further, an optical characteristic evaluation system including a temperature sensor and a control device may be provided; in a place where a lighting fixture is used, the room temperature of the room where the lighting fixture is installed may be detected by the temperature sensor, and a signal representing a detection value of the temperature sensor may be input to the control device. The control device transmits data representing the measured room temperature value from a communication unit to the computer 20 periodically or at a predetermined timing via a communication network such as the Internet. In the present specification, the "predetermined timing" is, for example, when a continuous on-time or a continuous off-time of a power switch connected to the lighting fixture is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, or when on-off switching of the power switch is repeated a predetermined number of times.

[0044] The computer 20 records measured values of the room temperature of the room where each lighting fixture is installed. This allows the lessor company 14 to remotely acquire data from the lighting fixture used by the lessee 13, thereby greatly reducing labor compared to a case where a worker travels to the installation site of the lighting fixture. Further, data representing an operating time, which is a lighting time of the lighting fixture, may be transmitted to the computer 20 via a control device from a power monitor provided in a building where each lighting fixture is installed, and recorded in the computer 20. This operating time may be used as the usage time of the lighting fixture.

[0045] The lessor company 14 or the computer 20 acquires a temporal change in average room temperature from room temperature data recorded in the computer 20, and estimates current and future luminous flux maintenance factors of the lighting fixture by using a preset relationship between the luminous flux maintenance factor and the usage time of the lighting fixture at a predetermined average room temperature. A simulation result obtained during design of the lighting fixture may be used for the preset relationship between the luminous flux maintenance factor and the usage time. Further, in a predetermined period in advance, a lighting fixture of the same type as the lighting fixture to be leased may be used to measure the relationship among room temperature, the luminous flux maintenance factor and the usage time, and the preset relationship between the luminous flux maintenance factor and the usage time may be obtained from the measurement result.

[0046] As the usage time of the lighting fixture increases, the luminous flux maintenance rate decreases linearly, and at a certain usage time, the luminous flux maintenance rate reaches below the permissible limit, reaching the light source life, which is the lifespan in terms of optical characteristics. Furthermore, the slope of the decrease in the light source maintenance rate becomes gentler as the room temperature decreases within a predetermined temperature range. For this reason, if the average measured value of the room temperature is lower than the average room temperature used in the above-mentioned predetermined relationship, the luminous flux maintenance rate decreases more gently in relation to the usage time than in the above-mentioned relationship, and reaches the permissible limit of the luminous flux maintenance rate. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate whether the current luminous flux maintenance rate is below the permissible limit from the measured average room temperature and usage time, and if it is above the permissible limit, the optical characteristics are evaluated as good, and if it is below the permissible limit, the optical characteristics are evaluated as poor. Alternatively, if the remaining time until the luminous flux maintenance rate reaches the permissible limit is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, the optical characteristics may be evaluated as good, and if it is less than the predetermined time, the optical characteristics may be evaluated as poor. Also, the longer the remaining time until the luminous flux maintenance rate reaches the permissible limit, the higher the evaluation in the multi-stage good evaluation.

[0047] Alternatively, a configuration may be used in which a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor that measures the humidity of the surrounding environment of the lighting fixture are used to calculate the current luminous flux maintenance rate of the lighting fixture based on the measured values ​​of room temperature and humidity. For example, even if the average room temperature based on the temperature sensor's measurement is the same as or lower than the average room temperature used in the above-mentioned preset relationship, if the average humidity based on the humidity sensor's measurement is higher than the humidity used in the above-mentioned preset relationship, the current luminous flux maintenance rate is calculated using a relationship between the luminous flux maintenance rate and usage time in which the slope of decrease in the luminous flux maintenance rate changes in the direction of increasing.

[0048] Furthermore, as optical characteristic evaluation, for example, chromaticity deviation caused by light from a lighting fixture may be evaluated. In this case, for example, chromaticity points (X, Y) can be evaluated by a method specified in JIS, and evaluation can be performed in accordance with the relationship with the chromaticity range specified in JIS. Alternatively, attention may be focused on the correlated color temperature or the duv value, which is the deviation from blackbody radiation. Further, for example, it is possible to use, as a criterion, whether or not the value falls within the range of each light color (light bulb color, warm white, white, neutral white, daylight color) specified in JIS. Further, for example, a color rendering index representing the color difference of a lighting fixture with respect to a color illuminated with reference illumination light can also be evaluated by using a light source color rendering evaluation method specified in JIS. In this case, evaluation is performed based on whether the amount of decrease of the color rendering index from a predetermined numerical value is within a specified value. Specifically, if the amount of decrease of the color rendering index is within the specified value, the optical characteristic is evaluated as good, and if it exceeds the specified value, the optical characteristic is evaluated as defective. Furthermore, the smaller the amount of decrease of the color rendering index is, the higher evaluation may be given among multiple levels of good evaluations. Further, attention may be focused on light output. Specifically, it is also possible to evaluate the luminous flux and make a determination through comparison with a rated value, an initial value, or another required reference value. Further, when it is difficult to evaluate the luminous flux, evaluation can also be performed by focusing on the illuminance at a measurement position or the luminance value of a light source. Optical characteristics may be evaluated by any one of the determination criteria described above or by an appropriate combination thereof.

[0049] On the other hand, in power supply characteristic evaluation, for example, characteristics of power supply circuit components of a lighting fixture are evaluated. For example, power supply characteristic evaluation determines whether or not the power supply has reached the end of its service life at the present time, based on whether all of the plurality of returned lighting fixtures operate and light up when connected to a power supply. When the lighting fixture lights up, it has not yet reached the end of the power supply service life, so the characteristics of the power supply circuit components are evaluated as having no problem. When the lighting fixture does not light up even after being connected to a power supply, it has already reached the end of the power supply service life, so the characteristics of the power supply circuit components are evaluated as having a problem.

[0050] Furthermore, when a group of lighting fixtures, consisting of multiple fixtures installed at the same time and used in the same room or similar environment, is returned, one or a predetermined number of lighting fixtures may be randomly selected, and the group of lighting fixtures may be evaluated as good or bad based on whether the selected fixtures operate and light up when connected to a power source. For example, if the selected lighting fixtures are evaluated as good, the entire group of lighting fixtures may be evaluated as good; otherwise, the entire group may be evaluated as bad. Alternatively, the percentage of the selected lighting fixtures that receive a good evaluation may be used as the evaluation of the entire group of lighting fixtures.

