Recyclable component with data storage for storing information for examining the component and product including such a component

• US 5,654,902 A
• Filed: 04/26/1994
• Issued: 08/05/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lagadec, Roger, Scheidt, Lutz-Gunther, Zong, Shuqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US08/233,762
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 364/550, 364/551.01, 364/508, 364/506, 364/566, 364/556, 364/468.01, 364/468.12, 364/468.15, 364/468.16, 364/468.17, 364/478.02, 364/478.03 , 364/478.07, 364/478.09, 364/478.1, 364/571.01, 364/571.03, 364/571.04, 355/203, 355/202, 355/204, 264/36, 264/37, 164/92.1, 396/6, 399/27, 399/106, 399/253, 428/903.3
• US Class Current: 702/82
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to the problem of recycling of products of complicated structure and is based on the idea to provide each component of the product with a memory in which not only at the timing of production information such as location of material to be recycled is stored but also additional data, e.g., about repair and/or specific stress to which the component has been exposed during its use. Such additional data may be collected via specific sensors provided either on each component or in or on the body of the product to be memorized in the memory of each component. Based on the idea of the invention, the life history of each component of the discarded product can be checked individually for determining whether such component may be reused or disposed for disassembling and recycling.

Claims

1. A recyclable product comprising:

a) one or more component blocks;

b) sensor means associated with said one or more component blocks, said sensor means detecting a condition of one or more of the associated component blocks and providing a detection signal representative thereof;

c) memory means included with at least one of said one or more component blocks; and

d) control means for receiving said detection signal from said sensor means, processing the detection signal, and providing said memory means with the processed detection signal;

wherein said sensor means detects stress of said component block during use and derives the detection signal so as to include stress information that is indicative thereof;

wherein said memory means stores said stress information and also stores passive data necessary for recycling said one or more component blocks; and

wherein at least one of said one or more component blocks includes output terminal means for release of information data including the stress information and the passive data stored in said memory means, said stress information including active data indicative of at least one of the following conditions detected by the sensor means;

(a) maximum/minimum temperature;

(b) maximum acceleration;

(c) maximum power consumption;

(d) maximum voltage;

(e) maximum humidity exposure;

(f) malfunction caused by the component;

(g) short circuit occurred in relation to the component;

(h) outgassing;

(i) emissions; and

(j) electromagnetic radiation;

whereby each said one or more component blocks are recyclable on the basis of the passive data and the active data provided from the output terminal means.

2. A recyclable product according to claim 1, wherein said product includes a plurality of said component blocks each including at least one sensor.

3. A recyclable product according to either one of claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of said one or more component blocks further includes input terminal means for receiving the processed detection signal from said control means.

4. A recyclable product according to claim 1, wherein the passive data includes the location within the product of said one or more components.

5. A recyclable product according to claim 1, wherein the passive data includes the location of hazardous or precious material.

6. A recyclable product according to claim 1, wherein the memory means are tamper-proof.

7. A method of recycling a product that includes at least one component, said method comprising the steps of:

a) reading out from memory means provided within the product and associated with said at least one component information data related to said at least one component, said information data including active data describing stress that said at least one component has undergone and passive data indicating at least one of;

the location of the component, and instructions for disassembly of the product;

b) disassembling the product to separate the at least one component according to the passive data;

c) sorting the at least one component according to the active data; and

d) forwarding the at least one component for subsequent use thereof.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said active data is descriptive of at least one of the following conditions experienced by the component:

maximum/minimum temperature;

maximum acceleration;

maximum power consumption;

maximum voltage;

maximum humidity exposure;

malfunction;

short circuit;

outgassing;

emissions; and

electromagnetic radiation.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein said passive data includes manufacturing data that includes at least one of the following:

name of the manufacture;

model name or number of the component;

individual product number or serial number of the component;

manufacturing date and location;

component specification;

location of the component within the product;

composition of the component;

predicted life of the component;

manufacturing history of the component;

testing information; and

fault reporting information.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein said information data further includes supplementary data comprising at least one of:

distribution and sales data;

history of repair and maintenance service data; and

data of technical conditions for product guarantee claims.

11. A recyclable product comprising:

a plurality of components;

sensor means associated with each of the plurality of components for sensing conditions undergone by an associated component and producing detection signals based thereon;

control means coupled to the sensor means for processing the detection signals and outputting processed detection signals as active data;

memory means coupled to the control means and associated with each of the plurality of components, the memory means storing the active data output from the control means and also storing passive data concerning associated ones of the plurality of components that is necessary for recycling the components; and

terminal means associated with each of the plurality of components, the terminal means providing remote access to the memory means associated with each of the plurality of components;

whereby the active data and passive data stored in the memory means are accessible to determine which of the plurality of components are amenable to recycling.

12. A recyclable product according to claim 11, wherein the active data is descriptive of at least one of the following conditions experienced by the component:

maximum/minimum temperature;

maximum acceleration;

maximum power consumption;

maximum voltage;

maximum humidity exposure;

malfunction;

short circuit;

outgassing;

emissions; and

electromagnetic radiation.

13. A recyclable product according to claim 11, wherein the passive data includes manufacturing data that includes at least one of the following:

name of the manufacture;

model name or number of the component;

individual product number or serial number of the component;

manufacturing date and location;

component specification;

location of the component within the product;

composition of the component;

predicted life of the component;

manufacturing history of the component;

testing information; and

fault reporting information.

14. A recyclable product according to claim 13, wherein the passive data includes the presence of hazardous or precious material within a particular component.

15. A recyclable product according to claim 11, wherein the memory means further stores supplementary data comprising at least one of:

distribution and sales data;

history of repair and maintenance service data; and

data of technical conditions for product guarantee claims.

16. A recyclable product according to claim 11, wherein the memory means are tamper-proof.

17. A system for recycling products comprising:

a plurality of products, each including;

a plurality of components;

sensor means associated with each of the plurality of components for sensing conditions undergone by an associated component and producing detection signals based thereon;

control means coupled to the sensor means for processing the detection signals and outputting processed detection signals as active data;

memory means coupled to the control means and associated with each of the plurality of components, the memory means storing the active data output from the control means and also storing passive data concerning associated ones of the plurality of components; and

output terminal means associated with each of the plurality of components; and

a check device for examining the components of the plurality of products, the check device including;

output terminal means for connection to the input terminal means of the components; and

data processing means for analyzing the passive data and active data stored in the memory means so as to determine whether a given component is recyclable.