JP2004171342A - Information providing system for fruit and vegetable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an online order for an individual piece of fruit or vegetable after a check on the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable. <P>SOLUTION: An imaging mechanism 14c acquires a sectional image of an individual piece of fruit or vegetable specified by specification information acquired from a communication terminal 18 over a telecommunication line 16. An attribute presentation information generation part 20d in an information delivery server 12 generates attribute presentation information according to the acquired sectional image, and delivers it to the communication terminal 18 over the telecommunication line 16. The communication terminal 18 displays the sectional image according to the attribute presentation information. A consumer can thus check the inside of every piece of fruit or vegetable according to the sectional image before ordering a desired individual piece of fruit or vegetable. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for providing attribute information of fruits and vegetables via a telecommunication line, and more particularly to a system capable of providing cross-sectional images of fruits and vegetables or information related thereto.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, with regard to so-called online sales of fruits and vegetables via the Internet, a technique for presenting information such as a production place, a producer, a shape, a pattern, and a color of the fruits and vegetables is already known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-56285
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the case of over-the-counter sales, it is also possible to pick up the fruits and vegetables to be purchased, so consumers can check the appearance in detail, check the tapping sound and tactile sensation, and check the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables. Some degree of hit can be given to each individual. On the other hand, in the case of online sales, since it is not possible to confirm the detailed appearance, tapping sound, tactile sensation, etc., there is some concern about whether or not the individual actually delivered by ordering has the desired quality. I have to order. In particular, when fruits and vegetables are classified into a plurality of types according to types, harvest times, and the like, and only information representative of the classification is presented, the consumer cannot individually select and order the fruits and vegetables.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The fruit and vegetable information providing system according to the present invention includes an attribute presentation information generating unit that generates attribute presentation information for presenting to a request source terminal that has requested presentation of an attribute of a fruit or vegetable via a telecommunication line, Cross-sectional image obtaining means for obtaining a cross-sectional image of fruits and vegetables, and the cross-sectional image obtaining means obtains a cross-sectional image of the individual identified from the instruction information obtained from the requesting terminal via a telecommunication line, The attribute presentation information generation unit generates attribute presentation information based on the cross-sectional image acquired by the cross-sectional image acquisition unit. In this way, the consumer can confirm the contents of each of the fruits and vegetables based on the cross-sectional image of the fruits and vegetables, and then order the desired fruits and vegetables for each individual.
[0006]
In the fruit and vegetable information providing system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the cross-sectional image obtaining unit obtains a cross-sectional image of a cross section specified by the instruction information. In this way, the consumer can order the individual having more desired quality by checking the desired cross-sectional image.
[0007]
Further, in the fruit and vegetable information providing system according to the present invention, the attribute presentation information generating means includes attribute presentation information including an index of a predetermined taste characteristic calculated based on the cross-sectional image obtained by the cross-sectional image obtaining means. It is preferably generated. In this way, the consumer can order an individual having more desired quality based on the taste index such as sugar content and acid content estimated from the cross-sectional image.
[0008]
Further, in the fruit and vegetable information providing system according to the present invention, the cross-sectional image acquiring means includes an imaging mechanism that acquires a result of transmission of a predetermined wave through the fruit and vegetable, and an individual of the fruit and vegetable identified from the instruction information and the imaging mechanism. It is preferable to include a driving mechanism that moves at least one of the fruits and vegetables relative to the imaging position by the imaging mechanism. With such a configuration, a cross-sectional image of the fruit or vegetable individual specified by the request source can be acquired. This eliminates the need to prepare a large number of cross-sectional images and information related thereto in response to various requests, and accordingly, the data storage capacity in the information providing system can be reduced.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a fruit and vegetable information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection configuration of a fruit and vegetable information providing system 10 and a communication terminal 18 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the fruit and vegetable information providing system 10, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a unit 20. FIG.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 1, the fruit and vegetable information providing system 10 is connected to a plurality of communication terminals 18 via an electric communication line 16. The communication terminal 18 requests the fruit and vegetable information providing system 10 to provide the attribute of the fruit and vegetable via the electric communication line 16. The fruit and vegetable information providing system 10 generates attribute presentation information for presenting the attribute of the fruit and vegetable in response to the request, and distributes the attribute presentation information to the communication terminal 18 via the electric communication line 16. The fruit and vegetable information providing system 10 includes an information distribution server 12 and a cross-sectional image acquisition device 14. The fruit and vegetable information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment can handle various fruits and vegetables, such as fruits such as melon and watermelon, and vegetables such as cabbage and Chinese cabbage.
