JP2002059146A - Parts, equipment and device for evaluating environmental loading - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that it is difficult to grasp LCA information, though publicized through the Internet etc. in relation to individual product or part and also difficult to apply the LCA to the individual product or the like. SOLUTION: The LCA value is imparted to an individual part or equipment so that the LCA value can be obtained directly from the part or the equipment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for environmental protection of information appliances such as a personal computer, a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, and home appliances such as a television, an electric washing machine and an air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Environmental measures include, for example, research on individual elemental technologies such as technologies for preventing the emission of pollutants, measuring technologies for measuring environmental pollution, technologies for removing pollution, and energy saving technologies, as well as LCA (LCA). Life cycle assessment), from product manufacture to disposal
Research on comprehensive countermeasure technologies, such as research on methods of evaluating the load on the global environment, is being conducted. By performing the LCA, it is possible to express the total environmental load of the product quantitatively, for example, as a carbon emission amount, and with a very simple numerical value.

[0003]

With regard to the LCA information of a product, it is necessary to improve the reliability and objectivity of the information.
Research on methods for creating LCA information is extremely important, but disclosure or transmission of information is as important as research on information creation methods. Conventionally, since the LCA information of a product is performed in a place separated in time and space from the product, for example, when the LCA information of the product is disclosed on an Internet homepage, it is inconvenient to use the disclosed information. There was a problem. When developing technology to reduce environmental impact, not only LCA information on the product to be improved but also LCA information on the components that make up the product is required. It is not easy to obtain LCA information for each product and for each component constituting the product from the LCA information compiled in the above section, and this may hinder research.

[0004] Further, since the LCA information is in a very simplified form as described above, it is a very powerful clue for the user to know the environmental load of various products. However, according to LCA information published on a company basis, LCA
It is not suitable for grasping the A information in relation to each product, and is not enough to promote environmental load reduction widely.

[0005] The first aspect of the present invention is the LC described above.
Solving the above-mentioned problems related to the disclosure of environmental load information such as A information, and contributing to reducing the environmental load of products,
The purpose is to contribute to the promotion of environmental measures.

[0006] Since LCA is a method of integrating various factors by numerical expression such as the amount of CO ₂ emitted, LCA information is calculated by a complicated calculation formula having a huge number of input items. Therefore, when LCA is performed on each part, unit or product, a huge amount of calculation is required, and together with the necessity of inputting many items, the creation of LCA information becomes difficult. ing.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an environmental load evaluation apparatus capable of calculating LCA information that is simple and highly reliable.

[0008]

The object of the present invention described above is achieved by the following invention.

1. In the parts that make up the equipment, LCA
A component characterized by carrying a value.

[0010] 2. 2. The component according to the above item 1, wherein a label on which the LCA value is printed is attached.

3. The component according to claim 1, wherein the LCA value is given at a stage of forming the component.

4. The component of claim 1, wherein the LCA value is printed directly on the surface of the component.

5. A device that carries the LCA value of the entire device. 6. 6. The device according to the item 5, wherein a label on which an LCA value of the entire device is printed is attached.

7. 6. The device according to the item 5, wherein the LCA value of the entire device is given to an exterior component.

[8] 8. The device according to the item 7, wherein the LCA value of the entire device is given at the stage of molding the exterior component.

9. 6. The device according to the item 5, wherein the LCA value of the entire device is stored in a memory.

10. A device comprising a part carrying an LCA value. 11. LCA of parts or units built into equipment
An apparatus having a memory in which values are stored.

[12] 12. The device according to the item 11, wherein an LCA value of the entire device is stored in the memory.

13. The L stored in the memory
12. The device according to the item 11, further comprising a reading unit that reads a CA value.

[14] 14. The apparatus according to the above 13, further comprising a display unit for displaying the read LCA value.

15. For a plurality of types of parts or units, a calculation formula for calculating an LCA value, a memory storing a program of the calculation formula specific to each part or unit, and information of the type and mass of the part or unit. An environmental load evaluation apparatus comprising: input means for inputting; and calculating means for calculating an LCA value based on the type and mass of the input part or unit.

