KR102342184B1 - Cafeteria management system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a food service management system, and to a food service management system that provides food consumed by infants and toddlers and customized information according to the operation of a meal service in a daycare center that provides care services for infants and young children.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to grasp not only the nutritional intake information of each feeding target, but also the food tendency and the amount of leftover food by using the leftover information obtained through the system for the infants and toddlers, and the results of the results to the parents In addition, it has the effect of improving the quality of meals by notifying them to refer to the meal map, and reflecting them in the meal service.

Description

Meal management system {CAFETERIA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a food service management system, and relates to a food service management system that provides intake information and customized information for infants, children, and students, etc. as a food service is operated at a food service facility for infants, children, and students.

Currently, in daycare centers or kindergartens that provide childcare services for children under the age of 7, catering services operated by daycare centers and educational institutions usually provide one lunch, and these catering services provide more than one meal in the same restaurant. It is common to solve

In particular, infants and toddlers in the growing phase will spend most of their lunches at the cafeteria except on holidays.

However, as infants and young children are not yet accustomed to solving their own meals, there is a severe unbalanced diet, and there are many cases where they do not eat side dishes in general, so there is no way to determine whether they are eating properly. is becoming a concern.

Accordingly, in relation to the eating habits of infants and young children, the need for a food service solution for improving meal speed, meal amount, leftover habits, etc. is emerging.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0100627 (2018.09.11)

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and to provide a food management system that provides useful information such as leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutritional information to the guardians of users who use the food management system.

In order to solve the above problems, the food management system according to an embodiment of the present invention uses the pre-meal image of the user's pre-meal plate and the user's post-meal image of the user's post-meal plate to store the user's leftover information and intake information. an image processing unit to generate; A eating habit determination module for generating eating habit information by using at least one of the leftover information and the intake information, wherein the eating habit information includes at least one of a preference for each menu, a preference for each item, and a degree of partiality; A nutritional status estimation module for generating nutritional information using at least one of the leftover information and the intake information, wherein the nutritional information includes at least one of an intake rate for each nutrient, an intake amount for each nutrient, an intake rate for each item, and an intake amount for each item. Phosphorus, nutritional status estimation module; And a management server comprising a service providing unit for transmitting information for comparing a specific user and a user group with respect to at least one of the leftover information, the intake information, the eating habits information, and the nutritional information to a predetermined terminal for the specific user. include

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to grasp not only the nutritional intake information of each feeding target, but also the food tendency and the amount of leftover food by using the leftover information obtained through the system for the infants and toddlers, and the results of the results to the parents In addition, it has the effect of improving the quality of meals by notifying them to refer to the meal map, and reflecting them in the meal service.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by using a scanner device to identify a user who is a food subject and a plate before and after a meal, the amount of food and leftovers are obtained, and based on this, intake information of each user and useful information related thereto are obtained. By providing it, users can easily determine their eating habits, nutritional status, etc., and there is an effect that can induce users to try to reduce leftovers on their own.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, not only catering subjects, but also restaurant managers, nutritionists, etc. utilize leftover information obtained through the system to grasp the nutritional intake information of each meal subject as well as food tendencies and eating behaviors. There is an effect that can improve the quality of the meal and induce the reduction of leftovers by reflecting the result in the meal service.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a food service station to which a food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the management server of the food management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3a and 3b are diagrams showing the structures of the user management unit and the food service management unit constituting the management server of the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing the configuration of the image processing unit among the components of the management server of the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing an operating method of a food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an image analysis method for generating leftover information of a food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view showing the structure of the scanner used in the food management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram illustrating a virtual simulation of a food menu to an avatar according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Prior to the description, when a part in the entire specification "includes" or "includes" a certain component, it does not exclude other components, but may further include other components unless otherwise stated. means there is

In addition, terms such as "...unit" and "...module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which is hardware, software, or hardware and a combination of software.

In addition, the term "embodiment" in this specification means serving as an illustration, example, or illustration, but the subject matter of the invention is not limited by such examples. Also, other similar terms such as "comprising", "comprising", and "having" are used, but when used in the claims are open transition words that do not exclude any additional or other elements. is used in a similar manner to the term "comprising" as inclusive.