[0051] Alternatively, as an alternative method, the remaining power supply lifespan can be calculated based on statistical results showing the relationship between operating time (or service period) and failure rate for lighting fixtures of the same type and used in the same region as the lighting fixtures being evaluated, and the operating time of the group of lighting fixtures being evaluated, or the service period estimated from the date of manufacture or sale. This calculation can then be used to determine the remaining power supply lifespan until the failure rate of the group of lighting fixtures being evaluated exceeds a predetermined value. Power supply characteristics are evaluated as "no problem" if there is remaining power supply lifespan at the current time, and as "problematic" if there is no remaining power supply lifespan. Power supply characteristics may be evaluated as "good" if the remaining time until the power supply lifespan is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, and as "poor" if it is less than the predetermined time. When power supply characteristics are evaluated as "good," the longer the remaining time until the power supply lifespan is reached, the higher the evaluation may be.

[0052] In this case, the remaining power supply life may be calculated by, for example, the computer 20. Alternatively, statistical data may be stored in the computer 20 in advance, and when an operator inputs the type of lighting fixture to be evaluated and the manufacturing or sales date into the computer 20, the computer 20 calculates the remaining power supply life of the lighting fixture to be evaluated based on the input data and the statistical data. In this case, data representing the operating time of the lighting fixture may be automatically and periodically transmitted from the communication device to the computer 20 from the distribution board connected to the lighting fixture being used by the lessee 13. In this case, the computer 20 may automatically calculate the remaining power supply life from the operating time of the lighting fixture and statistical results representing the relationship between operating time and failure rate, and output it to an output unit such as a display periodically or in response to operator input.

[0053] Furthermore, in the power supply characteristics evaluation, the measured value of the capacitor voltage across a capacitor such as an electrolytic capacitor connected to a glow lamp or inverter in the power supply circuit incorporated into the power supply unit of the lighting fixture being used by the lessee 13 may be transmitted periodically or at predetermined intervals from the communication unit of the control device of the power supply characteristics evaluation system to the computer 20 via a communication network such as the Internet, similar to the optical characteristics evaluation system described above. The computer 20 may then evaluate the power supply characteristics as good if the current ripple voltage is within an acceptable range and there is remaining power supply life, based on the relationship between the ripple voltage and usage time of the capacitor voltage acquired in advance and the relationship between the ripple voltage and usage time obtained from the measured value of the capacitor voltage, and if there is remaining power supply life. If there is no remaining power supply life, the power supply characteristics may be evaluated as poor. In this case as well, the power supply characteristics may be evaluated as good if the remaining time until the power supply reaches its life is longer than a predetermined time, and as poor if it is less than the predetermined time. In addition, multiple levels of good evaluation may be set for the power supply characteristics, and the longer the remaining time until the power supply reaches its life, the higher the evaluation.

[0054] In the evaluation in step S12 of Figure 2, for example, the evaluation is performed using a combination of optical characteristics evaluation and power supply characteristics evaluation. If at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation or power supply characteristics evaluation is evaluated as poor, the economic value is uniformly given the lowest evaluation, and a combination of multiple levels of good evaluations may be used, with the higher the level of good evaluation, the higher the overall evaluation. In this way, the economic value may be evaluated in multiple levels.

[0055] Furthermore, while the above evaluation described a case where both the optical characteristics and power supply characteristics of the lighting fixture are evaluated, it is also possible to configure the system to perform only one of these evaluations. For example, if the product is not a lighting fixture, the system may be configured to perform only the power supply characteristics evaluation for status determination.

[0056] After step S12 in Figure 2, the process moves to step S14. In step S14, a refund corresponding to the economic value in step S12 is made in exchange for the return of the lighting fixture from the borrower 13. For example, the refund amount may be set so that the higher the economic value assessment, the higher the refund amount.

[0057] Next, in step S20, a recycling route determination step is performed. In the recycling route determination step, the characteristics of the lighting fixture after use are evaluated to determine whether to implement one of the following: reuse, refurbishment, material recycling, or disposal.

[0058] In the recycling route determination step, the evaluation used in determining the economic value in step S12 may be used to evaluate the characteristics of the lighting fixture after use. For example, if all evaluations are good, the decision to reuse may be made. If there is a negative evaluation, it may be decided in order whether refurbishment is possible and whether material recycling is possible, and if neither is possible, disposal may be decided. Whether or not refurbishment is possible is determined based on whether the defect can be resolved by replacing some parts with new parts. Specifically, if it is determined that the defect can be resolved by replacing some parts with new parts, it is determined that refurbishment is possible, and if it is determined that the defect cannot be resolved even by replacing some parts with new parts, it is determined that refurbishment is not possible.

[0059] If a defect is found in at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation and the power characteristics evaluation, whether the defect can be resolved by replacing some parts with new parts may be determined by whether the predetermined problem resolution conditions are met. The problem resolution conditions may be, for example, whether the cost required for replacement with new parts is less than or equal to a predetermined cost, or less than or equal to a predetermined percentage of the cost required to replace the lighting fixture itself with a new one. For example, if a defect is found in the optical characteristics evaluation, the cost required to replace the light source and electrical circuit components other than the light source that are related to the deterioration of optical characteristics may be calculated in advance. Similarly, if a defect is found in the power characteristics evaluation, the cost required to replace the power circuit components and electrical circuit components other than the power circuit components that are related to the deterioration of power characteristics may be calculated in advance. Furthermore, if a defect is found in at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation and the power characteristics evaluation, it may be determined that the defect cannot be resolved even by replacing parts with new parts, and thus the fixture may be deemed unsuitable for refurbishment.

[0060] Whether or not material recycling is possible when refurbishment is not feasible may be predetermined for each type of lighting fixture.

[0061] After step S20, the process moves to step S21, where it is determined whether or not the lighting fixtures should be disposed of. If the result of step S21 is affirmative (YES), the lighting fixtures used under the subscription service are transported to a disposal company, where they are disposed of. At this time, the lessor company 14 may also dispose of the lighting fixtures itself.

[0062] If the result of step S21 is negative (NO), then in step S22, it is determined whether or not material recycling has been decided. If the result of step S22 is positive (YES), then in step S26, an appropriate recycling company is selected from among several recycling companies. The lighting fixtures used under the subscription service are then transported to the selected recycling company. The waste disposal company processes the lighting fixtures for recycling and issues a certificate of circular use to the lessor company indicating that the recycling process has been carried out.

