U.S. patent application number 09/951420 was filed with the patent office on 2002-03-14 for method for managing life cycles and system for the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hitachi, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Ishibashi, Akira, Katayanagi, Takahiro, Kusuzaki, Tetsuo, Mihara, Katsufumi, Soga, Shuji, Takahashi, Naoki.
Application Number | 20020030100 09/951420 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 16603971 |
Filed Date | 2002-03-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020030100 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Katayanagi, Takahiro ; et
al. |
March 14, 2002 |
Method for managing life cycles and system for the same
Abstract
A method and system for managing the overall life cycle of a
product from its manufacture to its destruction or recycling. To
the product is affixed a storage medium storing a product
identifier uniquely identifying the product and information about
the parts that are contained in the product. At each site that the
product passes through during its life cycle, product life cycle
information is recorded in the storage medium affixed to the
product. When the product is to be destroyed or recycled, the
information stored in the recording medium is used to determine the
method for destroying or recycling. The product is then destroyed
or recycled according to this method.
Inventors: |
Katayanagi, Takahiro;
(Cyofu-shi, JP) ; Mihara, Katsufumi;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) ; Takahashi, Naoki;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) ; Ishibashi, Akira; (Bunkyo-ku,
JP) ; Soga, Shuji; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) ;
Kusuzaki, Tetsuo; (Yokohama-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MATTINGLY, STANGER & MALUR, P.C.
1800 DIAGONAL ROAD
SUITE 370
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Assignee: |
Hitachi, Ltd.
|
Family ID: |
16603971 |
Appl. No.: |
09/951420 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09951420 |
Sep 14, 2001 |
|
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|
09360687 |
Jul 26, 1999 |
|
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6321983 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
235/380 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29B 2017/0089 20130101;
G06Q 10/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
235/380 |
International
Class: |
G06K 005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 27, 1998 |
JP |
10-211318 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A life cycle managing method for managing a life cycle of a
product from production to destruction comprising the steps of:
affixing a storage medium onto said product, said storage medium
storing a product identifier uniquely identifying said product and
information about parts of said product; storing in said storage
medium information relating to a product life cycle at each site
that said product passes through during said life cycle; and
performing destruction of said product based on information
recorded in said storage medium when said product is destroyed.
2. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 1 wherein
said affixing step includes a step for storing information for
determining a destruction method for said product in said storage
medium.
3. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 2 further
comprising a step for providing a disposal database accessible from
at least a site where said destruction of said product is
performed, said disposal database containing a destruction method
for at least a portion of said parts in said product, said
information for determining a destruction method for said product
including information for accessing said destruction method stored
in said disposal database.
4. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 3 wherein
said step for performing said destruction includes: a step for
acquiring said information for determining a destruction method
from said storage medium; a step for acquiring said destruction
method by accessing said disposal database using access information
contained in said acquired information for determining a
destruction method; and a step for destroying said product using
said acquired destruction method.
5. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 2 wherein
said step for performing said destruction includes: a step for
acquiring said information for determining a destruction method
from said storage medium; a step for determining a destruction
method for said product based on said acquired information for
determining a destruction method; and a step for destroying said
product using said determined destruction method.
6. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 1 further
comprising the steps of: acquiring operating conditions of a
product using means for measuring operating conditions disposed on
said product; and recording information representing said operating
conditions in said recording medium.
7. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 6 wherein
said destroying step includes a step for determining a destruction
method for said product using information representing said
operating conditions recorded in said storage medium.
8. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 1 wherein
said step for recording information about said life cycle, includes
a step for recording site information used to identify said sites
in recording medium.
9. A life cycle managing method as described in claim 1 wherein
said step for recording information about said life cycle includes
a step for recording information about said product passing through
a site into a product life cycle database installed at said
site.
10. A life cycle managing system for managing a life cycle of a
product from production to destruction/recycling of said product
comprising: a storage medium affixed to said product and storing a
product identifier uniquely identifying said product and
information about parts contained in said product; and a plurality
of management systems installed at sites involved in a flow of said
product from production to destruction of said product and, as said
product passes through a site, storing into said storage medium
information about said site.
11. A life cycle managing system as described in claim 10 wherein
said storage medium is an IC card storage medium allowing data to
be read and written without contact.
12. A life cycle managing system as described in claim 11 wherein
said information from the passage, of said product through a site
includes an identifier identifying said site.
13. A life cycle managing system as described in claim 11 further
comprising a plurality of product life cycle databases installed in
said plurality of management systems and storing information about
the passage of said product through each site at which said
management system is installed.
14. A life cycle, managing system as described in claim 13 further
comprising a network connecting said plurality of management
systems.
15. A life cycle managing system as described in claim 14 wherein
said storage medium includes, as information about said parts,
information used to determine destruction or recycling methods for
said parts.
16. A life cycle managing system as described in claim 15 further
comprising: a disposal database containing, for each of said parts
contained in said product, information representing destruction or
recycling methods for said parts; and said information in said
storage medium used to determine said disposal method includes
information for accessing said disposal database.
17. A life cycle managing system as described in claim 16 wherein
said management system installed at said site where said product is
destroyed or recycled includes means for acquiring information
representing said disposal method stored in said disposal database
by acquiring from said storage medium information for accessing
said disposal database.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for managing life
cycles and system for the same. More specifically, the present
invention relates to a method for managing life cycles of products
by affixing electronic tags to products and a system for the
same.
