JP4064561B2 - Product life cycle planning support apparatus and method, and medium apparatus recording program - Google Patents

Description

すると、ライフサイクル段階ｊにおける環境課題ｉに対する設計指針ｍのトータルポイントＰｍ（ＥＮＶ）、および、ＥＯＬ課題ｋに対する設計指針ｍのトータルポイントＰｍ（ＥＯＬ）、は、

と表すことができる。ある重要度Ｗが与えられた後は、このＰｍ（ＥＮＶ）とＰm（ＥＯＬ）を計算する。そこで、Ｐm＞０である設計指針が、今回効果を発揮する指針であり、さらにその値の大きい順に有効な設計指針である。従って、この計算結果を用いて、有効な設計指針を自動的に検索することができる。
【０１１５】
また、ステップ（Ｓ５５）の自動検索処理は、以下の手順による。
【０１１６】
まず事前に、ＥＣＰ設計指針ｍを“ｍ”という名前のカテゴリと見なした上で、具体例であるＥＣＰ設計ノウハウｎを“ｍ”のどれかに帰属させておく（Ｍ≦Ｎ）。このようにすることで、設計指針ｍが指定されれば直ちにそれに属する設計ノウハウｎを検索することができるようになる。
【０１１７】
図１９から図２１は環境ＱＦＤデータベース１００の内容例を示している。
【０１１８】
環境ＱＦＤデータベース１００は「設計指針」と「環境課題」に関する情報を保持したものであって、設計指針として、例えば、“リサイクルできない希少材料の最小使用”、“リサイクル可能材料の最大使用”、“リサイクル材料の最大使用”、“材料生産のエネルギー消費最小化”、“危険物質の使用最小化”、 “材料使用量の最小化”、“材料種類の最小化”、“代替不可能な材料の最小使用”、“材料色数の最小化”と云った項目が、また、「環境課題」としては“省資源”、“省エネルギー”、“廃棄物低減”、“有害物質低減”、“地球環境影響低減”、“材料調達”、“製造”、“流通”、“使用”、“廃棄処分”、“アップグレード”、“メンテナンス”、“部品リユース”、“マテリアルリサイクル”と云ったような情報がデータベース化されている。
【０１１９】
すなわち、環境ＱＦＤデータベース１００に保持されている「設計指針」と 「環境課題」に関する情報は、図１９から図２１に示す例では設計指針ｍとして、“リサイクルできない希少材料の最小使用”、“リサイクル可能材料の最大使用”、“リサイクル材料の最大使用”、“材料生産のエネルギー消費最小化”、“危険物質の使用最小化”、“材料使用量の最小化”、“材料種類の最小化”、“代替不可能な材料の最小使用”、“材料色数の最小化”と云った項目をあげ、「環境課題対設計指針」では環境課題ｉとして、“省資源”、“省エネルギー”、“廃棄物低減”、“有害物質低減”、“地球環境影響低減”と云ったものが関連付けられ（図１９）、「ライフサイクル対設計指針」ではライフサイクルプロセスｊとして、“材料調達”、“製造”、“流通”、“使用”、“廃棄処分”と云ったものが関連付けられ（図２０）、「ＥＯＬ課題対設計指針」ではＥＯＬ課題ｋとして、“アップグレード”、“メンテナンス”、“部品リユース”、“マテリアルリサイクル”と云ったものが関連付けられていることがわかる（図２１）。
【０１２０】
また図２２は、発明対象となるアプリケーションプログラムとオペレーティングシステム（ＯＳ）との動作協調関係を示している。
【０１２１】
図２３は、図１７の環境戦略を入力値としてＥＣＰ設計指針を自動検索・表示した例である。この例では、オゾン層保護のためには「代替フロン冷媒の選択」「代替フロン断熱材の選択」などが、またメンテナンス性向上のためには「交換可能部品の最大化」などが、それぞれ表示されている。
【０１２２】
本発明システムでは、ＥＣＰ設計ノウハウデータベースを備えており、製品開発時にこのＥＣＰ設計ノウハウデータベースを用いて過去の設計ノウハウを参照したり、利用できる。すなわち、ＥＣＰ設計ノウハウデータベースは、本システムを使用して製品開発するユーザ側での過去に蓄積した各種設計事例を図やテキストで纏めたデータベースであり、過去の設計ノウハウを製品開発時に参照して参考にしたり、利用できるようにするデータベースである。
【０１２３】
図２４は、当該ＥＣＰ設計ノウハウデータベースを用いて「交換可能部品の最大化」というＥＣＰ設計指針を具体的に実現するＥＣＰ設計ノウハウの自動検索・表示例である。ここでは、蒸発器を交換可能な設計ノウハウを表示している。設計者は図２４の如くディスプレイに表示された表示例を参照して、直接設計コンセプトに取り込んだり、後述するＱＦＤマトリクスでその情報を利用して設計コンセプトに生かすことができる。
【０１２４】
図２５は、ＬＣＰ装置２０が表示するＥＣＰ設計ノウハウから、設計者が適宜なるものを選択して、それを図１の“ＱＦＤマトリクス３”で用いた例である。このＱＦＤマトリクスによって、コスト・性能の観点から展開した技術的手段の中から、環境戦略の観点で最も相応しいものを選択して、それをベースに性能・コスト・環境のすべてをバランス良く考慮した設計コンセプトを作成することができる。
【０１２５】
このようにして設計コンセプトが明確化された後は、図２のようにそのコンセプトをベースにＣＡＤ装置で構造モデルを作成する。その際に、材料選択支援装置を用いて使用材料を選択する。その後、ＬＣＡ装置、ＥＯＬ評価装置などの各種評価装置を用いて設計評価を行う。
【０１２６】
以上の手順で満足のいく設計代替案が作成された後、意思決定支援装置４０によつて設計解の最終的な決定を行う。ここでは、ＬＣＰ装置２０およびＱＦＤ装置１０によって決定された性能・コスト・環境に関する評価項目の重要度を利用して設計代替案の比較する（図２６）。
【０１２７】
図２７から図３０まではその比較表示例である。ここでは、基準となるベンチマーク製品に対して重要度配分し、それに対する設計代替案の相対値を表示している。本例では、代替案Ａが性能・コスト・環境のすべての面でベンチマーク製品および代替案Ｂより優れていることが明確に表示されているので、設計者は容易に設計コンセプトを最も実現している代替案Ａを採用することができる。
＜ＬＣＰツールの他の実施例＞
図３１にＬＣＰツールの他の実施例の概略図を示す。ＱＦＤ装置１０とＬＣＰ装置２０とを備える構成である点は先の実施例と変わりはないが、この実施例ではＬＣＰ装置２０において、着眼ＥＯＬ課題決定支援を実施してその結果を環境課題＆ＥＯＬ課題に対する重要度決定支援を行い、環境戦略を実施し、ＥＣＰ設計指針展開を行い、ＥＣＰ設計ノウハウ展開を実施すると云った手順を踏む。
【０１２８】
すなわち、まず図１１〜図１５を用いて既に説明したように、着眼するＥＯＬ課題及びその優先順位を決定する。その後に着眼するＥＯＬ課題と環境課題を併せて統合的なライフサイクルマトリックス上に表現し、それぞれに対して重要度を付与する（図３７，図３８）。
【０１２９】
その後は、図１７〜図２５で説明した手順と同様の手順でＥＣＰコンセプトを作成することができる。
本発明によれば、性能・コスト・環境間のトレードオフをバランス良く考慮して、環境調和型の製品および製品ライフサイクルプロセスに関する設計コンセプトを作成することができる。また、企画・概念設計段階で明確化された設計コンセプトをベースに設計を進めることで、設計者同志が混乱せずに設計目標を達成することができる。
【０１３０】
以上、本発明は、設計指針と環境課題に関する情報を保持した環境品質機能展開データベースと、過去の製品開発にて得た各種設計事例の情報を蓄積した製品設計ノウハウデータベースと、製品ライフサイクルプロセスの各段階における環境課題および製品寿命時に考慮すベき課題に対して付与された重要度をもとに、対象製品において最も適切な環境調和型設計指針を、前記環境品質機能展開データベースから取得して提示する第１の支援手段と、この第１の支援手段により提示された設計指針を実現する設計ノウハウを前記製品設計ノウハウデータベースから検索して提示する第２の支援手段とを備えたものであり、第１の支援手段において、製品ライフサイクルプロセスの各段階における環境課題および製品寿命時に考慮すベき課題に対して付与された重要度をもとに、対象製品において最も適切な環境調和型設計指針を、環境品質機能展開データベースから検索して設計者に提示し、第２の支援手段は、この提示された設計指針を実現する環境調和型設計ノウハウを製品設計ノウハウデータベースから検索して設計者に提示するようにした。これにより、対象製品に最も相応しい環境調和型製品コンセプトの作成を支援することができるようになるものである。
【０１３１】
また、更には前記第２の支援手段にて得た設計指針を反映させた製品設計をする設計手段と、この設計結果を評価する評価手段と、評価結果を代替案と比較して意思決定の支援情報を得る意思決定支援手段とを備える構成とすることにより、設計手段により第２の支援手段が提示した環境調和型設計ノウハウを反映させた製品設計を実施し、評価手段によりこの設計結果を評価し、意思決定支援手段によりこの評価手段による評価結果を代替案と比較して意思決定の支援情報を得ることで、環境問題を重視した製品の最適設計を容易に実施できるようになる。
【０１３２】
尚、本発明は上述した実施例に限定することなく、その要旨を変更しない範囲内で適宜変形して実施可能である。また、実施形態に記載した手法は、コンピュータに実行させることのできるプログラムとして、磁気ディスク（フロッピーディスク、ハードディスクなど）、光ディスク（ＣＤ−ＲＯＭ、ＤＶＤなど）、半導体メモリなどの記録媒体に格納して頒布することもできる。
【０１３３】
【発明の効果】
本発明によれば、性能・コスト・環境間のトレードオフをバランス良く考慮して、環境調和型の製品および製品ライフサイクルプロセスに関する設計コンセプトを作成することができる。また、企画・概念設計段階で明確化された設計コンセプトをベースに設計を進めることで、設計者同志が混乱せずに設計目標を達成することができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明における意思決定支援装置の一例としてのシステム概念図である。
【図２】環境重視設計での本発明における設計支援装置の構成例である。
【図３】本発明システムを汎用コンピュータで実現する場合でのハードウエア構成を示すブロック図である。
【図４】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムにおける設計プロセスと装置の関係を説明するための図である。
【図５】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるライフサイクルプロセス対環境課題でのマトリックス内容例を示す図である。
【図６】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムにおける製品使用後（ＥＯＬ）の処理を説明するための図である。
【図７】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムにおけるＬＣＰ装置のシステム構成例を示すブロック図である。
【図８】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるライフサイクルプロセス中の環境課題に対する重要度決定支援の処理の流れを示すフローチャートである。
【図９】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるライフサイクルプロセス中の環境課題に対する着眼環境課題決定支援の処理の流れを示すフローチャートである。
【図１０】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるＥＯＬ課題に対する重要度決定支援処理の流れを示すフローチャートである。
【図１１】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる着眼ＥＯＬ課題に対する決定支援処理の流れを示すフローチャートである。
【図１２】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる着眼ＥＯＬ課題決定支援処理の概念を説明する図である。
【図１３】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる着眼ＥＯＬ課題決定支援処理の概念を説明する図である。
【図１４】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる着眼ＥＯＬ課題決定支援処理の概念を説明する図である。