[0063] If the result of the determination in step S22 is negative (NO), in step S24, the lighting fixtures used under the subscription service are transported to a maintenance factory for refurbishment, or they are leased to another or the same borrower as reusable items under a subscription service and reused as is. If refurbishment is performed at a maintenance factory, the workers at the maintenance factory refurbish the lighting fixtures, and the person in charge at the maintenance factory issues a certificate of reuse to the lending company indicating that the refurbishment has been performed. The lending method of this embodiment is completed upon completion of the processes in steps S24, S26, and S27.

[0064] According to the above method of lending lighting fixtures, borrower 13 will be reimbursed upon return of the lighting fixtures in proportion to their economic value after use. This provides borrower 13 with an incentive and benefit to cooperate in the cyclical use of lighting fixtures. This increases opportunities for reuse, refurbishment, or material recycling, making it easier to prevent lighting fixtures from being discarded after short-term use, and thus promoting the cyclical use of lighting fixtures in society.

[0065] In this example, the lessor company 14 may periodically perform a renewal confirmation step to check whether or not to renew the usage. For example, the decision on whether or not to renew the usage may be made annually during the subscription period. In this case, the longer the usage period, the lower the usage fee for subsequent months may be reduced according to the prescribed contract terms. Also, at the time of renewal, the lessee 13 may request that the lighting fixtures be replaced with new ones. In this case, the usage fee for subsequent months may be increased according to the prescribed contract terms.

[0066] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for leasing lighting fixtures, which is an example of another embodiment of the product. In this example of a lighting fixture leasing method, an economic value determination step is performed during the subscription use of the lighting fixture, based on at least one of the usage period up to a predetermined point in time and the degree of deterioration or usage status of the lighting fixture. Furthermore, in this example of a leasing method, when billing for usage fees, the lending company 14 deducts an amount corresponding to the economic value from the usage fee and bills the borrower 13 accordingly.

[0067] In step S40 of Figure 3, the landlord company 14 leases lighting fixtures to the tenant 13 on a subscription basis, and the landlord company 14 periodically receives usage fees from the tenant 13. Next, in step S42, the landlord company 14 determines the economic value of the lighting fixtures being used. At this time, for example, regarding the usage status of the lighting fixtures, a power monitor is connected to the lighting fixtures, similar to the methods in Figures 1 and 2. The power measured by the power monitor is recorded to a computer 20 located remotely from the power monitor via a wireless communication unit and network line. By calculating the actual operating time of the lighting fixtures from the recorded measured power, the usage status of the lighting fixtures during the usage period up to a predetermined point in time can be obtained. At this time, regarding the evaluation of economic value, the operating time of the lighting fixtures per predetermined period may be calculated from the operating time of the lighting fixtures during the usage period, and a shorter operating time may result in a higher evaluation. For example, this evaluation may be configured to be performed every predetermined number of months or every predetermined number of years during the subscription period.

[0068] Following step S42, in step S44, the lending company 14 changes the current usage fee to a usage fee that is reduced by an amount corresponding to the economic value, and charges the next usage fee at the time of billing. Specifically, the higher the economic value assessment, the larger the reduction in the changed usage fee from the current usage fee.

[0069] Next, in step S50, it is determined whether or not the lighting fixture has been returned. If the result of the determination in step S50 is negative (NO), the process returns to step S42 and is repeated. If the result of the determination in step S50 is positive (YES), the cycle route determination step (S52) is performed. The process in step S52 is the same as the process in step S20 in Figure 2. After step S52, the process is the same as the process from step S21 onwards in Figure 2.

[0070] According to the lighting fixture lending method in this example, while the borrower 13 is using the lighting fixture, the next usage fee is billed by deducting an amount corresponding to the economic value of the lighting fixture being used from the current usage fee. In this example as well, this creates an incentive and benefit for borrower 13 to cooperate in the cyclical use of lighting fixtures, thereby promoting the cyclical use of lighting fixtures in society. In this example, the other configurations and operations are the same as those in Figures 1 and 2.

[0071] Next, the method for determining and handling electrical products after rental use related to this disclosure will be described in detail. Figure 4 shows the distribution route 30 of electrical products, centered on the rental company 32 that implements the method for determining the handling of electrical products after rental use in the embodiment. In the following description, the case in which the electrical product is a lighting fixture 38 will be described in detail, but the electrical product may be other electrical products other than the lighting fixture 38, for example, air conditioners, wiring devices, refrigerators, etc. Furthermore, in the following description, the method for determining the handling of the lighting fixture after it has been rented and used by a rental company will be described. Alternatively, the method for determining the handling of the lighting fixture after it has been leased and used by a leasing company may also be described.

[0072] The distribution channel 30 includes a product manufacturer 31, a rental company 32, a first user 33, a second user 34, and a recycling plant 36. The product manufacturer 31 is a company that manufactures lighting fixtures 38 as electrical products. The product manufacturer 31 sells the lighting fixtures 38 to the rental company 32.

[0073] Rental company 32 rents the lighting fixture 38 to consumer user 33 in accordance with the rental conditions stipulated in the rental agreement, and user 33 rents and uses the lighting fixture 38. User 33 uses the lighting fixture 38 for a certain period of time, and after the rental period ends, returns the lighting fixture 38 to rental company 32.

[0074] Rental company 32 then rents the lighting fixture 38 to another consumer, a second user 34, in accordance with the rental conditions stipulated in the rental agreement, and the second user 34 rents and uses the lighting fixture 38. The second user 34 rents and uses the lighting fixture 38 for a certain period, and after the rental period ends, returns the lighting fixture 38 to rental company 32. Rental company 32 then rents the lighting fixture 38 to another consumer, a third user (not shown), and repeats the process of renting the lighting fixture 38 to one or more consumers who wish to rent it. In this example, the case where rental company 32 is different from the product manufacturer 31 is explained, but rental company 32 may be the same as the product manufacturer 31.

[0075] Furthermore, other users such as the first user 33, second user 34, and third user, who rent the lighting fixture 38, are not limited to natural persons, but may also be legal entities such as the first corporation, second corporation, and third corporation.

[0076] Each time a rented lighting fixture 38 is returned, the rental company 32 performs a procedure to determine how to handle the lighting fixture 38 after its rental use. This procedure determines, for example, whether to continue using the lighting fixture 38 in the same location, repurpose it for use in a different location, refurbish it, recycle its materials, or dispose of it. The lighting fixture 38 is then handled according to this decision. In this case, "refurbishment" means that if some parts of an electrical product such as a lighting fixture 38 need to be replaced, only some of those parts are replaced with new parts, making it a refurbished product that can be sold or rented again. "Material recycling" means that metal, resin, etc. are recovered as materials by disassembling the electrical product such as the lighting fixture 38, and these recovered materials can be used in the manufacture of future electrical products. If it is decided to recycle the materials of the lighting fixture 38, the lighting fixture 38 is transported from the rental company 32 to the recycling plant 36.