[0002] In the past, methods and systems for managing the
disassembly of various types of products have been proposed as
technologies relating to product life cycle management. For
example, in Japanese laid-open patent publication number 6-168253,
there is disclosed a method and system for the disassembly of
products. In this technology, the product itself displays a code
based on the product name, the name of the manufacturer of the
product, the model number, the year the product was produced, the
production number, and the like. Also, the components and the names
of the materials are displayed on each of the parts that make up
the product. This data is used to perform disassembly of the
product. Japanese laid-open platent publication number 9-155327
discloses a disposal system in which the desirable disposal method
for a discarded product is determined from information affixed to
the discarded product and information from a database.
[0003] Japanese laid-open patent publication number 7-160325
discloses a method for performing maintenance of products. In this
technology, a product is formed from a plurality of elements
(parts). On the product is disposed storing means storing the
history of each element. Maintenance is performed using this stored
history information.
[0004] In Japanese laid-open patent publication number 8-277020,
there is disclosed a disposal method and system that uses an IC
card. The information in the IC card is used as a manifest for
special industrial waste management documentation systems.
Alterations to the waste disposal manifest are prevented and
certified companies can be identified.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Each of the conventional technologies described above
relates to disposal methods and systems used in maintaining,
disassembling, and destroying products, but does not consider the
overall life cycle, of products or their parts. In recent years,
there has been a need to deal with environmental issues and the
rationalization of life cycle processes. This brings up the need to
consider the overall life cycle of products from their production
to their destruction or recycling. However, there has been no
disposal method or system that looked at issues from this
perspective.
[0006] The object of the present invention is to overcome the
problems described above and to provide a method for managing life,
cycles and a system for the same in which the overall life cycle is
managed, from the production of the product to the destruction or
recycling of the product so that the evaluations and disposal
procedures used when a product or parts thereof are to be recycled
or discarded can be rationalized.
[0007] In order to achieve the objects described above, a desirable
implementation of a life cycle management method according to the
present invention, in which the life cycle of a product is managed
from manufacture to destruction of the product, is as follows.
First, a storage medium is affixed to the product. The storage
medium contains a product identifier uniquely identifying the
product and information about the parts that make up the product.
At each site that the product passes through during its life cycle,
product life cycle information is stored in the storage medium.
When the product is to be destroyed, destruction is carried out
based on information stored in the storage medium.
[0008] In order to achieve the objects described above, the present
invention also provides a life cycle management system for managing
the life cycle of a product from manufacture to destruction. This
life cycle management system includes: a storage medium affixed to
a product containing a product identifier uniquely identifying the
product and information about the parts that make up the product;
and a plurality of management systems installed at sites involved
in the product life cycle from manufacture to destruction and, when
the product passes through a site, recording information about the
passage of the product through the site.
[0009] Further characteristics and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following description read
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall life cycle
management system according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing an example of a product life
cycle managed by the life cycle management system.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a life cycle management system
used to manage the life cycle of a product.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of a
manufacturer system.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a sample sequence of
operations of the manufacturer system.
[0015] FIG. 6A is a memory map of a memory in an IC tag.
[0016] FIG. 6B is a drawing showing sample information stored in a
product life cycle informational storage area.
[0017] FIG. 6C is a drawing showing the contents of information
stored in a usage environment storage area.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing sample information stored in a
product information storage area in an IC tag.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a drawing showing sample contents of a product
life cycle database in a manufacturer system.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of a
dealer system.
[0021] FIG. 10A is a flowchart showing the operations performed by
a life cycle management system in a dealer system when an incoming
product shipment takes place.
[0022] FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the operations performed by
a life cycle management system in a dealer system when an outgoing
product shipment takes place.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a drawing showing sample contents of a product
life cycle database in a dealer system.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a drawing showing sample operations performed
when a product is being used by a user.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of a
service company system.
[0026] FIG. 14A is a flowchart showing the operations performed
when recording service history to an IC tag in a life cycle
management system of a service company system.
[0027] FIG. 14B is a flowchart showing the operations performed
when recording service history to a product life cycle database in
a life cycle management system of a service company system.
[0028] FIG. 15 is a drawing showing sample contents of a product
life cycle database of a service company system.
[0029] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of a
recovery company system.
[0030] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of a
disposal company system.
[0031] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operations performed in a
disposal company system.
[0032] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operations performed in a
disposal company system.
[0033] FIG. 20 is a drawing showing sample contents of a disposal
database.
[0034] FIG. 21 is a drawing showing sample operations performed in
selecting a disposal method.
[0035] FIG. 22 is a drawing showing the operations performed in
analyzing reliability based on information recorded in a product
life cycle database and an IC tag.
[0036] FIG. 23 is a drawing showing sample contents of an
accounting database.