16. 16. The environmental load evaluation device according to the item 15, further comprising a display unit that displays a calculation result of the calculation unit.

17. 17. The environmental load evaluation device as described in 15 or 16, wherein the program of the calculation formula in the memory can be updated, added, and deleted.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (1) Image Forming Apparatus An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine which is one of information equipment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image forming function unit of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an automatic document feeder for stacking a large number of documents and transporting the documents one by one to an image reading position. An image reading unit 2 reads an image of a document conveyed by the automatic document feeder 1 or a document placed on the document table 24. The image reading unit 2 includes an exposure lamp 21 for illuminating a document, an imaging optical system 2 including a mirror and a lens.
2 and a platen on which a document is placed.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an image forming unit for forming an image on recording paper. The image forming unit 3 includes a drum-shaped photoconductor 3 made of an organic photoconductor having a photoconductive layer formed on an aluminum base.
1, a charging device 32 including a scorotron charger having a control electrode and a discharge electrode, a laser diode (not shown),
An image writing unit 33 having a polygon, a mirror, and a lens, a developing unit 34 that contains a two-component developer and performs reversal development in which toner is attached to an exposed portion of the photoconductor 31, and a transfer including a corotron charger having a discharge electrode. Unit 35, a separating unit 36 composed of a corotron charger having a discharge electrode, a transport unit 37 for transporting the recording paper on which an image is formed, a heat source composed of a halogen rank, and a heat-resistant release layer composed of a fluororesin on an aluminum base. A fixing unit 38 having a heat roller and a heat-resistant elastic layer made of silicon rubber on an aluminum base, a cleaning unit 39 having a cleaning blade made of urethane rubber and a recovery toner conveying screw, and a light emitting diode array. And a pre-charging exposure section 40 for performing exposure in a similar manner.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a recording paper transport unit that transports the recording paper to the image forming unit 3 and discharges the recording paper on which the image is formed. The recording paper transport unit 5 includes an upper tray 51, a lower tray 52, large capacity trays 53 and 54, a paper feed unit 55, and a manual tray 5.
6, an ADU sheet feeding / conveying section 57 having a reverse conveying path for forming an image on the back surface, and a sheet discharge tray 58;

A document conveyed by the automatic document feeder 1 or a document placed on the document table 24 is read by the image reading section 2, and upper and lower trays 51 and 52 are read based on image data obtained by image reading. The image is formed on the recording paper fed from the large capacity 53 or 54 or the manual feed tray 55 and is discharged to the discharge tray 58.

Reference numeral 61 denotes a control unit constituted by a microcomputer, and 62 denotes a nonvolatile memory for storing programs and data necessary for control and LCA values to be described later.

The illustrated image forming apparatus can also form an image on recording paper based on image data transmitted from an external device such as another copying machine or a personal computer.

Although the copying machine described above is composed of thousands of parts, the constituent parts are classified into reusable parts, recyclable parts, and discarded parts as a large classification with respect to recycling. Is done.

[0032] Reusable parts include various motors,
There are optical components and the like. Recyclable parts include large resin parts such as exterior parts and metal parts that make up the frame.

(2) First Embodiment FIGS. 2 and 3 show examples of large-sized resin parts constituting an exterior. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the front and left sides of the copying machine.
In the figure, reference numeral 71 denotes an exterior component of the automatic document feeder 1, and reference numeral 72 denotes a paper discharge tray, which are exteriors of the automatic document feeder 1. 73 is a fixed upper cover, 74 is a front door that can be opened and closed, 75 is a front cover of the upper tray 51, 76 is a front cover of the lower tray 52, 77 is a front cover of the ADU feeding / transporting unit 57, and 78 and 79 are A front cover of the large-capacity trays 53 and 54, 80 is an openable and closable transport unit door for opening the transport unit, 81
Is a fixed left side lower cover. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the rear and right sides of the copying machine. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 83 denotes an openable and closable sheet feeding door that opens a sheet feeding section, 84 is a fixed upper right cover, and 85 is a large capacity. An openable and closable door 86 for opening a transfer section from the tray, 86 is a fixed lower right side cover, and 87 is a back cover.