[0077] At the recycling plant 36, workers extract recovered materials such as metal and resin obtained by disassembling the transported lighting fixtures 38, and perform recycling procedures for reuse of the recovered materials. The extracted recovered materials may be transported to the product manufacturer 31 and reused in the future manufacture of electrical products and other products. At the recycling plant 36, parts of the lighting fixtures 38 that cannot be used as recovered materials may be discarded. The recycling plant 36 may also be a dismantling plant that primarily handles waste disposal.

[0078] Here, the lighting fixture 38 includes, for example, a light source, a case, a power supply circuit, and a circuit board. The light source is a fluorescent tube of a fluorescent lamp, a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), etc. Figure 1 shows the case where the lighting fixture 38 is a base light. The lighting fixture 38 may also be a ceiling light, a downlight, or a spotlight, etc. The light source may be a light bulb. The case of the lighting fixture 38 forms the outer casing of the lighting fixture 38 and houses a circuit board on which the power supply circuit is mounted. The power supply circuit is a circuit that supplies power to the light source. For example, when the lighting fixture 38 includes a fluorescent lamp, the power supply circuit is connected to an AC power source that outputs commercial AC power, and includes a glow lamp or inverter and a capacitor, supplying high voltage to the fluorescent tube to light up the fluorescent tube. When the lighting fixture 38 includes LEDs, the power supply circuit is connected to an AC power source and converts the commercial AC voltage to a DC voltage and supplies it to the light source to light up the light source.

[0079] If the rental company 32 decides to "refurbish" the lighting fixture 38, the rental company 32 or a maintenance factory, etc., will sell or rent the refurbished product, in which any parts of the lighting fixture 38 that cannot be used as is have been replaced with new parts.

[0080] If the rental company 32 decides to "dispose" of the lighting fixture 38, the lighting fixture 38 may be transported to a waste disposal facility, where it may be crushed or otherwise processed as prescribed, and then disposed of in a designated location.

[0081] Next, using Figure 5, we will explain the method for determining how to handle the lighting fixture 38 after rental use, as performed by the rental company 32, and the method for handling the lighting fixture 38 after rental use, as performed by the rental company 32, the recycling plant 36, etc. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the method for handling the lighting fixture 38, including the method for determining how to handle the lighting fixture 38 after rental use in this embodiment. The method for determining how to handle the lighting fixture 38 is performed in order to ensure the cyclical use of the lighting fixture 38 for which a rental usage right has been established. The processes in steps S60, S62, S66, and S68 shown in Figure 2 are a method for determining how to handle the lighting fixture 38 after rental use, and are performed by the rental company 32. The processes in steps S60, S62, S66, and S68 may also be performed on a computer 40 owned by the rental company 32.

[0082] Computer 40 is installed, for example, at a management location of rental company 32. Computer 40, like computer 20 shown in Figure 1, is configured to include an input device, a storage unit, an arithmetic unit, and an output device. The configuration and functions of the input device, storage unit, arithmetic unit, and output device are the same as those of computer 20. An external storage device may be connected to the arithmetic unit as a storage unit.

[0083] The method for determining the handling of the lighting fixture 38 in Figure 5 first involves obtaining the total usage time of the lighting fixture 38 from the start of new use after rental use in step S60. For example, the rental company 32 records the rental date and return date of the lighting fixture 38, and calculates the rental usage period by considering the period from the recorded rental date to the return date as the rental usage period. The rental company 32 obtains the total usage time by summing the rental usage periods of the same lighting fixture 38 for one or more people or corporations, and using the predicted daily usage time (for example, 10 hours per day). The obtained total usage time may be stored, for example, in the memory unit of the computer 40. Alternatively, the manufacturing date of the lighting fixture 38 may be obtained from a label attached to the lighting fixture 38, or by accessing the product manufacturer's website using the identification information written on the label, and the total usage time may be obtained from the period from the obtained manufacturing date to the present date and the predicted daily usage time during that period. Alternatively, the rental company 32 may store the start date of new use of the relevant lighting fixture 38 in the memory of the computer 40, and calculate the total usage time of the lighting fixture 38 from the period from that start date to the present day and the above-mentioned predicted daily usage time.

[0084] Next, in step S62, it is determined whether the acquired total usage time is shorter than a predetermined time. If the result of the determination in step S62 is positive (YES), the process proceeds to step S64; if the result of the determination in step S62 is negative (NO), the process proceeds to step S66.

[0085] In step S64, the lighting fixture 38 becomes eligible for rental use again without undergoing any physical, mechanical, or chemical processing. The first user 33 or the first corporation renews the contract with the rental company 32 and continues to reuse the lighting fixture 38 in the same location, or another contractor, such as the second user or the second corporation, repurposes (reuses) the lighting fixture 38 in another location. As a result, the lighting fixture 38 is reused as is, thus promoting its cyclical use.

[0086] If a renewal contract for the rental of the lighting fixture 38 is concluded, the termination of the current rental and the commencement of the next rental renewal may occur consecutively through the renewal contract, without actually returning the lighting fixture 38 to the rental company.

[0087] In step S66, a state determination step is performed to determine the state of the lighting fixture 38. The state determination includes, for example, an optical characteristics evaluation to evaluate the optical characteristics of the lighting fixture 38 and a power characteristics evaluation to evaluate the characteristics of the power supply circuit components of the lighting fixture 38. In this state determination, if a problem is found in at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation and the power characteristics evaluation, and it is determined that the problem cannot be resolved even by replacing some of the components with new components, it is determined that the fixture cannot be refurbished; otherwise, it is determined that it can be refurbished.

[0088] The optical characteristics evaluation includes, for example, an evaluation of the luminous flux maintenance rate and / or chromaticity shift of the returned lighting fixture 38. If the optical characteristics evaluation indicates a problem, it is determined that the lighting fixture 38 cannot be used as is. The luminous flux maintenance rate is the percentage of the luminous flux when the luminous flux at the start of use of the lighting fixture 38 is set to 100%. The luminous flux maintenance rate is calculated, for example, using an illuminance sensor, from the measured illuminance at the start of use and the measured illuminance of the lighting fixture 38 at the present time, measured under the same conditions as at the start of use. If the luminous flux maintenance rate is above a predetermined value as a percentage of the initial use, it is evaluated as no problem; if it is below the predetermined value, it is evaluated as a problem. The illuminance sensor may be a portable illuminance sensor.