[0011]
The information distribution server 12, the communication terminal 18, and the telecommunication line 16 can be configured as, for example, a Web server, a Web client, and the Internet. In this case, the information distribution server 12 as a Web server responds to an access from the communication terminal 18 as a Web client, in response to a document formatting language (a language in which display content information is displayed by a browser based on predetermined display control information; For example, document data in HTML or the like is distributed as attribute presentation information. On the other hand, the communication terminal 18 displays a screen based on the received document data by an installed browser (for example, a WWW browser).
[0012]
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information distribution server 12 is configured as, for example, a computer, and controls each unit of the information distribution server 12 and the cross-sectional image acquisition device 14 and performs various calculations and a control unit (for example, a CPU) 20 and a control unit 20. (For example, a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, or the like) 22 for storing information relating to various calculations by the CPU, an input unit (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like) 24 for inputting an instruction to the control unit 20 or inputting various information, An output unit (for example, a display) 26 for outputting a result or the like, and a transmission / reception processing unit (for example, I / O) for exchanging information in a predetermined format with another device (cross-sectional image acquisition device 14 or communication terminal 18). O processing circuit etc.) 28 and the like.
[0013]
The control unit 20 generates attribute presentation information in advance as document data in a document formatting language, for example, and stores this in the storage unit 22. The attribute presentation information may include a program for general-purpose software. Specifically, for example, Java (registered trademark) VM (virtual machine) may be adopted as general-purpose software, and attribute presentation information may be generated as HTML document data including a Java (registered trademark) applet. The attribute presentation information may include a script language such as Flash (registered trademark).
[0014]
Further, the control unit 20 executes various processes described later (that is, processes of steps S11, S13, S17, S20, S23, S24, S25, and the like) according to a program stored in a program storage unit including the storage unit 22 and the like. I do. The program is read, for example, from a computer-readable storage medium by a removable device (not shown), or downloaded via the electric communication line 16 and installed in the program holding unit.
[0015]
The cross-sectional image acquisition device 14 includes a control mechanism 14a, a driving mechanism 14b, and an imaging mechanism 14c. Among them, the control mechanism 14a is configured as, for example, a computer, and controls a drive mechanism 14b and an imaging mechanism 14c and controls various operations (for example, a CPU) 40, and a storage unit that stores information on various operations by the control unit 40 (for example, A RAM, ROM, hard disk, or the like 42; an input unit (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) 44 for inputting an instruction or various information to the control unit 40; and an output unit (for example, a display or the like) for outputting a calculation result by the control unit 40 ) 46, and a transmission / reception processing unit (for example, an I / O processing circuit) 48 for exchanging information with another device (the information distribution server 12 or the communication terminal 18) in a predetermined format.
[0016]
The control unit 40 also executes various processes (that is, processes in steps S21, S22, and the like), which will be described later, according to the program stored in the program storage unit including the storage unit 42 and the like, similarly to the control unit 20 described above. The program is read from a computer-readable storage medium by a removable device (not shown) or downloaded via the electric communication line 16 and installed in the program holding unit.
[0017]
The drive mechanism 14b is configured as, for example, a robot arm that moves the drive target to a specified position in a three-dimensional space. As the robot arm, an articulated robot arm or a three-way slide rail type arm can be adopted. The driving mechanism 14b moves one or more fruits and vegetables 52 and / or the imaging mechanism 14c placed in the vegetable storage 50 according to an instruction from the control unit 40 of the control mechanism 14a or the control unit 20 of the information distribution server 12. Then, the specific fruits and vegetables 52 (the fruits and vegetables 52 specified by the communication terminal 18) are arranged at a position where the imaging mechanism 14c can image (an imaging position).