[0037] FIG. 24 is a drawing showing operations performed in
creating environmental information management data based on
information recorded in a product life cycle database and an IC
tag.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an entire life cycle
management system according to a first embodiment of the present
invention. A manufacturer system 100 is the system of the
manufacturer of the product for which recycling management is to be
performed. A dealer system 120 is the system used by the dealer of
the product. A retailer system 140 is the system used by the
retailer selling the product to the general user. A user 160
purchases the product from the retailer and uses it. A service
company system 170 is the system used by a service, company that
performs repairs and maintenance on the product being used by the
user. A recycler/waste disposal company system 180 is used by a
company that recovers and recycles or destroys the product.
[0039] In this embodiment, a tag is attached to the product, which
goes from the manufacturer to the dealer, the retailer, the user,
the service company, and the recycler/destroyer. The tag used here
is a storage medium attached to the product, and is used to store
various information as the product is produced, shipped, sold,
used, and recycled or destroyed. More specifically, the tag can be
an IC card, an opto-magnetic recording medium, a barcode label or
the like that contains an IC chip as a storage element and uses a
contact or a non-contact method to allow the reading and writing of
data. In this embodiment, an IC card is used as the tag and the tag
will be referred to as an IC tag. If a removable storage medium
such as an IC card is used as the IC tag, the IC card itself can be
reused, thus conserving resources and reducing total costs. Also,
alteration of data can be prevented by implementing security
measures that allows only accredited businesses to access the data
in the IC card. The information stored in the IC tag can be used
for the recycling or destruction of the product or the like.
[0040] This system uses product life cycle databases. A product
life cycle database is a database holding information used to
manage product life cycles and contains information similar to the
information stored in IC tags as well as more detailed information.
The information in the IC tag and the information in the product
life cycle database are closely linked and are used in conjunction
with each other. Product life cycle databases are provided in the
manufacturer production management system, the dealer sales
management system, the retailer sales management system, the
service company service management system, and the waste
disposal/recycler company management system. These product life
cycle databases installed in these management systems are set up so
that they can communicate with each other over a network. This
allows information about a product to be shared between different
companies.
[0041] The following is a detailed description of the life cycle
management system shown in FIG. 1. In the manufacturer system 100,
product information and a manufacturer code are entered into an IC
tag attached to the product when the product is manufactured, and
the information about the shipping of the product is entered in a
product life cycle database 107 (a product information registration
operation 101, a manufacturer registration operation 102, and a
shipping information registration operation 103). In the
manufacturer system 100, queries on product life cycle information
can be sent to the product life cycle database 107 (a product life
cycle information querying operation 104). Furthermore, in the
manufacturer system 100, entries into the product life cycle
database 107 are performed for incoming shipments information of
repair/maintenance products (a repair/maintenance product incoming
shipment registration operation 105) and repair/maintenance results
information (a repair/maintenance results registration operation
106).
[0042] The products shipped out from the manufacturer are sold by a
dealer. When an incoming shipment of a product is received, the
dealer system 120 registers incoming shipment information into the
product life cycle database 125 (an incoming shipment registration
operation 121), and registers a dealer code into the IC tag of the
product (a dealer code registration operation 123). When the
product is shipped out, the outgoing shipment information is
registered in the product life cycle database 125 (an outgoing
shipment information registration operation 122). When necessary,
the dealer system 120 allows product life cycle information to be
queried from the product life cycle database 125 (a product life
cycle information querying operation 124).
[0043] The product shipped out from the dealer is sold by a
retailer to a user. When an incoming shipment of the product is
received, the retailer system 140 enters the incoming shipment
information into the product life cycle database 146 (an incoming
shipment information registration operation 141), and enters a
retailer code into the product IC tag (a retailer code registration
operation 143). When the product is shipped out, the outgoing
shipment information is registered in the product life cycle
database 146 (an outgoing shipment information registration
operation 142). When necessary, the retailer system 140 allows
product life cycle information queries to be made to the product
life cycle database 146 (a product life cycle information querying
operation 144). Also, the retailer system 140 accepts and registers
products for repairs/maintenance (a repair/maintenance reception
registration operation 145).
[0044] The product (e.g., a product 162) sold by the retailer to
the user is used by a user 160. During use, usage environment
information, such as the number of times the product is used or the
number of times the product malfunctions, is written to the IC tag
(a usage environment writing operation 161).
[0045] When necessary, a service company performs repair and
maintenance on a product being used by a user. When repair or
maintenance of a product is performed, the service company system
170 writes the repair/maintenance history to a product life cycle
database 173 (a maintenance history writing operation 172). This
history is also written to the IC tag of the product (maintenance
history writing operation 171).
[0046] When the product is no longer needed by the user, it is
recovered by a recycling/recovery company. In the
recycling/recovery company system 180, the product is recovered
from the user and the recovery information is entered in the
product life cycle database 186 while the company code is entered
in the IC tag (a recovery information registration operation 181
and a company code registration operation 182). Also, the
recycler/recovery company system 180 reads the disposal
information, e.g., disassembly/destruction information, for the
product (or the parts in the product) and, if necessary, obtains
detailed methods of disposal from the disposal database 108 (a
disposal method acquisition operation 183). When the operation is
completed, the recycling/recovery company system 180 registers the
results of the operation in the product life cycle database 186 (an
operation results registration operation 185). The IC tag 187 is
removed from the product and returned to the manufacturer.
[0047] The manufacturer reads the information stored in the
recovered IC tag 111, and this is stored as an IC tag information
115. An IC tag information analysis system 112 performs reliability
analysis and marketing analysis on the IC tag information 115, and
the results are used in future product development and production.