【図１５】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる着眼ＥＯＬ課題決定支援処理の概念を説明する図である。
【図１６】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるＥＯＬ課題に対する重要度決定支援処理のアプリケーションプログラムとオペレーティングシステム（０Ｓ）との動作協調関係を示した図である。
【図１７】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明で説明する対象製品（冷蔵庫）に関する環境関連の設計課題に対する重要度（＝環境戦略）の例を示す図である。
【図１８】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるＥＣＰ設計ノウハウ展開に対する処理の流れを示すフローチャートである。
【図１９】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる環境ＱＦＤデータベースにおける環境課題対設計指針関連の内容例を説明する図である。
【図２０】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる環境ＱＦＤデータベースにおけるライフサイクルプロセス対設計指針関連の内容例を説明する図である。
【図２１】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる環境ＱＦＤデータベースにおけるＥＯＬ課題対設計指針関連の内容例を説明する図である。
【図２２】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるＥＣＰ設計ノウハウ展開の処理例を説明するフローチャートである。
【図２３】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるＥＣＰ設計指針の表示例を示す図である。
【図２４】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるＥＣＰ設計指ノウハウの表示例を示す図である。
【図２５】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるＱＦＤマトリックスの埋め込み例を示す図である。
【図２６】本発明を説明するための図であって、ライフサイクル計画支援ツールの出力譲歩を利用した設計プロセスの処理フローと情報フローを示す図である。
【図２７】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムにおける意思決定支援画面の例を示す図である。
【図２８】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムにおける意思決定支援画面の例を示す図である。
【図２９】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムにおける意思決定支援画面の例を示す図である。
【図３０】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムにおける意思決定支援画面の例を示す図である。
【図３１】本発明における意思決定支援装置の別の一例としてのシステム概念図である。
【図３２】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるライフサイクルプロセス対環境課題でのマトリックスの着眼領域設定内容例を示す図である。
【図３３】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるベンチマーク製品についてのライフサイクルプロセス対環境課題のマトリックスの製品環境情報設定内容例を示す図である。
【図３４】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いる自社従来製品についてのライフサイクルプロセス対環境課題のマトリックスの製品環境情報設定内容例を示す図である。
【図３５】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるライフサイクルプロセス対環境課題のマトリックスの重要度埋め込み例を示す図である。
【図３６】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明システムで用いるライフサイクルプロセス対環境課題のマトリックスの着眼領域に関するベンチマーク比較例を示す図である。
【図３７】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明の他の実施例としてのライフサイクルプロセス対環境課題＋ＥＯＬ課題の例を示す図である。
【図３８】本発明を説明するための図であって、本発明の他の実施例としての重要度埋め込み例を示す図である。
【符号の説明】
１０…品質機能展開装置（ＱＦＤ装置）
２０…ライフサイクル計画支援装置（ＬＣＰ装置）
３０…展開支援装置
４０…評価支援装置
５０…意思決定支援装置。
１００…製品環境情報データベース装置。[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a product and a product life cycle in which the environmental burden in the entire product life cycle from the material procurement of the product to the manufacture, use of the manufactured product, and disposal of the used product is reduced as compared with the conventional product. The present invention relates to a product life cycle planning support apparatus and method for designing a process.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Due to the greenhouse effect caused by the influence of exhaust gas, which increases with the development of industry and economy, the global warming has become a concern, and natural destruction and harmful substances caused by the disposal of a large amount of discarded waste Due to various problems such as environmental pollution caused by the environment, it is an important issue in the industry to reduce the environmental load on the earth.
[0003]
When considering the environmental impact in the manufacturing industry, it is not sufficient to focus on the range from product procurement to production and shipment of the manufactured product, and the range from recycling to disposal stage is included. In addition, it is necessary to consider the energy consumption in the process of using the product for the user, for example, when the product involves energy consumption in the operation process such as home appliances and automobiles.
[0004]
Therefore, design support technology with an emphasis on the life cycle process will be developed in the future so that the environmental burden in the entire product life cycle from the procurement of the material of the product to the disposal of the used product can be surely reduced compared to the conventional product. It becomes increasingly important.
[0005]
In consideration of conventional design support technology, there are the following disadvantages when designing ECP (Environmental Conscious Products)) and ECP life cycle processes.
(1) With conventional design support technology, the most important environment-related design issues / concepts for each target product are unknown, and a specific structural design is started using the designer's personal approach. From a comprehensive and overall standpoint, there is an unavoidable worry of reaching a design solution that is not very effective for reducing environmental impact.
[0006]
In other words, all of the environmental design issues (energy saving, recyclability improvement, etc.) are satisfied and not inconvenient. However, there is generally no design solution that gives optimum values for all environment-related design issues. Therefore, in reality, an effective environmentally conscious product concept that first focuses on the most important issues in the target product from a comprehensive perspective is necessary.
[0007]
However, with the conventional design support technology, since the most important environment-related design issues / concepts for each target product were unknown, we started the concrete structural design by relying on the designer's personal way of thinking. From an overall and overall point of view, we sometimes arrived at a design solution that was not very effective in reducing environmental impact.