The various techniques described herein may be implemented in conjunction with hardware or software, or a combination of both, where appropriate. As used herein, terms such as "Unit," "Module," and "System" likewise refer to computer-related entities, i.e. hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software or It can be treated as equivalent to software at the time of execution. For example, a program module may be configured as equivalent to one component or a combination of two or more components. In addition, in the present invention, both the application program and hardware executed in the server or terminal may be configured in module units, and may be recorded in one physical memory, or may be recorded while being dispersed between two or more memories and recording media.

Hereinafter, a food service management system and an operating method thereof according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a food service station to which a food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention identifies a plate by scanning a first scanner 100 that identifies a user who is a food target, and a recognition code, and provides a pre-meal image for the plate provided to the user. A second scanner 110 to obtain a second scanner 110, a third scanner 120 for acquiring an after-meal image of the user's post-meal plate through the identified plate by scanning the plate after a meal, and the first to third scanners are controlled and may include a management server 200 that generates intake information based on the obtained before and after meals images. However, in some embodiments, the food management system may include relatively more or fewer components than the components shown in FIG. 1 .

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the plate 6 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 1 , and as long as it is a tableware that can contain food, it is not limited and may be included in the plate 6 .

The food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention can be installed in a predetermined food service station 1 that provides food to a large number of people, such as cafeterias such as schools, kindergartens, daycare centers, etc., and a plurality of scanning devices and a display means connected thereto. It may be made of a management server 200 having a.

The first scanner 100 serves to identify the recipient of the meal. By scanning the ID card possessed by the user and transmitting the result to the management server 200, the management server 200 refers to the stored personal information. It allows the user to determine that he or she is a food subject. Here, the ID card may be a student ID, nameplate, and employee ID, and a method of identifying a user through a facial recognition technique for a user's face photographed through a camera rather than using an ID card according to the designer's intention may also be applied. .

In particular, an RFID chip capable of short-distance data communication may be embedded in the ID card, and the first scanner 100 may determine whether the user is a food subject through contactless short-distance data communication with the ID card.

Here, in connection with the user's school or attendance system, the user's appearance is photographed every day at the time of going to work and stored in the database, which refers to the database for later identification for food service, that is, the appearance of the system using vision recognition technology, that is, the face , shoes, clothes, or hair shape can be utilized to improve the accuracy of user identification by applying vision recognition technology.

Alternatively, a method of recognizing the user by performing communication with a portable terminal possessed by the user, rather than the scanning method, may be applied.

In some embodiments, the first scanner 100 may be configured to be physically integrated with the second scanner 110 . That is, in this case, the scanning of the user and the scanning of the plate may be simultaneously performed through the integrated first and second scanners 100 and 110 .

The second scanner 110 may scan the pre-meal plate 6 containing food through the food distribution port and provide the image to the management server 200 . At this time, as the recognition code formed on one side of the plate 6 before a meal is also scanned, the management server 200 that has received the information distinguishes each plate and determines the amount of food contained in each plate, that is, the amount of food for each user. be able to judge The recognition code may be implemented as a barcode or QR code.

In some embodiments, the second scanner 110 may include at least one of a display device (not shown), a speaker (not shown), a light emitting device (not shown), and a vibration device (not shown).

The third scanner 120 may scan the plate 7 after a meal containing the leftovers before processing the leftovers through the drain hole and provide the image to the management server 200 . Here, as the recognition code of the plate 7 is scanned after a meal, the management server 200 receiving the information can determine the amount of leftovers for each user and each user of the plate 7, and then the management server ( 200) by calculating the leftover information based on the amount of food and the remaining amount, it is possible to generate intake information.

In some embodiments, the third scanner 120 may include at least one of a display device (not shown), a speaker (not shown), a light emitting device (not shown), and a vibration device (not shown).

Management server 200 may be installed on one side of the food service station (1), preferably near the exit of the food service station (1), leftover information generated for each user through the mounted display unit 210, intake information, eating habits At least one of information and nutritional information may be displayed. However, in some embodiments, the management server 200 may be located outside the food service station 1 to receive information from each of the scanners 100, 110, 120 and perform analysis, in this case a separate display device (not shown) ) may be included in the third scanner 120 or located on one side of the food service station (1).