[0089] In this case, instead of calculating the luminous flux maintenance rate for all of the returned lighting fixtures 38, one or a predetermined number of lighting fixtures 38 may be randomly selected from a group of lighting fixtures 38 that are installed at the same time and used in the same room or similar environment. In this case, the selected lighting fixtures 38 may be evaluated, and if there are no problems in the evaluation of all of the selected lighting fixtures 38, the entire group of lighting fixtures 38 may be evaluated as having no problems; otherwise, the entire group of lighting fixtures 38 may be evaluated as having problems.

[0090] Furthermore, an optical characteristics evaluation system having a temperature sensor and a control device may be provided, where, in a location where the lighting fixture 38 is used, the room temperature of the room in which the lighting fixture 38 is installed is detected by the temperature sensor, and a signal representing the detected value of the temperature sensor is input to the control device. The control device transmits data representing the measured value of the room temperature to the computer 40 periodically or at predetermined intervals via a communication network such as the Internet from its communication unit.

[0091] The computer 40 records the measured room temperature of each lighting fixture 38. This allows the rental company 32 to remotely acquire data from the lighting fixtures 38 used by the first user or the first corporation, significantly reducing the effort required compared to having workers travel to the installation locations of the lighting fixtures 38. Alternatively, data representing the operating time, which is the lighting time of each lighting fixture 38, may be transmitted from a power monitor installed in the building where each lighting fixture 38 is installed to the computer 40 via a control device and recorded in the computer 40. This operating time may also be considered the usage time of the lighting fixture 38.

[0092] The rental company 32 or the computer 40 obtains the temporal change in average room temperature from the room temperature data recorded in the computer 40, and estimates the current and future luminous flux maintenance rate of the lighting fixture 38 using a predetermined relationship between the luminous flux maintenance rate of the lighting fixture 38 at a predetermined average room temperature and the usage time. This predetermined relationship between luminous flux maintenance rate and usage time may be based on the simulation results from the design of the lighting fixture 38. Alternatively, the same type of lighting fixture as the rental lighting fixture may be used to measure the relationship between room temperature, luminous flux maintenance rate and usage time in relation to the usage time over a predetermined period, and the above predetermined relationship between luminous flux maintenance rate and usage time may be determined from the results.

[0093] As the usage time of the lighting fixture 38 increases, the luminous flux maintenance rate decreases linearly, and at a certain usage time, the luminous flux maintenance rate reaches below the permissible limit, reaching the light source life, which is the lifespan in terms of optical characteristics. Furthermore, the slope of the decrease in the light source maintenance rate becomes gentler as the room temperature decreases within a predetermined temperature range. For this reason, if the average measured value of the room temperature is lower than the average room temperature used in the above-mentioned predetermined relationship, the luminous flux maintenance rate decreases more gently in relation to the usage time than in the above-mentioned relationship, and reaches the permissible limit of the luminous flux maintenance rate. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate whether the current luminous flux maintenance rate is below the permissible limit from the measured average room temperature and usage time, and if it is above the permissible limit, the optical characteristics are evaluated as being fine, and if it is below the permissible limit, the optical characteristics are evaluated as being problematic. Alternatively, if the remaining time until the permissible limit of the luminous flux maintenance rate is reached is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, the optical characteristics may be evaluated as being fine, and if it is less than the predetermined time, the optical characteristics may be evaluated as being problematic.

[0094] Alternatively, similar to the configurations shown in Figures 1 and 2, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor that measures the humidity of the surrounding environment of the lighting fixture 38 may be used to calculate the current luminous flux maintenance rate of the lighting fixture 38 based on the measured values ​​of room temperature and humidity.

[0095] Furthermore, as part of the optical characteristics evaluation, for example, the chromaticity shift caused by the light from the luminaire 38 may be evaluated. In this case, for example, the chromaticity point (X, Y) can be evaluated using a method specified in JIS, and the evaluation can be carried out in accordance with the relationship with the chromaticity range specified in JIS. Alternatively, the correlated color temperature or the duv value, which is the deviation from blackbody radiation, may be considered. For example, whether or not it falls within the range of each light color (incandescent, warm white, white, neutral white, daylight) specified in JIS can be used as a criterion. In addition, for example, the color rendering index, which represents the color difference of the luminaire 38 to the color illuminated by a standard illumination light, can be evaluated using a light source color rendering evaluation method specified in JIS. In this case, the evaluation is based on whether or not the decrease in the color rendering index from a predetermined value is within a specified value. Specifically, if the decrease in the color rendering index is within a specified value, the optical characteristics are evaluated as having no problems; if it exceeds the specified value, the optical characteristics are evaluated as having problems. Furthermore, the light output may also be considered. Specifically, the luminous flux can be evaluated and judged by comparing it with the rated value, initial value, or other required standard values. Furthermore, if evaluating luminous flux is difficult, it is also possible to evaluate by focusing on the illuminance at the treatment site or the luminance value of the light source. For evaluating optical characteristics, one of the judgment criteria described above, or a combination thereof, may be used.

[0096] On the other hand, power supply characteristics evaluation involves evaluating the characteristics of the power supply circuit components of the lighting fixture 38, for example, in the same configuration as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0097] Furthermore, if a group of lighting fixtures 38, consisting of multiple fixtures 38 installed at the same time and used in the same room or similar environment, is returned, one or a predetermined number of lighting fixtures 38 may be randomly selected, and the group of lighting fixtures 38 may be evaluated to determine whether or not there is a problem with the selected lighting fixtures 38 by checking whether or not they operate and light up when connected to a power source. For example, if the selected lighting fixtures 38 are evaluated and all of the selected lighting fixtures 38 are evaluated as having no problems, then all of the group of lighting fixtures 38 may be evaluated as having no problems; otherwise, all of them may be evaluated as having problems.