(2) Since the concept regarding the environment is not clear, an environment evaluation device that does not need to be used in the target product is used, or a large amount of time is spent on an evaluation device where the importance of the evaluation result is low. As a result, the design efficiency may be reduced.
(3) Even when making decisions after creating multiple design alternatives, it is not clear how important environmental-related design issues are, so a design solution that is not very effective for reducing environmental impact is determined as before. I had to do it.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In this way, when considering the conventional design support technology, when designing the ECP and the ECP life cycle process,
(1) From the comprehensive and overall point of view, since the most important environment-related design issues / concepts for each target product were not known, concrete structural design was started by relying on the designer's personal way of thinking. There was an unavoidable worry of reaching a design solution that was not very effective in reducing environmental impact.
(2) Since the concept regarding the environment is not clear, an environment evaluation device that does not need to be used in the target product is used, or a large amount of time is spent on an evaluation device where the importance of the evaluation result is low. As a result, the design efficiency may be reduced.
(3) Even when making decisions after creating multiple design alternatives, it is not clear how important environmental-related design issues are, so a design solution that is not very effective for reducing environmental impact is determined as before. May end up.
There was a problem.
[0009]
Therefore, to ensure that new products can be developed so that the environmental impact throughout the product life cycle from the procurement of materials to the disposal of the used products is reduced more reliably than the conventional products, The development of highly reliable design support technology is desired.
[0010]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide environmentally conscious products (ECP) whose life cycle in the entire product life cycle from product material procurement to disposal is reduced as compared with conventional products, and the life cycle thereof. It is an object of the present invention to provide a product life cycle planning support apparatus method and method capable of supporting concept creation and actual design regarding a process.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
[0012]
In other words, an environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues, a product design know-how database that stores information on environmentally conscious design cases obtained from past product development, and a product life cycle process Based on the importance given to environmental issues and issues to be considered at the time of product life, the most appropriate environmentally harmonious design guidelines for the target product are obtained from the environmental quality function deployment database. First support means for acquiring, and second support means for searching for and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guideline acquired by the first support means from the product design know-how database.
[0013]
The apparatus having such a configuration has the importance given to the problem selected from the environmental problem in the product life cycle process and the problem to be considered at the product lifetime in the first support means. In addition, the most appropriate environmentally conscious design guideline for the target product is retrieved and obtained from the environmental quality function deployment database (presented to the designer if necessary), and the second support means is obtained by this. Search the product design know-how database for environmentally conscious design know-how that realizes the design guidelines and present it to the designer. As a result, it is possible to support creation of an environmentally harmonious product concept most suitable for the target product.
[0014]
Here, the environmental quality function deployment database contains information on the environmentally conscious “design guidelines” “environmental issues”, “lifecycle processes”, “issues to be considered during product life”, and information on effects on “environmental issues” Design guidelines include, for example, “Minimum use of rare materials that cannot be recycled”, “Maximum use of recyclable materials”, “Maximum use of recycled materials”, “Minimizing energy consumption in material production” , “Minimize the use of hazardous substances”, “Minimize the amount of material used”, “Minimize the material type”, “Minimum use of non-substitutable materials”, “Minimize the number of material colors” However, “environmental issues” include “resource saving”, “energy saving”, “waste reduction”, “hazardous substance reduction”, “global environmental impact reduction”, and “life cycle process” “Procurement of materials”, “Manufacturing”, “Distribution”, “Use”, “Disposal”, and “Issues to consider at the end of product life” are “Upgrade”, “Maintenance”, “Reuse of parts”, “Material recycling” Information such as “is made into a database. In addition, the environmentally conscious product design know-how database is a database that summarizes various design examples accumulated in the past by users who develop products using this system, with past design know-how at the time of product development. A database that can be referenced and used.
[0015]
Therefore, in the first support means, the most important in the target product based on the importance given to the environmental issues in the product life cycle process and the issues to be considered at the product lifetime. Appropriate environmentally conscious design guidelines are retrieved and acquired from the environmental quality function deployment database, and the second support means retrieves environmentally conscious design know-how that realizes the acquired design guidelines from the product design know-how database. By presenting it to the designer, it is possible to support creation of an environmentally harmonious product concept that is most suitable for the target product.
[0016]
Furthermore, the present invention provides a design means for designing a product reflecting the design guideline obtained by the second support means, an evaluation means for evaluating the design result, and comparing the evaluation result with an alternative. And a decision support means for obtaining decision support information.
[0017]
The apparatus having such a configuration is configured such that the first support means determines the importance assigned to the problem selected from the environmental problems at each stage of the product life cycle process and the problems to be considered at the product lifetime. Originally, the most appropriate environmentally conscious design guidelines for the target product are retrieved from the environmental quality function deployment database and presented to the designer, and the second support means is environmentally harmonized to realize the acquired design guidelines. Search the mold design know-how from the product design know-how database and present it to the designer to support the creation of an environmentally conscious product concept that best suits the product being developed. Then, the product design reflecting the design guideline obtained by the second support means is performed by the design means, the design result is evaluated by the evaluation means, and the evaluation result by the evaluation means is substituted by the decision support means. By obtaining decision support information in comparison with the proposal, it becomes possible to easily carry out optimal design of products that emphasize environmental issues.
[0018]
According to the present invention, life cycle planning support that supports creation of an ECP concept most suitable for a target product can be implemented, and life cycle planning support can be used at the most appropriate design stage. In addition, decision support using the “importance with respect to design issues” obtained by life cycle planning support is possible.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Examples of the present invention will be described below. The present invention provides an ECP with a low environmental impact throughout the product life cycle and a method and apparatus for supporting the creation of a concept of the life cycle process (both are collectively referred to as a design concept) and actual product design. Hereinafter, details will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a system conceptual diagram of a life cycle planning support apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the system of the present invention relates to a technical implementation means clarified by a quality function deployment (QFD) method for realizing product performance and cost-related design issues in an optimal balance. Quality function deployment device 10 (hereinafter referred to as a QFD device) that obtains information (required technology deployment information), and a life cycle planning support device (LCP: Life Cycle) that is a support device used at the planning stage and conceptual design stage in the design process (Planning, hereinafter referred to as an LCP device) 20.
[0021]
The LCP device 20 is a design support device used at the planning stage and the conceptual design stage in the design process, but this type of support device has not existed in the past. The LCP device 20 calculates the “environmental issue to be focused on most and its importance (= environmental strategy)” in consideration of the characteristics of the target product, and the environmentally conscious product and product life based on the importance. Support the creation of a cycle process concept.
[0022]
At that time, it should be consistent with the information (required technology deployment information) on the technical realization means clarified by the quality function deployment (QFD) method for realizing product performance and cost-related design issues in an optimal balance. This makes it possible to design an optimum product not only for environmental harmony but also for performance and cost.
[0023]
By using this LCP apparatus, it is possible to balance a plurality of design issues related to the environment from an overall and overall viewpoint in the initial design stage.
[0024]
In other words, the QFD device 10 processes the technical problem by the QFD method and realizes the design problem in an optimal balance. For example, the QFD device 10 can solve the technical problem related to the product performance or the product cost by the quality function deployment method. To obtain the optimum design specifications, and to develop the required quality based on the QFD method with the optimum balance based on the user's requirements and impressions (so-called customer feedback) and to apply it to the product The first QFD matrix that determines how to reflect the design characteristics, such as various design standard conditions, and the functional characteristics development that achieves the optimal balance with the QFD method, and business strategy planning (product Strategy and technology strategy) to implement the required technology deployment that achieves the optimal balance with the QFD method. It is intended to obtain how the second QFD matrix decided to reflect the ability deployment.
[0025]
The LCP device 20 has a product environment information database, an environment QFD database, and an ECP design know-how database. Also, the LCP device 20 supports a function element for determining the importance level for the environmental problem and a support for determining the importance level for the EOL problem. Determine the environmental strategy with the functional elements to be performed, develop the ECP design guidelines based on the environmental strategy, further develop the ECP design know-how, and develop the final design concept from the requirement deployment information of the QFD device 10 Get.
[0026]
Here, the focus area is determined by determining the focus area using a matrix having each stage of the product life cycle and each environmental problem in rows and columns, and by embedding the environmental information of existing products in the matrix and comparing them. Is assigned.