[0018]
The imaging mechanism 14c is configured as, for example, a known X-ray CT device, ultrasonic image acquisition device, or near-infrared image acquisition device. Particularly, it is configured as a so-called three-dimensional CT apparatus capable of acquiring original data of a cross section at a plurality of imaging positions in advance, performing predetermined arithmetic processing based on the original data, and presenting a three-dimensional cross-sectional image of an arbitrary cross section. It is desirable to do. The imaging mechanism 14c, according to an instruction from the control unit 40 of the control mechanism 14a or the control unit 20 of the information distribution server 12, converts the cross-sectional image at the specific position or direction for the specific vegetable 52 placed at the shooting position. get.
[0019]
The information distribution server 12 and the cross-sectional image acquisition device 14 can transmit information via the interface device 30, respectively. Communication between the information distribution server 12 and the cross-sectional image acquisition device 14 may be performed via the dedicated line 32 or may be performed via the electric communication line 16. Further, the cross-sectional image acquisition device 14 may be integrated with the information distribution server 12. In this case, each function of the control mechanism 14a described above may be given to the information distribution server 12.
[0020]
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control unit 20 of the information distribution server 12 includes an imaging instruction information generation unit 20a, a cross-sectional image information generation unit 20b, a taste index calculation unit 20c, and an attribute presentation information generation unit 20d. The operation of each of these units will be described later.
[0021]
Next, arithmetic processing in the information distribution server 12 according to the present embodiment, arithmetic processing in the information distribution server 12 and the communication terminal 18 and communication therebetween are described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information distribution server 12 and the communication terminal 18. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a vegetable selection screen displayed on the communication terminal 18 based on the attribute presentation information received from the information distribution server 12. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a vegetable cross section determination screen displayed on the communication terminal 18 based on the attribute presentation information also received from the information distribution server 12, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a result display screen including a cross-sectional image of a fruit and vegetable and a taste index displayed on a terminal 18.
[0022]
First, the attribute presentation information generation unit 20d (FIG. 3) in the control unit 20 of the information distribution server 12 generates attribute presentation information for displaying the fruit / vegetable selection screen and the fruit / vegetable cross section determination screen on the communication terminal 18, and Is stored in the storage unit 22 (step S11). When receiving the distribution request for the attribute presentation information from the communication terminal 18, that is, when there is an access to the Web page corresponding to the attribute presentation information (step S12), the information distribution server 12 transmits the stored attribute presentation information to the communication terminal. The data is distributed to the terminal 18 (step S13). In the communication terminal 18, a vegetable selection screen is displayed based on the received attribute presentation information (step S14).
[0023]
On the fruit and vegetable selection screen shown in FIG. 5, a product name (brand), an external photograph, a production area, producer information, a harvest time (harvest date), a sectional view information, a price, and the like are displayed in a table format for each fruit and vegetable individual. ing. Hyperlinks may be appropriately set to the characters, photos, designs, etc. of these items, and detailed attribute presentation information may be called up by clicking. Further, in this example, a hyperlink 60 for calling the already acquired cross-sectional image is set. Further, in this example, the determination button 62 is set for each individual, and by clicking this determination button 62, the individual corresponding to the determination button 62 is selected as an order target (or a candidate thereof) ( Step S15).
[0024]
Further, a new section image acquisition button 64 is set on the vegetable selection screen shown in FIG. Then, when the operator (that is, the consumer) clicks on this, the communication terminal 18 transmits information indicating the selected individual to the information distribution server 12 and an attribute for acquiring the cross-sectional view of the individual. Request presentation information (step S16). The information indicating the determined individual transmitted here is, for example, an ID set for each fruit and vegetable. Then, the information distribution server 12 distributes the attribute presentation information corresponding to the request (that is, the attribute presentation information for displaying the fruit and vegetable cross section determination screen) to the communication terminal 18 (step S17). A vegetable cross section determination screen is displayed based on the presentation information (step S18).