The photosensitive member 31, the charging device 32 in FIG.
The exterior component 7 of the automatic document feeder shown in FIGS.
1, an LCA value, that is, a value obtained by performing an LCA (life cycle assessment) is assigned to each component, such as the paper discharge tray 72, the upper cover 73, and the front door 74. LCA applies to the global environment, such as consumed resources, consumed energy, and environmentally hazardous substances released into the global environment, from the production of products (in the case of parts, the parts themselves are treated as products) to the disposal. This is a method for comprehensively evaluating the load given by using carbon (C), for example.
The evaluation results are represented by numerical values, such as the amount of released. Therefore,
The most simplified form of the LCA value can take the form of a single numerical value. Therefore, in order for a product or part to carry an LCA value, only one numerical value needs to be given to the product or part.

As a means for giving the LCA value, a label on which the LCA value is printed is attached, and the LCA
There is a means to imprint the value on the surface of the part by engraving,
Means for printing directly on the surface of the part or unit may be employed.

L for storing the LCA values of the image forming apparatus and the parts or units constituting the image forming apparatus in the memory 62
Means for giving a CA value may be employed. The LCA value stored in the memory 62 is read by the control unit 61 as reading means and displayed on a display panel of an operation unit as display means.

[0037]

[Table 1]

[0038]

[Table 2]

[0039]

[Table 3]

Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the values of L given to the electrical board.
The example of a CA value is shown. The numerical values given to the board A and the power boards B and C, which are the electrical boards, are calculated from the load applied to the global environment in the course of manufacturing the electrical boards, and the power consumed when the electrical boards are used. and CO _2, SOx released upon disposal of the electrical component mounting board, for NOx, no inclusion of these. The numerical values indicated by ★ in Tables 1, 2 and 3 are the components constituting the electrical board, that is, resin board, gate array, connector, capacitor, diode, IC, fuse, LED, coil, resistor, oscillator, etc. Is the mass of released carbon (C) obtained by summing the environmental loads of the above components.

In the present embodiment, the LCA values indicated by ★ in Tables 1, 2, and 3 are given to the substrate A and the power supply substrates B and C, respectively, and the LCA values of the entire image forming apparatus are given. You. The LCA value of the entire image forming apparatus is displayed on, for example, a nameplate provided on the back cover 87. L
Depending on the purpose of the CA, the amount of NOx or SOx may be displayed. Note that the display of the LCA value in the present embodiment is performed in a limited space, as can be seen from the above-described display means. Therefore, it is preferable that the display be a simplified display such as a display using one numerical value. However, a plurality of numerical values may be displayed depending on the purpose. When displaying the LCA value, it is important to support the calculation method. In the present embodiment, the method used to calculate the LCA value of the entire image forming apparatus and the LCA values of the components or units constituting the image forming apparatus is described, for example, in the manual of the image forming apparatus. Provided to the user.

(3) Embodiment 2 A general-purpose part or unit, that is, a motor, a clutch, a solenoid, or the like, is composed of many parts, and when the LCA is performed on these parts or units. The LCA value is determined by performing a procedure of evaluating the environmental load for each component and totalizing the results. Therefore, when calculating the LCA value of a device having a large number of the above components or units, a complicated and enormous calculation is required.

In the general-purpose parts or units, if the types are the same, the types of the component parts are almost the same, and it can be seen that the difference between different parts or units belonging to the same type is only in the mass. I have. Therefore, the difference in LCA value between different parts or units of the same type of parts or units can be said to be a difference proportional to the difference in mass.

In the present embodiment, focusing on this fact, for the same type of part or unit, one component or unit is analyzed by analyzing its components.
The CA value is calculated, and for other parts or units, the mass of each part is detected.
Using the CA value, the LCA value is obtained by proportional calculation according to the mass of each component.

[0045]

[Table 4]

Table 4 shows a calculation example of the LCA value of the DC brushless motor for driving the photosensitive member 31 in FIG. Table 4
As shown in the figure, the DC brushless motor is composed of ten parts. Based on the data on the environmental load per unit mass of the material constituting each component, the environmental load of each component, that is, carbon (C), sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) is calculated. . The total environmental load of each component is the environmental load of the DC brushless motor. Also, from the environmental load of the DC brushless motor shown in Table 4, D
The unit mass of the C brushless motor, that is, the environmental load per gram is calculated. Incidentally, the mass ratio of iron, aluminum, and copper, which are the main metal materials constituting the DC brushless motor, is 6: 3: 1.