[0027]
In this way, the most important design issues and their importance (= environmental strategy) are calculated in consideration of the characteristics of the target product, and environmentally conscious products and product lifecycle processes based on the importance. Support the creation of concepts.
[0028]
The product environment information database is a database of design evaluation information and material composition information of existing products. For example, “resource consumption”, “energy consumption”, “ozone depletion degree”, “Material composition information” and so on.
[0029]
The environmental QFD database (environmental quality function deployment database) holds information on "design guidelines" and "environmental issues". For example, "Minimum use of rare materials that cannot be recycled", "Recyclable" “Maximum use of materials”, “Maximum use of recycled materials”, “Minimization of energy consumption in material production”, “Minimization of use of hazardous substances”, “Minimization of material usage”, “Minimization of material types”, Items such as “minimum use of non-substitutable materials” and “minimization of the number of material colors” and “environmental issues” are “resource saving”, “energy saving”, “waste reduction”, “harmful” Substance reduction, Global environmental impact reduction, Material procurement, Manufacturing, Distribution, Use, Disposal, Upgrade, Maintenance, Parts reuse, Material recycling Information such as “cycle” is stored in a database.
[0030]
In addition, the ECP design know-how database (environmentally conscious product design know-how database) is a database that summarizes various design examples accumulated in the past on the user side who develop products using this system. A database that allows design know-how to be referenced and used during product development.
<Configuration example of design support device for environmentally conscious design>
FIG. 2 is a configuration example of the design support apparatus according to the present invention in the case of environment-oriented design. As shown in FIG. 2, this system is composed of functional elements of a database and a design support tool. The product environment information database apparatus 100 stores product environment information as a database, the life cycle plan support apparatus 20 as a design support tool, and a CAD apparatus. And a development support device 30 such as a material selection support device, an evaluation support device 40 such as an LCA device or an EOL (End Of Life) evaluation device, and a decision support device 50 that supports decision making.
[0031]
These design support tools can refer to the database of the product environment information database apparatus 100 for life cycle planning support, development support, evaluation support, and decision support, and can reflect the results in the database.
[0032]
Then, as a design process, a problem raising / proposing item is generated using the life cycle support device 20 (S1), and the generated problem raising / proposing item is sent to the evaluation supporting device 40 such as a CAD device or a material selection supporting device. Development process (S2), this is evaluated by the evaluation support apparatus 40 such as an LCA apparatus or an EOL evaluation apparatus (S3), and it is determined whether or not the evaluation result is within an allowable range (S4). If so, the process returns to the corresponding process in steps S1 and S2 according to the content, and after adjusting the elements and conditions, the process is executed and evaluated again by the evaluation support apparatus 40 (S3). Is determined to be within the allowable range (S4).
[0033]
As a result of the determination in step S4, it is determined again whether or not the evaluation result is within the allowable range (S4). Then, it is determined whether or not to adopt the current product design (S6). If the determination result is negative, the process returns to steps S1 and S2, the elements and conditions are adjusted, the process is executed, the evaluation is again performed by the evaluation support device 40 (S3), and the evaluation result is within the allowable range. It is determined whether or not (S4).
[0034]
If the evaluation result is within the allowable range as a result of the determination in step S4, the process ends and the current product design is adopted.
[0035]
By using the design support device along the designer's problem-solving cycle in this way, a product that achieves excellent environmental harmony in a way that is most suitable for the target product, which is the original purpose, with efficient design Can be designed.
[0036]
An apparatus (evaluation apparatus) that performs various evaluations / analysis is usable only after a model of an evaluation object (product and product life cycle process) is created. In the past, a product model to be evaluated by a designer was devised directly depending on the ability of each designer, and it was created and used as a structural model on a CAD device.
[0037]
At this stage, the designer has decided part of the product lifecycle process, whether or not he is aware of it. This is because the product life cycle process largely depends on the structure of the product and the materials used.
[0038]
Therefore, the design concept is determined by the LCP device 20 in the first stage of the design process, and then a specific structural model is created by the CAD device of the support device 30 system in order to effectively reduce the environmental load throughout the life cycle. It becomes very important. In addition, it is desirable to evaluate and improve the design object by using various types of evaluation devices of 40 species evaluation devices.
[0039]
This flow conforms to the problem solving cycle of “problem raising” → “proposed” → “deployment” → “evaluation” → “decision” by the designer, and it is a very reasonable support procedure from the viewpoint of design efficiency. is there.
[0040]
In addition, since a clear design concept for environmentally conscious products has been created at the initial stage of design, even if collaborative design work by multiple designers is carried out in the subsequent design process, work is performed based on the clear design concept. It is possible to design a product with a unified design concept.
[0041]
From the above, the use order of each design support apparatus in the design process can be defined as shown in FIG. 2, which is the most reasonable.
[0042]
[Design support example for environmentally conscious product design]
Next, an example of design support for environmentally conscious product design will be specifically described (FIG. 2).
[0043]
[Step (S1)] Using the LCP device 20, a designer determines the concept of an environmentally conscious product. At this time, the LCP apparatus also uses design evaluation information, material composition information, etc. of the existing product stored in the product environment information database.
[0044]
[Step (S2)] A structural model is created by a CAD device of 30 support devices. At this time, a material selection support device is used to select a material that does not use harmful substances and environment-related substances as much as possible.
[0045]
[Step (S3)] The design solution is evaluated using an LCA device and an EOL evaluation device.
[0046]
[Step (S4)] If all the evaluation results by the individual apparatus in step (S3) are acceptable, the process proceeds to the next process. If not acceptable, the process returns to step (S2).
[0047]
[Step (S5)] The decision support device 50 performs comparative evaluation with a design alternative. At this time, the degree of importance with respect to the design problem output from the LCP device 20 is used and the comparison result is processed and used in a form that facilitates decision making.
[0048]
[Step (S6)] The design solution to be adopted is determined using the result of Step (S5). If there is no acceptable solution, the process returns to step (S2) or step (S1).
(Modification)
Next, a design support apparatus will be described as another embodiment of the present invention.
[0049]
The design support apparatus described here is assumed to be composed of the following various design support apparatuses. That is,
・ Problem raising / proposing support device: LCP device 20 and QFD device 10
-Deployment support device 30: CAD device, material selection support device
Evaluation support device 40: LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) device, product after use (EOL: End Of Life) evaluation device, CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) device, assemblyability evaluation device, LCCA (Life Cycle Cost Assessment) device
Decision support device 50: Decision support device
It is. The QFD apparatus 10 supports the functional configuration desired by the user starting from VOC (Voice Of Customer) and the technical means for realizing it sequentially. This allows designers to create product competitive product concepts.
[0050]
The CAD device of the deployment support device 30 creates a product shape and a structural model. The material selection support device supports the selection of suitable materials from the viewpoints of safety, resource conservation, environmental conservation, treatment disposal, recyclability, and the like. In particular, it is characterized in that environment-related substances are determined from the viewpoints of safety and environmental conservation, and alternative materials are searched so that these materials are not used as much as possible.
[0051]
The LCA device 20 calculates the environmental load generated in the product life cycle (inventory analysis), and evaluates the influence on the environment (impact analysis). Accordingly, if the design solution (product and product life cycle process) is evaluated by the LCA device 20 and the design solution is improved based on the evaluation result, the environmental impact can be reduced. In addition, if the information of inventory analysis is used, the amount of resource input, the amount of waste, and the amount of energy consumption can be calculated.
[0052]
The EOL evaluation device of the evaluation support device 40 evaluates the degree of conformity with respect to each problem after using the product, and has an upgradeability evaluation function, a maintenance property evaluation function, a reuse property evaluation function, and a recyclability evaluation function. In the upgradeability evaluation, the usage rate and replacement workability of the parts / materials that can be upgraded among the parts / materials constituting the product are calculated. In the maintainability evaluation, the usage rate and replacement workability of parts / materials that can be maintained / repaired among the parts / materials constituting the product are calculated. In the reusability evaluation, the usage rate and dismantling workability of parts / materials that can be upgraded among the parts / materials constituting the product are calculated. In the evaluation of recyclability, the usage rate and dismantling workability of parts / materials that can be recycled are calculated.
