Environmental impact estimation method and apparatus

Abstract

An environmental impact estimation method comprising storing information related to reuse and recycle objects in a memory unit, performing life cycle modeling to make a life cycle model, the life cycle modeling including reading information related to the reuse and recycle objects, selecting some of the reuse and recycle objects which can be diverted to a new product, and combining the reuse and recycle objects selected together to assemble new product, predicting, as a superposition of two or more arbitrary shapes, recovery distribution of products by the life cycle modeling to predict a recovery quantity of the reuse and recycle objected, using the life cycle model, determining the arbitrary shapes as a peak of the product worth life or product useful life, and evaluating an environmental impact and a cost to bear in reuse or recycle based on prediction result.

1 - 19 . (canceled)  
     
     
         20 : A reuse scheduling support apparatus in executing at least one of reuse of parts of a product and materials recycling, the apparatus comprising: 
 a modeling unit configured to execute life cycle modeling between reuse products that is a process for performing definition for deciding what parts of a recovery product should be diverted to what new product;    a prediction unit configured to predict feeding quantity of reuse parts by applying a model modeled by the modeling unit; and    an environmental impact and cost evaluation unit configured to evaluate environmental impact and cost that are involved in recycling on the basis of a prediction result of the prediction unit.    
     
     
         21 : The apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein the life cycle modeling includes grouping icons prepared by iconizing part names into a plurality of icon groups, and inputting product information corresponding to the icon groups, and attaching product LCA information and LCC information relative to the parts of the product as related information.  
     
     
         22 : The apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein a peak position of a recovery distribution exists at a position shifted only by the product worth life and product useful life from a peak position of a manufacture quantity distribution.  
     
     
         23 : The apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein the cost includes a cost obtained by accumulating, in k period, a material supply cost, a manufactures' cost, a distribution cost, a product recovery cost, a reuse cost, a recycling cost, and a disposal cost in the product life cycle, and the environmental impact includes CO 2  obtained by accumulating, in k period, CO 2  occurring in each stage in the product life cycle including materials supply, manufacture, circulation, use, product recovery, reuse, recycling, or disposal.  
     
     
         24 : An environmental impact estimation program recorded on a computer readable medium, comprising: 
 means for instructing a computer processor to store information related to reuse objects and recycle objects in a memory unit;    means for instructing the computer processor to perform life cycle modeling to make a life cycle mode, the life cycle modeling including reading information related to the reuse objects and the recycle objects from the memory unit, selecting some of the reuse objects and the recycle objects which can be diverted to a new product from a recovery product using read information, and combining the reuse objects and recycle objects selected together to assemble the new product;    means for instructing the computer processor to predict, as a superposition of two or more arbitrary shapes, recovery distribution of products used as reuse objects by the life cycle modeling in order to predict a recovery quantity of at least one of the reuse objects and recycle objects, using the life cycle model;    means for instructing the computer processor to determine at least one of the arbitrary shapes as a peak of the product worth life or product useful life; and,    means for instructing the computer processor to evaluate an environmental impact and a cost to bear in reuse or recycling based on prediction result obtained by the predicting.    
     
     
         25 : The program according to  claim 24 , wherein the life cycle modeling includes grouping icons prepared by iconizing part names into a plurality of icon groups, and inputting product information corresponding to the icon groups, and attaching product LCA information and LCC information of component parts of the product as related information.  
     
     
         26 : The program according to  claim 24 , wherein a peak position of the recovery distribution exists at a position shifted only by the product worth life and product useful life from a peak position of a manufacture quantity distribution.  
     
     
         27 : The program according to  claim 24 , wherein the cost includes a cost obtained by accumulating, in k period, a material supply cost, a manufactures' cost, a distribution cost, a product recovery cost, a reuse cost, a recycling cost, and a disposal cost in the product life cycle, and the environmental impact includes CO 2  obtained by accumulating, in k period, CO 2  occurring in each stage of the product life cycle including materials supply, manufacture, circulation, use, product recovery, reuse, recycling, or disposal.  
     
     
         28 : An environmental impact estimation program recorded on a computer readable medium, comprising: 
 means for instructing a computer processor to store information related to reuse objects and recycle objects in a memory unit;    means for instructing the computer processor to perform life cycle modeling to make a life cycle model, the life cycle modeling including reading information related to the reuse objects and the recycle objects from the memory unit, selecting some of the reuse objects and the recycle objects which can be diverted to a new product from a recovery product using read information, and combining the reuse objects and the recycle objects selected together to assemble the new product;    means for instructing the computer to predict, as a superposition of two arbitrary shapes whose peaks correspond to a product worth life and a product useful life, recovery distribution of products used as the reuse objects by the life cycle modeling in order to predict a recovery quantity of at least one recovery of the reuse objects and the recycle objects, using the life cycle mode; and,    means for instructing the computer to evaluate an environmental impact and a cost to bear in reuse or recycle based on prediction result obtained by the predicting.    
     
     
         29 : A product recovery prediction program recorded on a computer readable medium, comprising: 
 means for instructing a computer to input a useful life of a product, a worth life of the product, a rate of users using the useful life of the product as a disposal main factor, a product recovery rate, a product manufacture period, a number of products, a number-of-products distribution shape, and a recovery distribution shape;    means for instructing the computer to generate a number-of-product distribution in the manufacture period according to the number-of-product distribution shape; and,    means for instructing the computer to generate a number-of-recovery products from the number-of-products distribution, the recovery rate, the recovery distribution shape, the worth lifeof the product and a useful life of the product.