A recovery expenses accounting system 114 reads the IC tag
information 115 and calculates the expenses relating to the
operations performed by the recovery company. A manifest creation
system 113 reads the IC tag information 115 and creates a
mainifest. A manifest is an administrative document used when
destroying waste. After the IC tag information is read from the IC
tag 111, it is affixed to a new product and reused. Product
information from when the product is manufactured is stored in the
product information database 110. If parts or the IC tag is reused,
this is also recorded.
[0048] The manufacturer system 100, the dealer system 120, the
retailer system 140, the service company system 170, and the
recycler/recovery company system 180 are each equipped with the
product life cycle database 107, 125, 146, 173, and 186,
respectively. These product life cycle databases 107, 125, 146,
173, and 186 are given information more detailed than the
information stored in the IC tags affixed to products. The product
life cycle databases 107, 125, 146, 173, and 186 are connected to
each other via a network 190 and can be accessed by the systems
100, 120, 140, 170, and 180.
[0049] In the life cycle management system shown in FIG. 1, IC tags
are affixed to individual products. Various items of information
used to manage product life cycles (e.g., product model, presence
of recycled parts, types of parts and attributes of parts, disposal
method for each part, sales route, repair/maintenance history) are
stored in the IC tag. Thus, no matter what stage in its life cycle
a product is in, information such as the product model, sales
route, and the maintenance history can be determined for each
individual product by referring to the information stored in the IC
tag. Since maintenance history such as malfunctions and replacement
of parts is appended to the IC tag of each product, the history of
each individual product call be determined. The information stored
in the IC tag can also be used to determine when and where products
were shipped out or received. This facilitates inventory, product
tracking, and product recall operations. For each individual
product, the presence of recycled parts (reused parts) as well as
the part types can be stored in the IC tag so that this information
can be referred to during maintenance. This also makes it easier to
determine if a part can be reused after disassembly. If a
malfunction takes place when a product is being used, this
information can be written to the IC tag to make troubleshooting
easier. Also, this type of information can be used as field data
for assessing the reliability of devices and parts. Furthermore,
the product life cycle information in the IC tag can allow on-site
operating conditions to be judged by product or by part, and
on-site reliability can be analyzed. Also, disposal status for
disassembly, destruction, recycling, and the like (e.g., location,
date and time, name of the company, quantity) can be accessed in
real time. In the disposal stage when disassembly, destruction,
recycling are to take place, a manifest can be automatically
generated by reading the necessary data from the IC tag or by
collecting the necessary data from the product life cycle
database.
[0050] FIG. 2 shows an example of a product life cycle managed by
the product life cycle management system according to an embodiment
of the present invention. The life cycle shown in FIG. 2 is similar
to the product life cycle from the system shown in FIG. 1 but there
is only one dealer 202 in FIG. 2 since the dealer and the retailer
from FIG. 1 perform similar operations. Also, the
recycling/recovery company from FIG. 1 is separated into a
recycling company 205 and a disposal (disassembly, destruction,
recycling) company 206. In FIG. 2, the product produced by the
manufacturer 201 is sold to the user by the dealer 202. The user
uses the product and, if repairs or maintenance is necessary,
receives repair or maintenance services from the service company
204. Products that are to be destroyed are recovered by the
recovery company 205 and are sent to the disposal company 206. At
the disposal company 206, the IC tag information and information
from the product life cycle management database are used to
determine how the product is to be disposed. If the product or the
parts thereof can be recycled, these are sent back to the
manufacturer 201. If the product is to be destroyed, the determined
method is used to destroy the product.
[0051] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the life cycle management
system used to manage product life cycles. In FIG. 3, an IC tag 302
is affixed to a product 301 produced at the manufacturer. The
product 301 follows the life cycle shown in FIG. 2. As was
described with reference to FIG. 1, various data needed for product
life cycle management is written to or read from the IC tag 302 by
an IC tag reader/writer 313 at a manufacturer system 310, by an IC
tag reader/writer 323 at a dealer system 320, by an IC tag
reader/writer 333 at a service company system 330, by an IC tag
reader/writer 343 at a recovery company system 340, and by an IC
tag reader/writer 353 at a disposal company system 350. The product
sold by the dealer is used by the user 380 and, if necessary,
maintenance, or repair services are provided by the service
company. While the user 380 is using the product, various usage
conditions are measured and written to the IC tag.
[0052] Product life cycle databases 311, 321, 331, 341, 351 are
provided at the systems 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, respectively, and
these databases are connected via a network 370. As was described
with reference to FIG. 1, various types of data needed for product
life cycle management are written to and read from these product
life cycle databases to provide unified data management.
[0053] Disposal databases 312, 352 are databases that store
disposal regulations and the like, which are referred to when
disposing (disassembling, destroying, recycling) the product 301.