[0053]
The CAE device in the evaluation support device 40 performs a simulation regarding performance. Then, the assemblability evaluation apparatus of the evaluation support apparatus 40 estimates the man-hours required for assembly and assists to minimize the assembly man-hours. This support includes optimization of the assembly procedure.
[0054]
Further, the LCCA device of the evaluation support device 40 estimates the cost of the entire product life cycle from material procurement to disposal.
[0055]
In the decision support device 50, based on the environmental strategy determined by the LCP device and the design specification determined by the QFD tool, a plurality of design alternatives are comprehensively evaluated and a final design solution is determined. Support.
[0056]
In addition, there is a product environment information database for sharing and managing product environment information used in the various support devices. Examples of information stored in the database include “resource consumption”, “energy consumption”, “ozone depletion degree”, and “material composition information”.
[0057]
The various support devices may be independent individual devices. However, since the computer is small and has high performance, the various support devices are configured as application software and used on a general-purpose computer. It is realistic because it is cheaper and easier to use. FIG. 3 shows the hardware configuration of the entire design support apparatus according to this embodiment that is realized on such a general-purpose computer.
[0058]
That is, FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the system includes a tool group (“problem raising / proposing support tool (LCP device 20 implementation application, QFD device 10 implementation application”, “Tools for supporting deployment (CAD device realization application, material selection support device realization application)”, “Evaluation support tools (LCA device realization application, product use (EOL) evaluation device realization application, CAE device realization application, assembly property) Tool application program such as “evaluation device realization application, LCCA device realization application” and “tool for decision support device (decision support device realization application)” and other programs, and executes the program. , CPU (processor) 12 for performing input / output processing, various controls, input device 13 such as a keyboard, mouse or trackball for performing input operations, input contents and processing results, etc. Output device 14 such as a display, printer or plotter for output, display device (display) 18 for displaying input contents and processing results, etc., large capacity external storage device 15 for storing processing results and past data or storing database etc. And a communication interface 16 for communicating with a network, etc. Further, when the above-mentioned various tools are stored and distributed in various portable storage media such as a floppy, an optical disk or a memory card, this storage medium is provided. So that it can be read and executed by the CPU 12. Portable storage medium drive device 17 of the portable media measures such as Ppidoraibu and an optical disk drive or a memory card driver is provided.
[0059]
With such a configuration, the above-described processing is performed. In other words, the application for realizing the QFD device supports the functional configuration desired by the user starting from the VOC and the technical means for realizing it sequentially. Furthermore, an effective technical means can be selected by the application for realizing the LCP device in order to reduce the environmental load. This allows designers to create environmentally conscious product concepts that are competitive in the market.
[0060]
An application for realizing a CAD device in the deployment support device 30 creates a product shape and a structural model. The material selection support device implementation application supports the selection of materials that are suitable from the viewpoints of safety, resource conservation, environmental conservation, disposal, recyclability, etc. In particular, environmentally-related substances are determined from the viewpoint of safety and environmental conservation, and alternative materials are searched so that these materials are not used as much as possible.
[0061]
In the application for realizing the LCA device, the environmental load generated in the product life cycle is calculated (inventory analysis), and the influence on the environment is evaluated (impact analysis). Therefore, if the design solution (product and product life cycle process) is evaluated by the application for realizing the LCA device, and the design solution is improved based on the evaluation result, the environmental impact can be reduced. In addition, if the information of inventory analysis is used, the amount of resource input, the amount of waste, and the amount of energy consumption can be calculated.
[0062]
In the application for realizing the EOL evaluation apparatus, the degree of conformity with respect to each problem after product use is evaluated, and an upgradeability evaluation function, a maintenance performance evaluation function, a reusability evaluation function, and a recyclability evaluation are performed. In the upgradeability evaluation, the usage rate and replacement workability of the parts / materials that can be upgraded among the parts / materials constituting the product are calculated. In the maintainability evaluation, the usage rate and replacement workability of parts / materials that can be maintained / repaired among the parts / materials constituting the product are calculated. In the reusability evaluation, the usage rate and dismantling workability of parts / materials that can be upgraded among the parts / materials constituting the product are calculated. In the evaluation of recyclability, the usage rate and dismantling workability of parts / materials that can be recycled are calculated.
[0063]
In the application for realizing the CAE apparatus, a performance simulation is performed. Then, in the application for realizing the assemblability evaluation apparatus, the man-hour required for the assembly is estimated, and the assembly man-hour is minimized. At that time, the assembly procedure is also optimized.
[0064]
In the LCCA device realization application, the cost of the entire product life cycle from material procurement to disposal is estimated.
[0065]
The decision support device implementation application comprehensively evaluates multiple design alternatives based on the environmental strategy determined by the LCP device implementation application and the design specifications determined by the QFD tool, and the final design solution. To help you decide.
[0066]
In this way, a product life cycle plan is made, materials are selected with an emphasis on environmental issues, product design is performed, evaluation of the designed product is performed, and the product is delivered to the user before it is disposed of. It can be repeated until the best solution is reached while adjusting various parameters. Therefore, according to this design support device, the entire design process is consistently performed. Can help.
[0067]
FIG. 4 is an example in which the designer's problem-solving cycle and the stepwise progress of the design process are expressed simultaneously, and the application timings of various devices constituting the design support apparatus are shown on the diagram. The stages of processing proceed in a spiral manner from a “planning” stage, a “conceptual design” stage, a “basic design” stage, and a “detailed design” stage. Mainly, “Propose a problem” at the “Planning” stage, “Proposal” and “Decision” at the “Conceptual design” stage, “Development”, “Evaluation” and “Decision” at the “Basic design” stage In the “detailed design” stage, it is visually shown that the process progresses in the order of “deployment”, “evaluation”, and “decision”.
[0068]
If the target product is small, there may be no clear distinction between the basic design stage and the detailed design stage.
[Example of LCP apparatus]
Next, an embodiment of the LCP apparatus will be described. The problem structure in ECP design is environment, cost, and performance. Naturally, in ECP design, in addition to conventional performance and cost related design issues, environment related design issues must also be considered.
[0069]
Design issues related to the environment consist of “environmental issues” and “EOL issues”.
[0070]
First, here, the life cycle process is modeled in five stages: “material procurement”, “manufacturing”, “distribution”, “use”, and “disposal”.
[0071]
Next, environmental issues are set as the following five environmental issues.
[0072]
[1] Resource saving
[2] Energy saving
[3] Waste reduction
[4] Reduction of harmful substances
[5] Reduction of global environmental impact
Here, the issue [5] “Reduction of global environmental impact” is a collective term for several impact categories such as ozone layer protection and global warming prevention. The above five environmental issues can be evaluated by the LCA apparatus.
[0073]
The EOL related to the product is modeled as shown in FIG. At this time, as an option at EOL,
(1) Upgrade,
(2) Maintenance,
(3) Product remanufacturing
(4) Parts reuse,
(5) Material (chemical / metallurgical) recycling,
(6) Thermal recycling,
(7) detoxification disposal,
There can be. Here, the difference between “(3) Product remanufacturing” and “(2) Maintenance and (1) Upgrade” is only the location of the product ownership. And (2) and (3) are not different. That is, the former only transfers product ownership to other users, while the latter two continue to be used by the same user. The only difference is who uses it.
[0074]
Therefore, in the following, product remanufacturing will be included in maintenance / upgrade. Also, since (6) and (7) are treated as issues at the disposal stage in the previous life cycle process, they are excluded from the EOL issues.
[0075]
From the above, in the present invention, the target of the EOL task is set as (1), (2), (4), (5).
[0076]
The suitability for the EOL task can be evaluated by an EOL evaluation apparatus.
[0077]
FIG. 7 shows a system configuration example of the product life cycle plan support apparatus. The product life cycle planning support apparatus includes a product environment information database apparatus 100, a QFD apparatus 10, and an LCP apparatus 20. Here, since the product environment information database apparatus 100 and the QFD apparatus 10 are different apparatuses from the LCP apparatus 20, necessary information is exchanged with them.
[0078]
FIG. 8 shows an importance determination support flow for environmental issues in the life cycle process. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the product is a refrigerator. First, a planner or a designer inputs design items related to each matrix element into a life cycle matrix of the form shown in FIG. Step S21 in FIG.