This management server 200 can be connected to each of the scanners 100, 110, 120 through a network, and the ID card scanning result transmitted from the scanners 100, 110, 120, the plate recognition result, and the plate before and after a meal. Through video, etc., the user and his/her intake information will be created and provided.

In some embodiments, the management server 200 may provide information about the user to an external terminal (not shown) through a network.

In particular, in the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, intake information for each user can be quantified by applying an image processing technique to an image obtained through a scanner and provided in the form of figures, texts and graphs. A detailed description of the components of the management server 200 will be described later.

According to the above-described structure, the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a food service station, checks the user, and acquires the quantity of food and leftovers by using the scanned image of the plate before and after a meal, and intake based on this Users can easily check their eating habits, etc. by generating information and providing information related to various nutrition related thereto.

On the other hand, the aforementioned management server 200 can be connected to a remote system through an external network, and through interlocking with the regional food management system established for each region, operation comparison with other food service establishments in the region, meal information, etc. are shared. can do.

In particular, it is possible to reset the amount of food provided according to the movement of food service recipients through information sharing between linked food service establishments.

As an example, if it is assumed that students of school A visit school B in another area for a certain period of time, the management of the school canteen at school A according to the linkage between the management server of school canteen at school A and the canteen at school B through the local canteen management system The server sets the amount of food to be reduced by the number of students who move during the period, and the management server of School B canteen

You can set the amount of food to be increased by that much. In addition, the management server of the school cafeteria B may temporarily store information about the students A, and create and manage intake information according to the acquisition of the same amount of food and leftovers as the management server of the school cafeteria A.

In addition, when the visiting class is finished, various information about the students of school A stored in the management server of the school cafeteria B is transmitted to the management server of the school cafeteria A through the local food service management system. Provision of catering services may resume.

Hereinafter, a management server included in the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the management server of the food management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, each component constituting the management server of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a program executable by a computer, and may be recorded on a recording medium that can be read and written by the computer and mounted on the management server.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the management server 200 of the present invention provides a display unit 210 that displays leftover information for each user, registers the user as a food subject, and provides any one of the registered users' eating habits information and nutritional information. The user management unit 220, which registers the food service establishment, and the food service establishment management unit 230 which provides operation information related to the operation of the registered food service establishment, and the device control unit 240 for receiving the acquired scanning data in connection with the first to third scanners ), the device control unit 240 may include an image processing unit 250 for generating leftover information and intake information in response to the received scanning data, and a database 260 for storing the user's personal information and the operation information of the restaurant. . However, in some embodiments, the management server 200 may include relatively more or fewer components than the components shown in FIG. 2 .

The display unit 210 may display intake information generated for each user by the management server 200 on the screen. After returning the meal, the user can check the intake information about himself displayed on the display unit 210 of the management server 200 disposed at the exit before leaving the restaurant after returning the meal.

Here, the display unit 210 may be implemented as a device separate from other components, and may be implemented in a form that is connected to the main body of the management server 200 located in a separate place through a network to display residual information. , or the display unit 210 is omitted from the management server 200, and the users may be implemented in a form in which the above-described remaining information is provided through their mobile terminal or e-mail.

In some embodiments, the display unit 210 is not included in the management server 200 , and a separate display device (not shown) is included in the third scanner 120 , so that the user may check information at the exit.

The user management unit 220 may provide a function of managing the personal information of the meal recipient. A user who wants to receive the service provided by the food service management system of the present invention must be registered in the management server 200 in advance, and compare the recognition result of the ID card or biometric information transmitted from the scanner with the personal information stored in the database to provide food. You can decide whether to register as a subject. Here, the biometric information may include information about the user's face or information about the fingerprint, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, by comparing the personal information input from the user with the personal information stored in the database, it may be determined whether or not to register as a catering target.

In addition, the user management unit 220 may manage and provide dietary information and nutritional information for registered users, and a description of the configuration of the user management unit 220 for implementing these functions will be described later.

The food service management unit 230 may provide a function of managing various information about the food service restaurant installed with the food service management system of the present invention. Such a food service management function may include creating, updating, deleting, and confirming the maximum number of meals available at the food service center, information related to the affiliated dietitian, and daily, weekly, and monthly diet information, etc. It may be provided to a user having operator authority.