Normally, the information relating to specific standards and
methods involved in destruction and recycling are concentrated at
the manufacturer that produces the product or the disposal company
that specializes in waste disposal and recycling. Therefore,
disposal databases are provided in the manufacturer system 310 and
the disposal company system 350 in this embodiment. An external
database 360 is connected to the network 370. As with the disposal
databases 312, 352, the external database 360 holds information
relating to the regulations and methods involved in disposing
products and parts (disassembly, destruction, recycling). For
example, waste disposal methods change frequently due to changes in
laws and technology. Since the disposal methods stored in the
disposal databases 312, 352 are not necessarily up to date, the
external database 360, which contains current information, is
accessed. The external database 360 can be, for example, an
Internet web page containing the current laws or a web page, put up
by the manufacturer of the materials used in parts, that contains
technical information about waste disposal methods.
[0054] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of a
manufacturer system 310. The manufacturer system 310 includes a
production management system 401, a product life cycle management
system 402, and a production management database 403. The
production management system 401 provides overall management of
production. The production management database 403 is a database
holding various types of data relating to production management
such as product ID, product number, and parts used in the
manufactured products. The life cycle management system 402 is a
system for managing product life cycles according to the present
invention and writes prescribed information to an IC tag on the
product 301 as well as to the product life cycle database 311.
[0055] FIG. 6A shows a memory map used in the memory of the IC tag
302. A storage area 600 of the memory in the IC tag 302 contains a
product life cycle information storage area 601, a product
information storage area 602, and a usage environment storage area
603.
[0056] FIG. 6B shows the contents of the information stored in the
product life cycle information storage area 601. A site name and
contact information is stored in the product life cycle information
storage area 601. A site name field 604 contains identification
information (ID) specifying the site reached by the product with
the IC tag 302 (the manufacturer, the dealer, the service company,
the recovery company). The contact information field contains
information such as contact information for the site specified by
the ID entered in the corresponding site name field.
[0057] FIG. 7 shows the contents of the information stored in the
product information storage area (602. The product information
storage area 602 includes a product ID area 701 and a part
structure storage area 700. The product ID area 701 contains a
product ID, which is an identifier used to specify individual
products. The product ID can be, for example, a product number
formed from the product model number and a number that can identify
individual products.
[0058] The part structure storage area 700 stores information
relating to the parts that make up the product. More specifically,
the part structure storage area 700 includes storage areas for
holding information relating to a part ID 702, an information 703
indicating whether or not reusable parts are used, an attribute
information 704, an information 705 indicating whether the part is
hazardous or not, a design change date 706, a repair/maintenance
history 707, and a post-recovery disposal method 708. As shown in
the example in FIG. 7, the part ID 702 is an ID that identifies
parts so that the hierarchical relationships between parts can be
determined. The information 703 indicating the use of reusable
parts contains information that indicates whether the part
identified by the corresponding part ID is a reused part. The
attribute information 704 contains information relating to the
attributes of the part such as the materials used in the part and
weight. The information 705 indicating whether the part is
hazardous contains information indicating whether destruction of
the part is hazardous. If the design of a part is changed, the
design change date 706 contains the data the part design was
changed. If the design change date 706 is not set, it can be
determined that there have been no design changes, and if the
design change date 706 is set, it can be determined that there was
a design change on the entered date. The repair/maintenance history
707 is an area used to store dates on which repair/maintenance was
preformed, information on the parts and the maintenance/repair work
involved, and the part ID of replacement parts if parts were
replaced. The post-recovery disposal method 708 contains entries
such as disposal method A or disposal method B that indicate the
post-recovery disposal method that should be used for the part.
Details on these disposal methods can be obtained by accessing the
disposal database described later. The post-recovery disposal
method 708 can also be a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicating
a location containing a disposal method entered in the external
database 360. In this case, the external database can be accessed
using this URL to obtain the current post-recovery disposal method.
If a part is replaced with a different type of part, this fact is
included in the repair/maintenance history 707, and the
post-recovery disposal method 708 is also rewritten to indicate a
new post-recovery disposal method for the part.
[0059] FIG. 6C shows the contents of the information stored in the
usage environment storage area 603. Information indicating the
actual environment/conditions under which the product is used is
stored in the usage environment storage area 603. For example, a
storage area 631 stores the number of times (or hours) and the
temperature in which the product was used. A storage area 632
stores the number of times (or hours) and the voltage at which the
product was used. A storage area 633 stores information such as the
humidity, the number of hours used, the number of times used, and
the number of times power was turned on and off.
[0060] FIG. 8 shows the contents of the product life cycle database
311 installed in the manufacturer system 310. The product life
cycle database 311 contains a product ID 801, a parts table 802, a
manufacture date 803, a shipping date 804, and a shipping
destination 805. The product ID 801 is an ID that identifies
individual products. The product table 802 contains information
similar to the information stored in the parts structure storage
area 700 of the IC tag 302.
[0061] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the operations performed by the
life cycle management system 402 of the manufacturer system 310 in
order to manage the life cycle of a product. First, at step 501,
the product number is entered in the product ID 701 of the IC tag
302 of the product. Then, at step 502, the life cycle management
system 402 registers the parts structure information in the parts
structure storage area 700 of the IC tag. At this stage, the
repair/maintenance history 707 is left empty, while information
about the product is written to other fields. At step 503, the
manufacture date is entered in the IC tag 302. At step 504, the
manufacturer code is written to the IC tag 302. More specifically,
the manufacturer code entry involves writing a name (ID) indicating
the manufacturer (site name) and contact information (address,
telephone number, URL, e-mail address, and the like) to a first
record 611 of the product life cycle information storage area 601.