[0098] Alternatively, as an alternative method, for example, the remaining power supply lifespan can be calculated based on statistical results showing the relationship between operating time (or usage period) and failure rate for lighting fixtures 38 of the same type and used in the same region as the lighting fixture 38 being evaluated, and the operating time of the group of lighting fixtures 38 being evaluated, or the usage time estimated from the date of manufacture or sale. This calculation can then be used to determine the remaining power supply lifespan until the failure rate of the group of lighting fixtures 38 being evaluated exceeds a predetermined value. Power supply characteristics are evaluated as having no problems if there is remaining power supply lifespan at the present time, and as having problems if there is no remaining power supply lifespan. Power supply characteristics may also be evaluated as having no problems if the remaining time until the power supply lifespan is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, and as having problems if the remaining time is less than the predetermined time.

[0099] At this time, the remaining power supply life may be calculated by, for example, a computer 40. At this time, statistical result data is stored in the computer 40 in advance, and when the operator inputs the type of lighting fixture 38 to be evaluated and the manufacturing date or sales date into the computer 40, the computer 40 calculates the remaining power supply life of the lighting fixture 38 to be evaluated based on the input data and the statistical result data. At this time, data representing the operating time of the lighting fixture 38 may be automatically and periodically transmitted from the distribution board connected to the lighting fixture 38 used by the first user or first corporation, etc., to the computer 40 via a communication device. At this time, the computer 40 may automatically calculate the remaining power supply life from the operating time of the lighting fixture 38 and statistical results representing the relationship between operating time and failure rate, and output it to an output unit such as a display periodically or in response to the operator's operation.

[0100] Furthermore, in the power supply characteristics evaluation, the manufacturing date or sales date of the lighting fixture 38 may be obtained from the identification information or two-dimensional code attached to the lighting fixture 38, and the remaining power supply life may be calculated based on the period from the manufacturing date or sales date and the usage period specified in the specifications of the lighting fixture 38. In this case, the remaining power supply life may also be calculated by the computer 40.

[0101] Furthermore, in the power supply characteristics evaluation, the measured value of the capacitor voltage across a capacitor such as an electrolytic capacitor connected to a glow lamp or inverter in the power supply circuit incorporated into the power supply unit of the lighting fixture 38 being used by the first user or the first corporation may be transmitted periodically or at predetermined intervals from the communication unit of the control device of the power supply characteristics evaluation system to the computer 40 via a communication network such as the Internet, similar to the optical characteristics evaluation system described above. The computer 40 may then evaluate the power supply characteristics as having no problems if the current ripple voltage is within an acceptable range and there is remaining power supply life, based on the relationship between the ripple voltage of the capacitor voltage and the usage time obtained in advance and the relationship between the ripple voltage and the usage time obtained from the measured value of the capacitor voltage, and if there is remaining power supply life. If there is no remaining power supply life, the power supply characteristics may be evaluated as having problems. In this case as well, the power supply characteristics may be evaluated as having no problems if the remaining time until the power supply reaches the end of its life is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, and as having problems if it is less than the predetermined time.

[0102] Furthermore, although the above description of the state determination described the case in which both the optical characteristics evaluation and the power supply characteristics evaluation of the lighting fixture 38 are performed, the state determination may also be configured to perform only one of the two. For example, if the electrical product is not the lighting fixture 38, the state determination may be configured to perform only the power supply characteristics evaluation.

[0103] After step S66 in Figure 5, the process proceeds to step S68. In step S68, it is determined whether the vehicle is deemed refurbishable based on the condition assessment result in step S66. Whether or not a vehicle is deemed refurbishable depends on whether the problem can be resolved by replacing some of the parts with new parts. Specifically, if it is determined that the problem can be resolved by replacing some of the parts with new parts, the vehicle is deemed refurbishable. If it is determined that the problem cannot be resolved even by replacing some of the parts with new parts, the vehicle is deemed not refurbishable.

[0104] If a problem is found in at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation and the power characteristics evaluation, whether the problem can be resolved by replacing some parts with new parts may be determined by whether the predetermined problem resolution conditions are met. The problem resolution conditions may be, for example, that the cost required for replacement with new parts is less than or equal to a predetermined cost, or less than or equal to a predetermined percentage of the cost required to replace the lighting fixture 38 itself with a new one. For example, if a problem is found in the optical characteristics evaluation, the cost required to replace the light source and electrical circuit components other than the light source that are related to the deterioration of optical characteristics may be calculated in advance. Similarly, if a problem is found in the power characteristics evaluation, the cost required to replace the power circuit components and electrical circuit components other than the power circuit components that are related to the deterioration of power characteristics may be calculated in advance. Furthermore, if a problem is found in at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation and the power characteristics evaluation, it may be determined that refurbishment is not possible, assuming that the problem will not always be resolved even by replacing parts with new parts.

[0105] If the result of step S68 is positive (YES), proceed to step S70; if the result of step S68 is negative (NO), proceed to step S72.

[0106] In step S70, refurbishment is carried out, and the lighting fixtures 38 are sold or rented again as refurbished products, with any parts that cannot be used as is replaced with new parts by rental companies 32 or repair shops.

[0107] On the other hand, in step S72, material recycling is carried out at the recycling plant 36 or the dismantling plant, or disposal is carried out at a waste treatment facility. At this time, it is determined whether or not material recycling is possible, and if it is not possible, disposal may be carried out. Whether or not material recycling is possible may be predetermined for each type of lighting fixture 38 product.

[0108] By executing steps S64, S70, and S72, the processing of the handling method for the lighting fixture 38, including the method for determining how to handle the lighting fixture 38 after rental use, is completed.

[0109] According to the method for determining and handling the lighting fixture 38 after rental use described above, after rental use of the lighting fixture 38, it is decided that one of the following treatments for the lighting fixture 38 after rental use will be performed: repurposing, continued use, refurbishment, material recycling, or disposal, based on the total usage time from the start of use of the new lighting fixture 38. This increases the opportunities for treatment other than disposal, thereby enabling efficient cyclical use of the lighting fixture 38.

[0110] Furthermore, if the condition assessment in step S68 determines that the product cannot be refurbished, but some parts are deemed to be in good condition, those parts can be removed and reused, while the other parts are recycled or discarded.

[0111] Furthermore, for each of the multiple components of the lighting fixture 38, the handling of each component according to its total usage time may be predetermined. For example, even if the current total usage time of the lighting fixture 38 is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined time in step S62, if it is determined that the total usage time is shorter than the permitted usage time for that component, that component may be removed and reused. For example, if the total usage time of the lighting fixture 38 exceeds a predetermined time, such as one year or more but four years or less, the light source part such as an LED, whose remaining permitted usage time for that component is zero, will be recycled as a material, but the power supply unit and the sheet metal body, whose permitted usage time for that component is longer, can be reused as is.