The device control unit 240 may provide a control function of a scanner connected to the management server 200 . The management server 200 is connected to one or more scanners to receive information about a user and a plate therefrom, and the device control unit 240 includes a predetermined communication module and a controller, and is connected to each scanner through a network to control it. to receive the necessary information.

In some embodiments, the device controller 240 controls at least one of the first to third scanners 100, 110, and 120 to control a display device (not shown), a speaker (not shown), a light emitting device (not shown), and vibrations. A device (not shown) may be output.

The image processing unit 250 may analyze the image of the plate before and after a meal received from the scanner through an image processing technique to calculate the amount of food and leftovers for each user, and generate intake information based thereon.

The database 260 may store personal information, food service information, and the like for performing a function provided by each component of the management server 200 . In addition, various setting values for driving the management server 200 may be stored in the database 260 .

In addition, the management server 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include an advertisement management unit 270 that further provides additional functions for generating revenue in addition to the main function of providing residual information to the user.

As an example, the advertisement management unit 270 is based on the personal information stored in the database 260, food that considers individual preferences, health supplements that consider intake nutrients, medical devices through eating habits analysis, and restaurants that reflect individual preferences and advertisements related to menus, etc. may be displayed through the display unit 210 or provided to the user's mobile terminal. The function provided by the advertisement management unit 270 becomes a revenue model of the food service management system operator.

In addition, as a profit model derived according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to derive a 'premium service' such as a diet management program and intake information, nutritional information, disease probability, and specialized health common sense and recipes for side dishes.

In addition, as a function of public interest, the advertisement management unit 270 may provide the user with a message for promoting or raising awareness about the reduction of leftovers before a meal. As an example, a message that the effect of environmental protection is effective when the amount of leftovers is reduced may be displayed through the display unit to users who have visited the restaurant.

According to the above-described structure, the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention identifies the user through a plurality of connected scanners, generates leftover information and displays it on the screen, so that the food service users have their own eating habits, as an example, preference You can easily check the ingredients, taste, average meal amount, and speed.

Additional contents of the advertisement management unit 270 will be described later.

Hereinafter, among the constituent units included in the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, the configuration of the user management unit, the food service management unit, and the image processing unit that implement the main functions of the present invention will be described in more detail.

3a and 3b are diagrams showing the structures of the user management unit and the food service management unit constituting the management server of the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a management server of the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a diagram showing the configuration of the image processing part among the configuration parts of .

First, referring to FIG. 3A , the user management unit 220 of the management server of the present invention may be configured with modules corresponding to one or more functions, and these modules are limited to catering subjects and previously issued ID cards to users in the system. A personal information processing module 221 for checking whether to register in the system using or managing personal information of registered users, a eating habits determination module 222 for generating dietary information by determining an individual's eating habits by referring to various information And, the nutritional status estimation module 223 that calculates nutritional information for each user currently, receives and stores and manages food caution information, including allergy information on food owned by each user, and stores and manages the food service menu and It may include a special item management module 224 for generating allergy warning information by matching attention information such as allergy information of catering subjects registered in the corresponding food service center.

The personal information processing module 221 implements the function of managing the personal information of users registered in the meal management system of the present invention, and the system operator creates a user account by inputting the name, contact information and address of the meal recipient. The personal information processing module can generate and store personal information by receiving the user's eating habits, preferred food, allergy status, current nutritional status, etc. for each account.

The eating habits determination module 222 may determine the eating habits for each user in response to the user's feeding details and store the information. When using the user's cafeteria, the eating habit determination module 222 determines the user's eating habit by using information about the type of food provided at each meal, meal time, and the amount of leftovers according to each meal history. These eating habits judgment results may be reflected in personal information.

Specifically, the eating habit determination module 222 may generate eating habit information by using at least one of the leftover information and the intake information, and the eating habit information may include at least one of a preference for each menu, a preference for each item, and a degree of partiality.

The nutritional status estimating module 223 may estimate the current nutritional status of each user in response to the user's feeding details and store it as nutritional information. Nutritional state estimation module 223 may calculate the amount of food and food consumed by the user according to the history of the user using the restaurant within a certain period and leftover information generated during use, and based on this, the user's current nutritional state is analyzed and You can create nutritional information. Such nutritional information may be reflected in personal information along with dietary information.