While not included in the figure, the manufacture date is stored
along with the contact information in the first record 611 of the
product life cycle information storage area 601. Next, at step 505,
the life cycle management system 402 enters the product ID 801, the
parts table 802, the and the manufacture date 803 into the product
life cycle database 311. At step 506, the shipping dilate 804 is
entered into the product life cycle database 311. At step 507, the
shipping destination 805 is entered in the product life cycle
database 311.
[0062] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of the
dealer system 320. The dealer system 320 includes a dealer
management system 901 and a life cycle management system 902. The
dealer management system 901 performs overall management of sales
operations. The life cycle management system 902, which is a system
for implementing product life cycle management according to the
present invention, reads and writes information relating to the
product 301, which is received and then sold, to the IC tag 302 and
the product life cycle database 321.
[0063] FIG. 11 shows the storage contents of the product life cycle
database 321 of the dealer system 320. The product life cycle
database 321 includes a product ID 1101, an incoming shipping date
1102, a shipping source 1103, an outgoing shipping date 1104, and
an outgoing shipping destination 1105.
[0064] FIG. 10A is a flowchart showing the operations performed by
the life cycle management system 902 of the dealer system 320 when
receiving incoming shipments of a product. When a shipment of a
product comes in, the life cycle management system 902 enters the
product ID 1101 into the product life cycle database 321 at step
1001. At step 1002, the incoming shipping date 1102 is entered in
the product life cycle database 321. At step 1003, the incoming
shipping source 1103 is entered in the product life cycle database
321. At step 1004, the life cycle management system 902 enters a
dealer code in the IC tag of the received product. More
specifically, the entry of the dealer code involves writing a name
(code) of the dealer, which serves as a site name, as well as
contact information to a record 612 in the product life cycle
information storage area 601.
[0065] FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the operations performed by
the life cycle management system 902 of the dealer system 320 when
shipping a product out. When a product is to be shipped out, the
life cycle management system 902 enters the shipping date 1104 into
the product life cycle database 321 at step 1011 and enters the
shipping destination 1105 at step 1012.
[0066] The product sold by the dealer to the user is then used by
the user. This product includes a feature whereby various usage
conditions can be measured while the product is being used and
written to the IC tag 302. FIG. 12 shows how this feature operates
when the product is being used. This feature is implemented through
a usage condition measurement device 1201 and a writer 1202
included in the product 301. When the product 301 is used, the
usage condition measurement device 1201 measures various usage
conditions. Usage conditions measured in this manner can include
temperature, humidity, voltage, hours used, number of times used,
and number of times power was turned on and off. These measurement
results are written to a usage environment storage area 603 of the
IC tag 302 by the writer 1202.
[0067] If repair or maintenance is needed for the product being
used by the user, a service company provides repair or maintenance
services. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of
the service company system 330. The service company system 330
includes a service management system 1301 and a life cycle
management system 1302. The service management system 1301 provides
overall management of service operations at the service company.
The life. cycle management system 1302, which is a system
implementing the product life cycle management according to the
present invention, reads and writes information to and from the
product life cycle database 331 and the IC tag 301 on the product
301 being repaired/maintained.
[0068] FIG. 15 shows the contents of the product life cycle
database 331 of the service company system 330. The product life
cycle database 331 stores a maintenance history information 1500.
The maintenance history includes a product ID 1501, a service date
1502, and a detailed maintenance history 1503, including
information of repairs and replacements.
[0069] FIG. 14A is a flowchart showing the operations performed by
the life cycle management system 1302 of the service company system
330 in recording service history to the IC tag 302 when a product
is being serviced. The life cycle management system 1302 enters a
service company code in the IC tag 302 of the product at step 1401.
More specifically, the entry of the service company code involves
entering a name (code) indicating the service company, which serves
as the site name, as well as the contact information to the record
613 of the product life cycle information storage area 601 of the
IC tag 302. At step 1402, the repair/maintenance receipt date is
entered into the IC tag 302. In this case, the receipt date is
entered into the contact information field of the record 613. When
actual servicing is performed on the product, the incoming shipment
of the repair/maintenance product is entered in the maintenance
history 1500. At step 1412, the maintenance/repair date is entered
in the contact information field of the life cycle information
storage area 601 in the IC tag 302 attached to the product. The
subsequent operations differ depending on whether or not the
provided services included replacement of parts (step 1413). If the
provided service involved the replacement of parts, information
about the replaced parts is entered in the IC tag 302 at step 1414.