[0112] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating one example of a method for determining how to handle a lighting fixture 38 after it has been rented, when the rental period is divided into multiple periods. In the example in Figure 6, the first user 33 starts using the lighting fixture 38 as new and rents it for a year. Then, in step S80, the second user 34 starts renting the lighting fixture 38 for a year, and in step S82, the rental ends.

[0113] Next, in step S84, the rental company calculates the total usage period corresponding to the total usage time of the lighting fixture 38 from the start of new use as (a + b), and determines whether the total usage period (a + b) is shorter than the predetermined period of 3 years. If the lighting fixture 38 has been rented and used by three or more users, the cumulative usage period by those multiple users from the start of new use is calculated as the total usage period.

[0114] If the result of step S84 is positive (YES), the process proceeds to step S86; if the result of step S84 is negative (NO), the process proceeds to step S88. In step S86, similar to step S64 in Figure 5, the lighting fixture 38 is repurposed for another location or used for continued use in the same location. In step S88, similar to steps S70 and S72 in Figure 5, the fixture is refurbished, recycled, or disposed of. As a result, there are more opportunities for the lighting fixture 38 to be handled in ways other than disposal after rental use, thus enabling efficient and cyclical use of the lighting fixture 38.

[0115] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing a method for handling a lighting fixture 38, which is an electrical product in another embodiment, including a method for determining how to handle the lighting fixture 38 after rental use. In this example, first, in step S90, a state determination step is performed to determine the state of the lighting fixture 38, thereby performing both an evaluation of the optical characteristics of the lighting fixture 38 after rental use and an evaluation of the power characteristics of the power supply circuit components. The state determination in step S40 is the same as the state determination step described in step S66 of Figure 5.

[0116] In step S90, only one of the optical characteristics evaluation or the power characteristics evaluation may be performed. Alternatively, in step S90, if a problem is found in at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation or the power characteristics evaluation, it is determined that neither repurposing to another location (i.e., reuse) nor continued use in the same location is possible. Otherwise, it is determined that reuse or continued use is possible. Furthermore, in the condition determination, if a problem is found in at least one of the optical characteristics evaluation or the power characteristics evaluation, it is also determined whether refurbishment is possible. The conditions under which refurbishment is deemed possible are the same as those described in steps S66 and S68 of Figure 5.

[0117] Next, in step S94, it is determined whether the result of the state determination in step S90 is reusable or can be used for a longer period. If the result of the determination in step S94 is positive (YES), the process proceeds to step S96; if the result of the determination in step S94 is negative (NO), the process proceeds to step S98.

[0118] In step S96, similar to step S64 in Figure 5, the lighting fixture 38 is either reused in another location or continues to be used in the same location. In step S98, it is determined whether or not refurbishment is possible based on the condition judgment result in step S90.

[0119] If the result of step S98 is positive (YES), proceed to step S100; if the result of step S98 is negative (NO), proceed to step S102.

[0120] In step S100, refurbishment is performed, similar to step S70 in Figure 5. In step S102, either material recycling or disposal is performed, similar to step S72 in Figure 5.

[0121] The execution of steps S96, S100, and S102 completes the processing of the handling method for the lighting fixture 38, including the method for determining how to handle the lighting fixture 38 after rental use in this example. Based on the result of the condition determination step in step S90, the lighting fixture 38 is subjected to one of the following processes: reuse, continued use, refurbishment, material recycling, and disposal.

[0122] In this example configuration, after the rental use of the lighting fixture 38, based on the condition determination result in the condition determination step for the lighting fixture 38, it is decided that the lighting fixture 38 will be handled in one of the following ways after rental use: reuse, continued use, refurbishment, material recycling, or disposal. This also increases the opportunities for handling other than disposal, thus enabling efficient cyclical use of the lighting fixture 38. In this example, the other configurations and operations are the same as in the configurations shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0123] In addition, in each of the above examples, for example, in the evaluation of optical characteristics in the condition judgment, instead of simply determining whether there is a problem or not, the evaluation may be divided into three or more levels, such as high level, medium level, and low level. For example, in step S90 of Figure 7, if only the evaluation of optical characteristics is performed as the condition judgment, if the evaluation is at a low level, it is not reusable, so the process proceeds from step S94 to step S98. However, if the evaluation is at a high level or medium level, reuse or continued use in step S96 may be performed. Furthermore, in this case, at a high level, it may be used continuously in the same location, or repurposed in a location of similar quality to the previous rental location. For example, if the previous rental location was used for lighting in a store's sales area, the next rental location may be repurposed for lighting in a sales area of ​​a different store.

[0124] On the other hand, if the above evaluation is at a moderate level, the next rental location can be limited to a place where the required level of optical characteristics is lower than that required at the previous rental location. For example, if the previous rental location was a store's sales floor, the next rental location can be limited to a back room such as an office or warehouse.

[0125] Furthermore, the product lending methods in Figures 1 and 2, or the product lending method in Figure 3, can be combined with a method for determining the handling of electrical products after rental use, in order to implement the cyclical use of electrical products for which the right of use through rental has been established as described in the above embodiment. For example, instead of the processes S20 to S27 in the product lending methods in Figures 1 and 2, or from S52 onwards in the product lending method in Figure 3, the method in Figures 5 (S60 to S72) can be combined. In this case, the handling of electrical products after rental use is determined based on the total usage time from the start of use of a new electrical product for which the right of use through rental has been established.