[0025]
In the fruit / vegetable cross-section determination screen shown in FIG. 6, the operator inputs an instruction (in this example, clicks the four arrow buttons 66) to rotate the fruit / vegetable design 68 and the arrow 70 indicating the front (for example, the side shown in the external view). (Note that the cutting line 72 corresponding to the cross section is not moved.) Then, when the graphic pattern 68 and the arrow 70 of the fruits and vegetables are rotated to the desired positions, the operator clicks the determination button 74 to determine the sectional position (step S19). In addition, as a design of the fruits and vegetables, a photograph of a real product or a picture simulating the fruits and vegetables may be used. In addition, in FIG. 6, a top view (plan view) of the fruits and vegetables is displayed. Here, a vertical section of the fruits and vegetables can be designated. By clicking the horizontal section button 76, a screen for designating a horizontal section is also displayed. It can be displayed.
[0026]
By the way, in parallel with the above-described steps S18 and S19, the information distribution server 12 performs a process (hereinafter, steps S20 to S24) for acquiring a cross-sectional image and a taste index of the fruit and vegetable individual selected in step S16. You. First, based on the received information, the imaging instruction information generation unit 20a (FIG. 3) in the control unit 20 of the information distribution server 12 relatively moves the fruits and vegetables 52 to the imaging position and performs imaging at the imaging position. Is generated (step S20). According to the imaging instruction information, the driving mechanism 14b moves one of the determined fruits and vegetables 52 and / or the imaging mechanism 14c, and arranges the fruits and vegetables 52 at an imaging position where a cross-sectional image of the determined individual can be obtained. (Step S21). Next, the imaging mechanism 14c acquires a result (for example, a CT value or the like) of the predetermined wave transmitted through the plurality of cross sections of the determined individual (that is, executes imaging; step S22).
[0027]
Next, the cross-sectional image information generation unit 20b in the control unit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing based on the result obtained in step S22, and obtains internal information (for example, a density value or the like) about each three-dimensional coordinate point of the fruit and vegetable individual. ) Is obtained (step S23). From the acquired density values for all the coordinate points inside the fruit and vegetable individual, a three-dimensional (for example, the presence or absence of a hole) cross-sectional image of an arbitrary cross-section can be obtained. Next, the taste index calculation unit 20c in the control unit 20 calculates a taste index such as sugar content and acidity for the individual from the internal information acquired in step S23 (step S24). Specifically, for example, in step S24, the taste index computing unit 20c first determines the sugar content at all the coordinate points inside the individual from the internal information (for example, the density at each coordinate point in the individual) acquired in step S23. Calculate the value. Further, the taste index calculation unit 20c acquires an integrated value or an average value of the sugar content values of all the coordinate points inside the individual, and calculates the sugar content index of the individual from the obtained value. For such processing, the storage unit 22 stores information indicating the correlation between the internal information and the sugar content or the acidity value, or information indicating the correlation between the average value or the integrated value of the sugar content or the acidity and each taste index, They are stored as functions or tables (data). The taste index can be calculated, for example, as a relative value. As an example, the sugar content when the sweetness is the least sweet is 1 and the sugar content when the sweetness is the sweetest is 10, and is expressed in 10 levels of 1, 2,.
[0028]
Then, the attribute presentation information generation unit 20d in the control unit 20 generates attribute presentation information for presenting the internal information obtained in step S23 and the taste index obtained in step S24, and transmits this to the communication terminal 18. (Step S25). The attribute presentation information transmitted at this time may include internal information on all coordinate points so that an arbitrary cross-sectional image of the fruit or vegetable individual can be displayed on the communication terminal 18, or may be received from the communication terminal 18. Based on the information indicating the section determined in step S19, internal information for displaying only a predetermined section image may be included.