More specifically, the information about replaced parts is written
to the repair/maintenance history 707 in the parts structure
storage area 700 of the IC tag 302. Then, the life cycle management
system 1302 enters information about the outgoing shipment of the
repair/maintenance product into the maintenance history 1500 of the
product life cycle database 331. If the provided service did not
include replacement of parts, repair/maintenance information is
entered in the IC tag 302 at step 1415. More specifically, the
repair/maintenance information is written to the repair/maintenance
history 707 in the parts structure storage area 700 of the IC tag
302. Then, control proceeds to step 1416.
[0070] FIG. 14B is a flowchart of the operations involved in
writing service history to the product life cycle database 331 when
a product is being serviced in the life cycle management system
1302 of the service company system 330. At step 1421, the life
cycle management system 1302 enters the product ID 1501 into the
product life cycle database 331. At step 1422, the date on which
the product received repair/maintenance is entered as a service
date 1502 into the product life cycle database 331. When the
product is actually serviced, the incoming shipment of the
repair/maintenance product is entered in the maintenance history
1500 of the product life cycle database 311 at step 1431. At step
1432, the date on which repair/maintenance was performed is entered
in the service date 1502 of the product life cycle database 311. In
the service date 1502 field, both the date on which the product is
accepted for repair/maintenance, and the date on which
repair/maintenance was performed are entered. The operations
performed next differ depending on whether the provided services
included replacement of parts or not (step 1433). If the provided
services included replacement of parts, part replacement
information is entered in the IC tag 302 at step 1434. More
specifically, information about the replaced part is written to the
repair/maintenance history 707 in the parts structure storage area
700 of the IC tag 302. Then, at step 1436, the outgoing shipment of
the repair/maintenance product is entered in the maintenance
history 1500 field of the product life cycle database 311. If the
provided service did not include replacement of parts,
repair/maintenance information is entered in the IC tag 302 at step
1435. More specifically, the repair/maintenance information is
written to the repair/maintenance history 707 of the parts
structure storage area 700 in the IC tag 302. Then, control
proceeds to step 1436.
[0071] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of the
recovery company system 340. The recovery company system 340
includes a recovery management system 1601 and a life cycle
management system 1602. The recovery management system 1601
provides overall control over the recovery operations of the
recovery company. The life cycle management system 1602, which is a
system to implement product life cycle management according to the
present invention, reads and writes information to the product life
cycle database 341 and the IC tag 302 of the recovered product 301.
When a product is recovered, the recovery company system 340 enters
a recovery company code into the IC tag 302 of the product. More
specifically, entry of the recovery company code involves writing
the name (code) of the recovery company, which serves as the same
name, as well as contact information to the record 614 in the
product life cycle information storage area 601 of the IC tag. In
this operation, the date on which the product was recovered is also
written to the contact information field. Furthermore, the recovery
company system 340 also enters the product ID of the recovered
product, the recovery date, the outgoing shipping date, and the
shipping destination (the disposal company) into the product life
cycle database 341.
[0072] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a sample structure of the
disposal company system 350. The disposal company system 350
includes a disposal management system 1701 and a life cycle
management system 1702. The disposal management system 1701
provides overall control over the disposal operations performed by
the disposal company. The life cycle management system 1702, which
is a system that implements product life cycle management according
to the present invention, reads information stored in the IC tag
302 of the product 301 to be disposed and reads and writes
information to and from the product life cycle database 351.
[0073] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operations performed by
the disposal company system when a product is received. At step
1801, a product ID is entered in the product life cycle database
351. At step 1802, the incoming shipping date is entered. At step
1803, a disposal company code is entered in the IC tag 302 of the
received product. More specifically, entering the disposal company
code involves writing a name (code) indicating the disposal
company, which serves as a site name, as well as contact
information to the product life cycle information storage area
601.
[0074] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operations performed on
the product in the disposal company system. At step 1901, the
disposal company system 350 reads the post-recovery disposal method
708, which is organized by parts, from the product information
storage area 602 of the IC tag 302 attached to the product 301. At
step 1902, the disposal company system 350 acquires the
post-recovery processing method for the product stored in the
product life cycle database 311. At step 1903, the information
acquired from the IC tag 302 and the product life cycle database.
311 are checked to see whether they contain URLs. If the obtained
information does not contain URLs, i.e., if the disposal methods
are indicated as specific methods such as disposal method A,
disposal B, then the disposal company system 350 searches the
disposal databases 312, 352 at step 1904.
[0075] FIG. 20 shows sample contents of disposal databases 312,
352. The disposal databases 312, 315 hold a disposal ID 2001 and
corresponding disposal information. The disposal ID 2001 is an ID
that specifies a disposal method stored in the post-recovery
disposal method 708 such as disposal method A or disposal B. The
disposal ID 2001 contains a detailed hierarchical structure for
each disposal method. For example, if disposal is to be performed
via disposal method A, the information in the IC tag and the
product life cycle database are used to determine the specific
method of disposal for each part. The details of the disposal
method corresponding to each disposal ID is entered in the disposal
contents field. The disposal contents field includes a disposal
method 2002 and a disposal contents details 2003. The disposal
method 2002 includes information indicating specific disposal
methods such as recycling or destruction as well as URLs for
referencing external databases. If the disposal method 2002
contains a URL, the URL is used to access an external database and
obtain necessary information.
[0076] Returning to FIG. 19, the disposal company system 350
searches a disposal database at step 1904 and acquires detailed
information about the specified disposal method. At step 1903, if
the acquired information includes a URL, the URL is used to access
an external database and detailed information about the disposal
method is obtained, as with the disposal database (step 1905).