[0126] This disclosure is further illustrated by the following embodiments: Configuration 1: A method for lending a product, comprising: a fee collection step in which a lender periodically receives a fee from a borrower for the use of the product; and an economic value determination step in which, before the return of the product or during its use, the lender determines the economic value of the product after use or during use based on at least one of the period of use up to the return of the product or the degree of deterioration or use of the product, wherein, at the time of the return of the product or when the fee is billed, the lender refunds the borrower an amount corresponding to the economic value or deducts an amount corresponding to the economic value from the fee and bills the borrower. Configuration 2: The method for lending a product according to Configuration 1, further comprising a renewal confirmation step in which the lender periodically checks whether to renew the use. Configuration 3: The method for lending a product according to Configuration 1 or Configuration 2, further comprising a recycling route determination step in which the lender determines whether to implement one of the following: reuse, refurbishment, material recycling, and disposal, by evaluating the characteristics of the product after use. Configuration 4: A product lending method described in any one of Configurations 1 to 3, wherein a circular use certificate is issued when either refurbishment or material recycling is carried out on the product after its return. Configuration 5: A product lending method described in any one of Configurations 1 to 4, wherein when it is decided to carry out material recycling on the product after use, an appropriate recycling company is selected. Configuration 6: A product lending method described in Configuration 5, wherein the optimal recycling company is selected from a plurality of pre-registered recycling companies according to either or both of their recycling track record and the type of materials to be recycled. Configuration 7: A product lending method described in Configuration 1, Configuration 2, Configuration 4, or Configuration 5, in order to promote the cyclical use of electrical products for which a right of use has been established through rental, wherein the handling of the electrical product after rental use is determined based on the total usage time from the start of use of the new electrical product.Configuration 8: A method for determining the handling of electrical products after they have been leased and used, for the purpose of cyclically utilizing electrical products for which a right of use has been established through lease, wherein the handling is determined based on the total usage time from the start of use of the electrical product when it was new. Configuration 9: A method for determining the handling of electrical products after they have been leased and used, as described in Configuration 8, wherein if the total usage time is shorter than a predetermined time, the handling is to decide to establish a right of use again through lease for the electrical product in its current state. Configuration 10: A method for determining the handling of electrical products after they have been leased and used, as described in Configuration 8, wherein if the total usage time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the handling is to decide to perform one of the following processes on the electrical product: disposal, material recycling, and refurbishment. Configuration 11: A method for determining the handling of electrical products after they have been leased and used, as described in any one of Configurations 8 to 10, wherein the handling is determined for each component of the electrical product according to the total usage time. Configuration 12: A method for determining the handling of an electrical product after rental use, as described in Configuration 10, comprising a determination step for determining the state of the electrical product, wherein if the total usage time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, it is determined, based on the determination result in the determination step, that the handling shall be one of the following: disposal, material recycling, or refurbishment. Configuration 13: A method for determining the handling of an electrical product after rental use, for the cyclical use of an electrical product for which a right of use has been established through rental, comprising a determination step for determining the state of the electrical product, wherein the handling is determined based on the determination result in the determination step. Configuration 14: A method for determining the handling of an electrical product after rental use, as described in Configuration 13, wherein the optical characteristics of the electrical product are evaluated in the determination step. Configuration 15: A method for determining the handling of an electrical product after rental use, as described in Configuration 13 or Configuration 14, wherein the characteristics of the power supply circuit components of the electrical product are evaluated in the determination step.Configuration 16: A method for handling electrical products after rental use, wherein, based on the result of the judgment step in the method for determining how to handle electrical products after rental use described in any one of Configurations 13 to 15, the electrical product is subjected to one of the following processes: repurposing, continued use, disposal, material recycling, and refurbishment.

[0127] 10 First circulation route, 11 Second circulation route, 12 Third circulation route, 13 Lessee, 14 Lessor company, 15 Repair shop, 16, 18 Recycling company, 17 Product manufacturer, 19 Disposal company, 20 Computer, 30 Distribution route, 31 Product manufacturer, 32 Rental company, 36 Recycling plant, 38 Lighting fixtures (electrical products), 40 Computer.

Claims

1. A method for lending a product, comprising: a step of receiving usage fees, in which the lender periodically receives usage fees from the borrower in exchange for the use of the product; and an economic value determination step, in which, before the return of the product or during its use, the lender determines the economic value of the product after use or during use based on at least one of the period of use up to the return of the product or the degree of deterioration or usage of the product; wherein, at the time of the return of the product or when the usage fee is billed, the lender refunds the borrower an amount corresponding to the economic value, or deducts an amount corresponding to the economic value from the usage fee and bills the borrower accordingly.

2. A method for lending a product according to claim 1, comprising a renewal confirmation step in which the lender periodically checks whether or not the loan should be renewed.

3. A method for lending a product according to claim 1, comprising a recycling route determination step of evaluating the characteristics of the product after use and deciding whether to implement one of the following: reuse, refurbishment, material recycling, and disposal.

4. A method for lending a product according to claim 1, wherein a recycling certificate is issued when either refurbishment or material recycling is carried out on the product after its return.

5. A method for lending a product according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting an appropriate recycling company when it is decided to carry out material recycling of the product after use.

6. A method for lending a product according to claim 5, wherein the optimal recycling company is selected from among a plurality of pre-registered recycling companies, according to either or both of the recycling track record and the type of product to be recycled.

7. A method for leasing products according to claim 1, wherein, in order to promote the cyclical use of electrical products for which a right of use has been established through leasing, the handling of the electrical products after the leased use is determined based on the total usage time of the electrical products from the start of use when they are new.

8. A method for determining the handling of electrical products after their rental use, for the purpose of cyclically utilizing electrical products for which a right of use has been established through a lease agreement, wherein the handling is determined based on the total usage time from the start of use of the new electrical product.

9. If the total usage time is shorter than a predetermined time, the method for determining how to handle an electrical product after it has been leased and used, wherein the method for determining how to handle an electrical product after it has been leased and used, wherein the method for determining how to handle an electrical product after it has been leased and used is to decide to grant the right to use the electrical product again in its current state.

10. If the total usage time exceeds a predetermined time, the method for determining how to handle the electrical product after rental use, as described in claim 8, wherein it is decided to perform one of the following treatments on the electrical product: disposal, material recycling, and refurbishment.

11. A method for determining the handling of an electrical product after rental use, according to claim 8, wherein the handling of each component of the electrical product is determined according to the total usage time.

12. A method for determining the handling of an electrical product after rental use, according to claim 10, comprising a determination step of determining the condition of the electrical product, wherein if the total usage time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, it is determined, based on the determination result in the determination step, that the product be disposed of, recycled as a material, or refurbished.

13. A method for determining the handling of electrical products after they have been leased and used, for the purpose of cyclically utilizing electrical products for which a right of use has been established through a lease agreement, the method comprising a judgment step for determining the condition of the electrical products, and determining the handling based on the judgment result in the judgment step.

14. A method for determining how to handle an electrical product after it has been rented and used, according to claim 13, wherein the optical characteristics of the electrical product are evaluated in the judgment step.

15. A method for determining how to handle an electrical product after it has been rented and used, wherein the characteristics of the power supply circuit components of the electrical product are evaluated in the judgment step, as described in claim 13.

16. A method for handling electrical products after rental use, wherein, based on the result of the determination step in the method for determining how to handle electrical products after rental use described in claim 13, the electrical product is subjected to one of the following processes: repurposing, continued use, disposal, material recycling, and refurbishment.

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