[0029]
Then, in the communication terminal 18, a result display screen is displayed based on the attribute presentation information (step S26). The original information for displaying the cross-sectional image in step S26 may be generated by the communication terminal 18 or may be generated by the information distribution server 12.
[0030]
On the result display screen shown in FIG. 7 displayed in step S26, a cross-sectional image 78 of the cross section determined in step S19 and the taste index 80 obtained in step S24 are displayed. The cross-sectional image 78 can be colored based on the density and the coordinate value of each pixel, which is close to the color of the actual cut surface. Further, on the result display screen, an enter button 82 and a return button 84 are set. When the return button 84 is clicked (step S27), the section image determination screen is called to display another section, and when the operator clicks the determination button 82 (step S28), the current selection is performed. The processed fruit and vegetable individual is selected as an order target (step S29).
[0031]
Through the above-described series of operations and processing, the consumer can confirm the state of the inside and select an individual fruit and vegetable to place an order (step S29). In the above-described embodiment, the selection of various items on the screen is mainly performed by clicking a button. However, it is needless to say that this can be realized by other display elements or selection forms. Further, the configuration of each screen and the display format of each display element are not limited to the illustrated example.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection configuration of a fruit and vegetable information providing system and a communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fruit and vegetable information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control unit of the information distribution server according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the information distribution server and the communication terminal.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a vegetable selection screen displayed on the communication terminal based on the attribute presentation information received from the vegetable information providing system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a fruit and vegetable cross section determination screen displayed on the communication terminal based on the attribute presentation information received from the fruit and vegetable information providing system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a result display screen displayed on the communication terminal based on the attribute presentation information received from the fruit and vegetable information providing system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 fruit and vegetable information providing system, 12 information distribution server, 14 cross-sectional image acquisition device, 14a control mechanism, 14b drive mechanism, 14c imaging mechanism, 16 electric communication line, 18 communication terminal, 20 control section, 20a imaging instruction information generation section, 20b Section image information generation section, 20c taste index calculation section, 20d attribute presentation information generation section, 22 storage section, 40 control section, 42 storage section, 50 fruit and vegetable yard, 52 fruits and vegetables, 78 cross-sectional image, 80 taste index.

Claims (5)

Attribute presentation information generating means for generating attribute presentation information for presenting to the requesting terminal that has requested presentation of the fruits and vegetables attribute via a telecommunication line,
Cross-sectional image obtaining means for obtaining a cross-sectional image of fruits and vegetables,
With
The cross-sectional image obtaining means obtains a cross-sectional image of the individual identified from the instruction information obtained from the request source terminal via an electric communication line,
The fruit / vegetable information providing system, wherein the attribute presentation information generation unit generates attribute presentation information based on the cross-sectional image acquired by the cross-sectional image acquisition unit. The fruit and vegetable information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional image obtaining unit obtains a cross-sectional image of a cross section specified by the instruction information. 3. The attribute presentation information generating unit according to claim 1, wherein the attribute presentation information generating unit generates attribute presentation information including an index of a predetermined taste characteristic calculated based on the cross-sectional image obtained by the cross-sectional image obtaining unit. The described fruit and vegetable information providing system. The cross-sectional image acquisition means,
An imaging mechanism for acquiring a result of transmission of a predetermined wave through fruits and vegetables,
By moving at least one of the individual of the fruits and vegetables identified from the instruction information and the imaging mechanism, a driving mechanism that relatively moves the fruits and vegetables to the imaging position by the imaging mechanism,
The fruit and vegetable information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: Generating attribute presentation information for presenting to the requesting terminal that has requested presentation of the fruits and vegetables attribute via a telecommunication line,
Obtaining a cross-sectional image of the fruits and vegetables;
With
In the step of obtaining the cross-sectional image, a cross-sectional image of the individual identified from the instruction information obtained from the request source terminal via a telecommunication line is obtained,
In the step of generating the attribute presentation information, the attribute presentation information is generated based on the cross-sectional image obtained by the cross-sectional image obtaining means, wherein a method for providing information on fruits and vegetables is provided.

Images