[0079]
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the material flow after product use (EOL). Hereinafter, the refrigerator will be described as a target product of the embodiment. In other words, the life cycle of a product is divided into “material procurement”, “manufacturing”, “distribution”, “use”, and “disposal” stages. The product is “distributed” and delivered to the user, and the user obtains and “uses” the product, and eventually the user disposes of the product as an unnecessary item. The stage of disposing of this product as unnecessary is “after use”, and recycling and “disposal” are performed at the stage of “after use”.
[0080]
For recycling at the “post-use” stage, the product can be reused by upgrading the parts by replacing parts with high-performance parts or the latest ones. “Maintenance”, “Product remanufacturing” to use the product in the second-hand market by using new products, “Reuse parts” to recover usable parts and return them to the manufacturing stage, and recover usable materials Again, there is “material (chemical) recycling” as a material. Disposal includes “thermal recycling” in which it is burned and recovered as heat, and “detoxification disposal” in which waste is rendered harmless and discarded.
[0081]
Next, as shown in FIG. 32, among the inputted design items, items related to the product user, the company, and the stakeholder are set as the focus area (step S22 in FIG. 8). In the example of FIG. 32, the improvement of the power saving mode and the reduction of the packaging material are related to the product user, and the regulation is related to the company's business activities. For the focus area, the product environment information of the benchmark product (which may be a competitor's product) that is the target product to be improved and the company's conventional product is read from the product environment information database (FIGS. 33 and 34) (step S23 in FIG. 8). Then, the product environment information of the company's conventional product with respect to the benchmark product is calculated as a ratio (FIG. 35) and displayed on the display (step S24 in FIG. 8).
[0082]
In the example of FIG. 35, the company's conventional product is inferior to the benchmark product in the region where the value is larger than “1”, and the region having a value smaller than “1” indicates that the company's conventional product is superior. Yes. Based on the information in FIG. 35, the designer sets the importance of the design in the focus area as shown in FIG. 36 (steps S25 and S26 in FIG. 8).
[0083]
In the example of FIG. 36, the value of each region is normalized by the sum of the values of FIG. 35 (= 5.38).
[0084]
In this case, the importance of the design is high in the weakest area, and the importance is set low in the area that is already superior to the benchmark product. The importance setting shown in FIG. 36 can be performed algorithmically as in this example, or can be performed with the judgment of the designer. Note that the designer may determine a quantitative target value for each focus area based on the information in FIG.
[0085]
FIG. 9 shows the cooperative operation relationship between the application program to be invented and the operating system (0S).
<Support for determining importance for EOL issues>
Next, the importance level determination support for the EOL task will be described. As for the support here, first, the value life lv in the market of the target product and the useful life lu are input as in the importance determination support flow for the EOL problem shown in FIG. (Step S31).
[0086]
Here, the value life lv indicates a period until the EOL is reached due to a relative decrease in product value (cost / performance) depending on external factors. Also, the useful life lu refers to the period until the initial performance cannot be achieved due to physical deterioration or the like and the EOL is reached.
[0087]
Next, using the values of the value life lv and the useful life lu in the market of the target product, an eye EOL task is determined (steps S32 to S34).
[0088]
That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the value life lv and the useful life lu of the target product are used to determine whether lv> lu (step S41). If lv> lu, lv < It is determined whether 2lu is satisfied (step S42). If lv <2lu, "upgrade or component reuse" or "material recycling" is set (step S44). If lv <2lu is not satisfied as a result of the determination in step S42, "part reuse" or "material recycling" is set (step S44). If lv> lu is not satisfied as a result of the determination in step S41, it is determined whether lv <2lu (step S43). If lv <2lu, “maintenance” or “material recycling” is determined (step S44). ). If the result of determination in step S43 is not lv <2lu, “material recycling” is set (step S44).
[0089]
Conceptual diagrams explaining the processing flow in an easy-to-understand manner are shown in FIGS.
[0090]
In the present invention, it is important to place the product on the line of lv = lu in the [lv−lu] plane, that is, do not discard the product with the remaining value (use up the product value) (FIG. 12).
[0091]
Therefore, the EOL problem to be noticed differs depending on the magnitude relationship between the value life lv and the useful life lu in the market of the target product at the time of initial input.
[0092]
First, if lv at the time of input (value life in the market of the target product) is equal to lu (service life) (Fig. 13), it is possible to use up the product value in the market as usual, so material recycling Design that is oriented to the most important.
[0093]
On the other hand, when the value life lv in the market of the target product is smaller than the useful life lu as shown in FIG. 14, the EOL problem to be focused on is further determined under the following conditions.
[0094]
・ Lu <2 lv: Focus on upgrades.
[0095]
Iu> 21v: Emphasis on component reuse or upgrade.
[0096]
Further, as shown in FIG. 15, when the value life lv in the market of the target product is larger than the useful life lu, the EOL problem to be focused on is further determined under the following conditions.
[0097]
Lv <2lu: Emphasis on maintenance.
[0098]
-Lv> 2lu: Emphasis on material recycling.
[0099]
FIG. 16 shows the cooperative operation relationship between the application program to be invented and the operating system (0S).
[0100]
For example, when a refrigerator is considered as a product, if the market value life is set to lv = 15 years and the service life is set to lu = 12 years, “(1) maintenance”, “(2 ) Material Recycling ”leads to the focus. Therefore, importance is allocated to both.
[0101]
FIG. 17 shows an example of the importance (= environmental strategy) for the environment-related design problem regarding the current target product (refrigerator). This importance level information is stored in the product environment information database and used as needed in the subsequent design process. In this example, high importance is given to the ozone layer protection measures at the disposal stage and the improvement of maintainability after EOL.
[0102]
<Development of ECP design know-how>
Next, an ECP design know-how development flow using the above-mentioned importance will be described with reference to FIG.
[0103]
Step (S51): The apparatus captures the previous importance (environmental strategy).
[0104]
Step (S52): The apparatus automatically searches for an ECP design guideline that is effective for a design problem having a high degree of importance using information in the environment QFD database.
[0105]
Step (S53): The apparatus displays the searched ECP design guideline.
[0106]
Step (S54): The designer selects an ECP design guideline that can be applied.
[0107]
Step (S55): The apparatus automatically searches for specific ECP design know-how for realizing the input ECP design guideline using information in the environment QFD database.
[0108]
Step (S56): The apparatus displays the searched ECP design know-how.
[0109]
Step (S57): The designer selects ECP design know-how that can be applied.
[0110]
Step (S58): End when all applicable design know-how is selected. Otherwise, the process returns to step (S54) or step (S56).
[0111]
Through the above procedure, the designer can select ECP design know-how that is most effective for the target product and that can be actually applied, and the design concept becomes clearer.
[0112]
Here, the automatic search process in step (S52) is performed according to the following procedure.
[0113]
i: environmental issue issue numbers (1 to I),
j: Stage number of life cycle stage (1 to J),
k: assignment number (1-K) of the EOL assignment,
m: ECP design guideline number (1 to M),
Pim: Point of design guideline m for environmental issue i
Pjm: Point of design guideline m for life cycle stage j,
Pkm: Point of design guideline m for EOL task k
And
[0114]
Here, when Wij is an importance level for “environmental problem i” in “life cycle stage j” and Wk is an importance level for “EOL problem k”,

Then, the total point Pm (ENV) of the design guide m for the environmental issue i in the life cycle stage j and the total point Pm (EOL) of the design guide m for the EOL issue k are:

It can be expressed as. After a certain importance W is given, Pm (ENV) and Pm (EOL) are calculated. Therefore, a design guideline with Pm> 0 is a guideline that exhibits the effect this time, and is a design guideline that is effective in descending order of its value. Therefore, an effective design guideline can be automatically searched using this calculation result.
[0115]
Moreover, the automatic search process of step (S55) is based on the following procedures.
[0116]
First, the ECP design guideline m is regarded as a category named “m”, and an ECP design know-how n, which is a specific example, is assigned to one of “m” (M ≦ N). In this way, if design guideline m is designated, design know-how n belonging to it can be retrieved immediately.
[0117]
FIGS. 19 to 21 show examples of the contents of the environment QFD database 100.