In the image forming apparatus, a DC brushless motor having a different output, that is, a DC brushless motor of the same type but having a different size is used for driving the photosensitive member 31, for driving the developing sleeve of the developing unit 34, and for feeding the paper. It is used for driving 55 recording paper discharge rollers. These same types of motors are calculated by multiplying the environmental load per unit mass of the DC brushless motor shown in Table 4 by the mass of each motor. For other types of motors, clutches, solenoids, and other parts, the same method is used to calculate the environmental load of one part, and to calculate the environmental load of the other part in proportion to the mass of the part. Then, the LCA value of the other component is obtained.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an environmental load evaluation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 10
Reference numeral 0 denotes a CPU as a calculating means, 101 denotes an input device such as a keyboard, 102 denotes a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and 103 denotes a display as a display means. The memory 102 has L
A CA calculation program is stored. By inputting the code of the part name in Table 4, the number of parts, and the mass per piece from the input device 101, the CPU
100 calculates according to the calculation program stored in the memory 102, and calculates the amount of carbon (C), the amount of sulfur oxide (SOx) and the amount of nitrogen oxide (NOx) shown in
It is displayed on the display 103. If there is already a calculation example of the environmental load of the same type of component, the input device 1
The CPU 100 calculates the environmental load and displays it on the display 103 simply by inputting the type and mass of the component or unit from 01. Furthermore, if the type and mass of the component are input in advance, the LCA value of the target component is calculated and displayed only by inputting the code of the component.

The calculation program stored in the memory 102 can be rewritten and added as needed, for example, when changing the calculation formula or introducing a new parameter.

[0050]

According to any one of the first to twelfth aspects of the present invention, the LCA values of individual parts and devices can be easily, quickly, and
Accurately grasped.

According to the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the LCA value stored in the device can be easily grasped.

According to the invention of claim 15 or 16, it is possible to easily calculate the LCA value without inputting multiple items and performing complicated calculations.

According to the seventeenth aspect, if necessary, L
Since the calculation formula of the CA value can be changed, a versatile environmental load evaluation device is realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image forming function unit of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a large-sized resin component constituting an exterior.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a large-sized resin component constituting an exterior.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an environmental load evaluation device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 CPU 101 input device 102 memory 103 display

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4D004 AA22 BA10 CA08 DA16 5B049 BB07 CC21 DD01 DD05 EE01 FF03 FF04

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A component constituting an apparatus, wherein the component carries an LCA value. 2. The component according to claim 1, wherein a label on which the LCA value is printed is attached. 3. The component according to claim 1, wherein the LCA value is given at a stage of forming the component. 4. The component according to claim 1, wherein the LCA value is directly printed on a surface of the component. 5. An apparatus which carries the LCA value of the entire apparatus. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a label on which an LCA value of the entire apparatus is printed is attached. 7. The device according to claim 5, wherein an LCA value of the entire device is assigned to an exterior component. 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the LCA value of the entire device is given at a stage of molding the exterior component. 9. The device according to claim 5, wherein the LCA value of the entire device is stored in a memory. 10. A device comprising a component carrying an LCA value. 11. A device having a memory in which LCA values of components or units built in the device are stored. 12. The device according to claim 11, wherein an LCA value of the entire device is stored in the memory. 13. The LC stored in the memory
The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a reading unit that reads the A value. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising display means for displaying the read LCA value. 15. A calculation formula for calculating an LCA value for a plurality of types of parts or units, a memory storing a program of the calculation formula unique to each part or unit, An environmental load evaluation apparatus comprising: input means for inputting information on mass and mass; and calculating means for calculating an LCA value based on the type and mass of the input part or unit. 16. The environmental load evaluation device according to claim 15, further comprising display means for displaying a calculation result of said calculation means. 17. The environmental load evaluation device according to claim 15, wherein a program of the calculation formula in the memory can be updated, added, and deleted.