Next, at step 1906, usage environment information is read from the
usage environment storage area 603 of the IC tag 302. Then, at step
1907, this usage environment information is used to determine which
disposal method is to be used for each part. For example, the
disposal method for one part may be disposal method A, and the
detailed information may indicate that this part can be recycled if
it has been used for a certain number of hours or less and that
otherwise the part must be destroyed. As shown in FIG. 20, the
disposal database branches out below disposal method A to recycling
and destruction based on usage time. The usage time is read from
the usage environment information. The disposal database is
accessed, and the disposal method is determined to be either
recycling or destruction based on the usage time. Once the disposal
method is determined at step 1907, the disposal method is displayed
on a display device at step 1908. Next, at step 1909, an evaluation
is made as to whether the current part is the last part for which a
disposal method is to be determined. If not, control returns to
step 1901 and the same operations are performed for the next part.
If disposal methods have been determined for all the parts, control
proceeds from step 1909 to step 1910, and the actual disposal
operations such as disassembly and destruction are performed.
Finally, at step 1911, the disposal results are entered in the
product life cycle database 352.
[0077] FIG. 21 is a drawing for the purpose of describing how the
disposal methods described above are selected. The selection
criteria for the disposal methods are entered in the disposal
database 2101. The product life cycle database 2102 contains
information such as repair records. The external database 2103
contains regulations and new technologies relating to disposal.
Based on this information as well as information from the IC tag
2104 attached to the product, a disposal method selection device
2105 determine a disposal method for each part.
[0078] The disposal of the product takes place as described above.
Parts that are selected for recycling are sent back to the
manufacturer to be reused. The IC tag 302 is taken off of the
product and sent back to the manufacturer for reuse as well. The
life cycle management information stored in the IC tag 302 and the
product life cycle database are read and used for reliability
analyses, marketing analyses, accounting of recovery expenses, and
creation of manifests.
[0079] FIG. 22 shows the operations used to perform a reliability
analysis. Data 2201 through (data 2204 are sample data read from
the IC tag or the product life cycle database and are used for life
cycle management. These data are tabulated by tabulating means
2206. A usage period 2205 is calculated from a manufacture date
2203 and a destruction date 2204. Tabulating means 2206 performs
tabulation by looking at distribution of average usage periods,
relationships between usage environment and malfunctions, and the
like. Reliability evaluating means 2208 uses the processing results
and design prediction values 2207 to evaluate the reliability of
the product as well as each part. The results are reflected in the
contents of the disposal database. For example, if it is found that
a part is highly reliable and can be used for a longer period than
the predicted value, the disposal database can be changed to raise
the threshold value of the usage period for which the product can
be recycled.
[0080] FIG. 23 shows sample contents of the accounting database
when the IC tag and the product life cycle database are used to
perform accounting of recovery expenses. An accounting database
2300 includes a disposal ID 2301, a disposal fee 2302, a purchase
price 2303, and a different 2304. The disposal ID is an ID that
specifies the disposal method for a product or part. For each
disposal ID 2301, the expenses involved in disposal are entered in
the disposal fee 2302 by company. Also, if there are parts that can
be recycled, the purchase price is recorded in the purchase price
2303. The difference 2304 contains the balance of these
figures.
[0081] FIG. 24 shows the operations involved in using information
from the IC tag and the product life cycle database to create
environmental information management data, known as a manifest, as
defined in ISO14000. There is shown a data 2401 indicating the
information stored in the product life cycle database. This data
includes a parts structure information 2402 containing information
about the weight and materials of parts. A data 2403 indicates
information stored in the IC tag and includes a retrieving company
name and location 2404 and a disposal company name and location
2405. In this embodiment, the name and address of the user who
disposed of the product is contained in the product life cycle
database so this information can be read from the product life
cycle database. However, it would also be possible to store
information about the user in the IC tag and to read the user name
and location from the IC tag, as shown in FIG. 24. An information
about parts to be disposed 2407 can be obtained from the parts
structure information 2402. Also, since the parts structure
information includes the attributes (e.g., material, weight) of
each part, a tabulation 2409 can be performed, organized by
material, for the parts to be disposed. Furthermore, environmental
information management data can be generated automatically by
combining the IC tag data 2404-2406. Thus, it is possible to easily
create a document or manifest based on ISO1400 standards.
[0082] In the embodiment described above, disposal methods are
determined separately for each individual product. However, it
would also be possible to determine the disposal method based on
product model. Furthermore, in the description above, the contents
and table structures used in the IC tag as well as the contents and
table structures used in the various databases are examples, and
the present invention is not restricted to these examples.
[0083] As described above, the present invention provides overall
product life cycle management for all products, starting with the
manufacture of a product to its destruction or recycling. Thus, the
present invention provides a life cycle management method, system,
and product that allows rationalization of the disposal of products
as well as the evaluation of whether a product or the parts thereof
should be recycled or destroyed. In particular, the present
invention attaches storing means such as an IC tag to each
individual product, and various information (e.g., product type,
presence of recycled parts, types and attributes of parts,
destruction method of parts, sales route, repair/maintenance
history) are stored in this storing means in order to perform life
cycle management. Thus, no matter what stage in its life cycle a
product is in, information about an individual product, such as
product type, sales route, and maintenance history, can be
determined by reading storing means. Also, additional repair
information such as information about malfunctions and replaced
parts can be written to storing means of an individual product,
thus allowing the background of an individual product to be known.
The information in storing means can also allow information such as
when and from where the product was shipped out.
* * * * *