[0118]
The environmental QFD database 100 holds information on “design guidelines” and “environmental issues”. As design guidelines, for example, “minimum use of rare materials that cannot be recycled”, “maximum use of recyclable materials”, “ “Maximum use of recycled materials”, “Minimization of energy consumption in material production”, “Minimization of use of hazardous substances”, “Minimization of material usage”, “Minimization of material types”, “Materials that cannot be replaced” Items such as “minimum use” and “minimization of the number of material colors” are also included. “Environmental issues” include “resource saving”, “energy saving”, “waste reduction”, “hazardous substance reduction”, “global environment” Information such as “impact reduction”, “material procurement”, “manufacturing”, “distribution”, “use”, “disposal”, “upgrade”, “maintenance”, “part reuse”, “material recycling” Is databased.
[0119]
In other words, the information on the “design guidelines” and “environmental issues” held in the environmental QFD database 100 is “minimum use of rare materials that cannot be recycled” and “recycle” as the design guidelines m in the examples shown in FIGS. "Maximum use of possible materials", "Maximum use of recycled materials", "Minimization of energy consumption in material production", "Minimization of use of hazardous substances", "Minimization of material usage", "Minimization of material types" , “Minimum use of non-substitutable materials”, “Minimization of the number of colors of materials”, and “Environmental issues vs. design guidelines” are environmental issues i as “resource saving”, “energy saving”, “ “Reduction of waste”, “Reduction of hazardous substances”, and “Reduction of global environmental impact” are related (FIG. 19). ”,“ Manufacturing ”,“ Distribution ”,“ Use ”,“ Disposal ”are related (FIG. 20), and“ EOL issues vs. design guidelines ”are EOL issues k as“ upgrade ”,“ maintenance ” It can be seen that “reuse of parts”, “material recycling”, and so on are associated (FIG. 21).
[0120]
FIG. 22 shows the cooperative operation relationship between the application program to be invented and the operating system (OS).
[0121]
FIG. 23 shows an example in which an ECP design guideline is automatically retrieved and displayed using the environmental strategy of FIG. 17 as an input value. In this example, “selection of alternative CFC refrigerant” and “selection of alternative CFC insulation” are displayed for protection of the ozone layer, and “maximization of replaceable parts” is displayed for improvement of maintenance. Has been.
[0122]
The system of the present invention has an ECP design know-how database, and the past design know-how can be referred to and used by using the ECP design know-how database at the time of product development. In other words, the ECP design know-how database is a database that summarizes various design cases accumulated in the past by users who develop products using this system in diagrams and texts. This is a database that can be used as a reference.
[0123]
FIG. 24 is an example of automatic search / display of ECP design know-how that specifically realizes the ECP design guideline of “maximizing replaceable parts” using the ECP design know-how database. Here, design know-how that can replace the evaporator is displayed. With reference to the display example displayed on the display as shown in FIG. 24, the designer can directly take in the design concept or use the information in the QFD matrix to be described later.
[0124]
FIG. 25 shows an example in which the designer selects an appropriate one from the ECP design know-how displayed by the LCP device 20 and uses it in the “QFD matrix 3” of FIG. With this QFD matrix, from the technical means developed from the viewpoint of cost and performance, the most appropriate one from the viewpoint of environmental strategy is selected, and based on this, the design considering all of performance, cost and environment in a well-balanced manner You can create a concept.
[0125]
After the design concept is clarified in this way, a structural model is created by a CAD device based on the concept as shown in FIG. At that time, a material to be used is selected using a material selection support device. Thereafter, design evaluation is performed using various evaluation apparatuses such as an LCA apparatus and an EOL evaluation apparatus.
[0126]
After a satisfactory design alternative is created by the above procedure, the decision support device 40 makes a final decision on the design solution. Here, the design alternatives are compared using the importance of the evaluation items regarding the performance, cost, and environment determined by the LCP device 20 and the QFD device 10 (FIG. 26).
[0127]
FIG. 27 to FIG. 30 are comparative display examples. Here, the importance is allocated to the benchmark benchmark product, and the relative value of the design alternative to it is displayed. In this example, it is clearly shown that Alternative A is superior to Benchmark Product and Alternative B in all aspects of performance, cost, and environment, so the designer can easily realize the design concept most easily. Alternative A can be adopted.
<Another embodiment of LCP tool>
FIG. 31 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the LCP tool. The configuration including the QFD device 10 and the LCP device 20 is the same as the previous embodiment, but in this embodiment, the LCP device 20 performs the focused EOL task determination support, and the result is the environmental task & EOL task. The following steps are taken: support for determining the importance of the project, implementing environmental strategies, developing ECP design guidelines, and developing ECP design know-how.
[0128]
That is, first, as already described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15, the EOL task to be focused on and its priority order are determined. After that, the EOL task and the environmental task to be focused on are expressed on an integrated life cycle matrix, and importance is given to each (FIGS. 37 and 38).
[0129]
Thereafter, the ECP concept can be created in the same procedure as that described with reference to FIGS.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the design concept regarding an environmentally conscious product and a product life cycle process can be created in consideration of the trade-off between performance, cost, and environment in a well-balanced manner. Moreover, by proceeding with the design based on the design concept clarified at the planning and conceptual design stage, the designers can achieve the design goal without confusion.
[0130]
As described above, the present invention includes an environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues, a product design know-how database that accumulates information on various design cases obtained in past product development, and a product life cycle process. Based on the importance given to the environmental issues at each stage and the issues to be considered at the end of product life, the most appropriate environmentally conscious design guidelines for the target product are obtained from the environmental quality function deployment database. A first support means for presenting, and a second support means for retrieving and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines presented by the first support means from the product design know-how database. In the first support means, the environmental issues at each stage of the product life cycle process and the issues to be considered at the product lifetime Based on the importance given in this way, the most appropriate environmentally harmonious design guideline for the target product is retrieved from the environmental quality function development database and presented to the designer. The environmentally conscious design know-how that realizes the design guidelines is retrieved from the product design know-how database and presented to the designer. As a result, it is possible to support the creation of an environmentally harmonious product concept most suitable for the target product.
[0131]
Further, the design means for designing the product reflecting the design guideline obtained by the second support means, the evaluation means for evaluating the design result, and comparing the evaluation result with the alternative plan for decision making. By adopting a configuration comprising a decision support means for obtaining support information, the design means implements the product design reflecting the environmentally conscious design know-how presented by the second support means, and the evaluation means By evaluating and comparing the evaluation result of this evaluation means with the alternative by the decision support means, and obtaining decision support information, it becomes possible to easily carry out the optimum design of the product with an emphasis on environmental problems.
[0132]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above, It can change suitably within the range which does not change the summary, and can be implemented. The method described in the embodiment is stored in a recording medium such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), semiconductor memory, etc. as a program that can be executed by a computer. It can also be distributed.
[0133]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the design concept regarding an environmentally conscious product and a product life cycle process can be created in consideration of the trade-off between performance, cost, and environment in a well-balanced manner. Moreover, by proceeding with the design based on the design concept clarified at the planning and conceptual design stage, the designers can achieve the design goal without confusion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system conceptual diagram as an example of a decision support apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration example of a design support apparatus according to the present invention in environment-oriented design.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration when the system of the present invention is realized by a general-purpose computer.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and a diagram for explaining a relationship between a design process and an apparatus in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and showing an example of matrix contents in a life cycle process vs. environmental problem used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a process after product use (EOL) in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a block diagram showing a system configuration example of an LCP device in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for supporting importance determination for an environmental problem in a life cycle process used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention, and is a flow chart showing a flow of processing for determining a focused environmental problem for an environmental problem in the life cycle process used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a flow of importance determination support processing for an EOL task used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a flow of a decision support process for a focused EOL task used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and is a diagram for explaining a concept of a focused EOL task determination support process used in the system of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a concept of a focused EOL task determination support process used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and is a diagram for explaining the concept of a focused EOL task determination support process used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining the concept of a focused EOL task determination support process used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram showing an operational cooperative relationship between an application program for importance determination support processing for an EOL task used in the system of the present invention and an operating system (0S).
FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram illustrating an example of importance (= environmental strategy) for an environment-related design problem related to a target product (refrigerator) described in the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for developing ECP design know-how used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and is a diagram for explaining an example of contents related to environmental issues versus design guidelines in an environment QFD database used in the system of the present invention;
FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a content example related to a life cycle process versus a design guideline in an environment QFD database used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and is a diagram for explaining an example of contents related to an EOL problem versus a design guideline in an environment QFD database used in the system of the present invention;
FIG. 22 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention, and is a flowchart for explaining a processing example of ECP design know-how development used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and is a diagram showing a display example of an ECP design guideline used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and is a diagram showing a display example of ECP design finger know-how used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and showing an example of embedding a QFD matrix used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and shows a processing flow and an information flow of a design process using an output concession of a life cycle planning support tool.
FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and showing an example of a decision support screen in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 28 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and showing an example of a decision support screen in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 29 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and showing an example of a decision support screen in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 30 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and showing an example of a decision support screen in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 31 is a system conceptual diagram as another example of a decision support apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram showing an example of setting contents of a focus area of a matrix in a life cycle process versus environment problem used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 33 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram showing an example of setting contents of product environment information in a matrix of life cycle process vs. environmental problem for a benchmark product used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 34 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram showing an example of setting contents of product environment information in a matrix of a life cycle process vs. environmental problem for an in-house conventional product used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 35 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and shows an example of embedding importance of a matrix of life cycle process vs. environmental problem used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 36 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram showing a benchmark comparison example regarding a focus area of a matrix of a life cycle process vs. an environmental problem used in the system of the present invention.
FIG. 37 is a diagram for explaining the present invention and is a diagram showing an example of a life cycle process vs. environmental problem + EOL problem as another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 38 is a diagram for explaining the present invention, and is a diagram showing an example of embedding importance as another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 ... Quality function deployment device (QFD device)
20 ... Life cycle planning support device (LCP device)
30 ... Deployment support device
40. Evaluation support device
50: A decision support device.
100: Product environment information database device.

Claims (6)

An environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues;
A product design know-how database that accumulates information on environmentally conscious design cases obtained from past product development,
For each of a plurality of environmental issues selected for a plurality of stages included in the product life cycle, the product environment information of the second product of the target products with respect to the product environment information of the first product of the target products A first importance determining means for calculating the ratio of the first and setting the importance for each environmental problem based on the ratio;
A second importance determining means for selecting a problem to be considered at the time of product life based on the magnitude relationship between the value life and the useful life of the target product, and setting the importance for each selected problem;
The plurality of environmental issues selected for each stage of the product life cycle, the importance set for each environmental issue, the issues to be considered during the product life, and the importance set for the issues Based on the first support means for obtaining the most suitable environment-friendly design guideline for the target product from the environmental quality function deployment database,
A second support means for searching and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines acquired by the first support means from the product design know-how database;
A product life cycle planning support device characterized by comprising: An environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues;
Product design know-how database that accumulates information on design cases obtained in past product development,
For each of a plurality of environmental issues selected for a plurality of stages included in the product life cycle, the product environment information of the second product of the target products with respect to the product environment information of the first product of the target products A first importance determining means for calculating the ratio of the first and setting the importance for each environmental problem based on the ratio;
A second importance determining means for selecting a problem to be considered at the time of product life based on the magnitude relationship between the value life and the useful life of the target product, and setting the importance for each selected problem;
The plurality of environmental issues selected for each stage of the product life cycle, the importance set for each environmental issue, the issues to be considered during the product life, and the importance set for the issues Based on the first support means for obtaining the most suitable environment-friendly design guideline for the target product from the environmental quality function deployment database,
A second support means for searching and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines acquired by the first support means from the product design know-how database;
Quality function deployment means to obtain the optimum design specifications by processing with the quality function deployment method to realize product performance and cost related technical issues in an optimal balance,
A design means for designing a product reflecting the design know-how obtained by the second support means and the optimum design specification obtained by the quality function deployment means;
An evaluation means for evaluating the design result;
A product life cycle planning support device characterized by comprising: An environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues;
Product design know-how database that accumulates information on design cases obtained in past product development,
For each of a plurality of environmental issues selected for a plurality of stages included in the product life cycle, the product environment information of the second product of the target products with respect to the product environment information of the first product of the target products A first importance determining means for calculating the ratio of the first and setting the importance for each environmental problem based on the ratio;
A second importance determining means for selecting a problem to be considered at the time of product life based on the magnitude relationship between the value life and the useful life of the target product, and setting the importance for each selected problem;
Said plurality of environmental issues that are selected by stage of the product life cycle, the importance level set for each environmental issues, and base-out issues to consider during product life, and a significant level set to the problems Based on the first support means for obtaining the most suitable environment-friendly design guideline for the target product from the environmental quality function deployment database,
A second support means for searching and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines acquired by the first support means from the product design know-how database;
Design means for designing a product reflecting the design know-how obtained by the second support means;
An evaluation means for evaluating the design result;
A decision support means for comparing the evaluation results with alternatives to obtain decision support information;
A product life cycle planning support device characterized by comprising: An environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues;
Product design know-how database that accumulates information on design cases obtained in past product development,
For each of a plurality of environmental issues selected for a plurality of stages included in the product life cycle, the product environment information of the second product of the target products with respect to the product environment information of the first product of the target products A first importance determining means for calculating the ratio of the first and setting the importance for each environmental problem based on the ratio;
A second importance determining means for selecting a problem to be considered at the time of product life based on the magnitude relationship between the value life and the useful life of the target product, and setting the importance for each selected problem;
The plurality of environmental issues selected for each stage of the product life cycle, the importance set for each environmental issue, the issues to be considered during the product life, and the importance set for the issues Based on the first support means for obtaining the most suitable environment-friendly design guideline for the target product from the environmental quality function deployment database,
A second support means for searching and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines acquired by the first support means from the product design know-how database;
Quality function deployment means to obtain the optimum design specifications by processing with the quality function deployment method to realize product performance and cost related technical issues in an optimal balance,
Design means for designing a product reflecting the design guideline obtained by the second support means and the optimum design specification obtained by the quality function deployment means;
An evaluation means for evaluating the design result;
A decision support means for comparing the evaluation results with alternatives to obtain decision support information;
A product life cycle planning support device characterized by comprising: An environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues;
A product design know-how database that accumulates information on environmentally conscious design cases obtained from past product development,
A first importance determining means for setting importance for each environmental problem selected for a plurality of stages included in the product life cycle;
A second importance determining means for setting the importance for the problem to be considered at the time of product life,
First support means for acquiring the most appropriate environmentally harmonized pattern design guidelines for the target product from the environmental quality function deployment database;
A second support means for searching and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines acquired by the first support means from the product design know-how database;
A product life cycle plan support method in a product life cycle plan support device comprising:
The target for the product environment information of the first product among the target products for each of the plurality of environmental issues selected by the first importance determining means for the plurality of stages included in the product life cycle. A first step of calculating a ratio of product environmental information of the second product of the products, and setting importance for each environmental problem based on the ratio;
The second importance level determining means selects a problem to be considered at the time of product life based on the magnitude relationship between the value life and the useful life of the target product, and sets the importance level for each selected problem. Two steps,
The first support means selects the plurality of environmental issues selected for each stage of the product life cycle, the importance set for each environmental issue, issues to be considered at the time of product life, and the issues A third step of acquiring, from the environmental quality function development database, the most appropriate environmentally conscious design guideline for the target product based on the importance set for the target product;
A fourth step in which the second support means searches the product design know-how database for design know-how for realizing the design guideline acquired in the third step;
A product life cycle planning support method characterized by including :   Computer
  Environmental quality function deployment database that holds information on design guidelines and environmental issues,
  Product design know-how database that accumulates information on environmentally conscious design cases obtained from past product development,
  For each of a plurality of environmental issues selected for a plurality of stages included in the product life cycle, product environment information of the second product of the target products with respect to product environment information of the first product of the target products A first importance determining means for calculating the ratio of the first and setting the importance for each environmental problem based on the ratio,
  Second importance determining means for selecting a problem to be considered at the time of product life based on the magnitude relationship between the value life and the useful life of the target product, and setting the importance for each selected problem;
  The plurality of environmental issues selected for each stage of the product life cycle, the importance set for each environmental issue, the issues to be considered at the product lifetime, and the importance set for the issues Based on the first support means for acquiring the most appropriate environment-friendly design guideline for the target product from the environmental quality function deployment database,
  Second support means for retrieving and presenting design know-how for realizing the design guidelines acquired by the first support means from the product design know-how database;
  A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for functioning as a computer is recorded.

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