Specifically, the nutritional status estimation module 223 generates nutritional information by using at least one of the leftover information and the intake information, and the nutritional information includes at least one of an intake rate for each nutrient, an intake amount for each nutrient, an intake rate for each item, and an intake amount for each item. may include

The peculiarity management module 224 stores information on allergy (side effects) information and grades of allergic reactions to food for each of the users registered in the food service station 1 . Such allergy information may be input from a user terminal or a guardian terminal, and an allergy grade may be received and stored according to the user's allergic reaction to the corresponding food. In an embodiment of the present invention, a guardian means a person such as a parent, a teacher, or a guardian who takes care of or is in charge of a user (infants, students, etc.).

In addition, the peculiarity management module 224 generates allergy warning information by matching the food service menu's menu with the allergy information and grades of catering subjects registered in the food service center, but the allergy warning information is based on the grade of the allergic reaction and the menu menu. It is characterized by being classified as caution for consumption and not for consumption.

For example, if allergy grades exist in grades 1 to 5, and the user has an allergy to eggs and grades 5 (for example, where 5 is the strongest rejection reaction), the peculiarity management module 224 is the food of the meal. If it contains even a little egg, it is determined that the user should never consume it. (Cannot be consumed)

Accordingly, if there is any food containing even a small amount of eggs in addition to food such as fried egg, the peculiarity management module 224 derives and provides information indicating that the user should not consume the food.

If the user's allergy level is low, it may be determined that food containing a small amount or trace amount of the corresponding food may be consumed. (Consumption caution)

At this time, various methods may be applied to the method by which the special item management module 224 provides information about the food to which the user has an allergic reaction. Typically, the allergy management module transmits the generated allergy warning information to the user's terminal and the guardian's terminal. , it may be provided as at least one of the display devices provided at the entrance or distribution port of the food service station.

As an example, when providing the meal plan information to the user terminal and the guardian terminal, the special item management module 224 may provide information about the food to which the food is allergic.

As a second example, the peculiarity management module 224 provides information on the allergic reaction food through the display device provided at the entrance of the food service station 1, or information on the allergic reaction food is disclosed in the place where the food is provided. there may be

As a third example, a display device is installed around the dispenser who distributes at the food service station 1, and when it is the user's turn to serve, the special item management module 224 displays the user's allergy information through the display device in front of the dispenser. This allows the dispenser to control the dispensing to the user.

Hereinafter, the specific item management module 224 will be described in detail.

First, the peculiarity management module 224 may receive and store caution information about a specific user's food. Here, the attention information on the food of the specific user may include information on the food to which the specific user has an allergy, but is not limited thereto. For example, information about foods to be avoided due to various reasons, such as a disease (enteritis, etc.) suffered by a specific user or a drug the specific user is taking, may be included in the caution information on food.

The peculiarity management module 224 determines that there is food included in the caution information in the pre-meal image for the pre-meal plate of a specific user, or food included in the caution information in the diet information stored in advance in the management server 200 If it is determined that there is, an alarm may be provided to the terminal 300 or the second scanner 110 that scans the pre-meal image predetermined for a specific user. Here, the alarm may be provided in various visual, auditory, and tactile outputs, and through this, a specific user may be induced not to consume food that should be avoided.

In addition, the special item management module 224 may receive and store target meal information of a specific user. Here, the target meal information may be information about at least one target among leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutrition information. For example, the target meal information is a goal that the amount of leftovers should be less than a predetermined value, a goal to consume more than a predetermined number of calories, a goal not to leave a specific item of food (eg, vegetables, meat, etc.), or a specific nutrient at least one of the goals of consuming more than an amount. In addition, the target meal information may include a target such that a certain amount or less should be served or a specific item of food (eg, vegetables, meat, etc.) should be served. That is, target meal information of a specific user may be input in advance and stored in the special item management module 224 in order to prevent unbalanced or overeating.

When it is determined that the target meal information has not been achieved based on at least one of the leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutritional information of a specific user, the special item management module 224 is a pre-meal image for the user's pre-meal plate A notification may be provided to at least one of the second scanner 110 that scans the user, the third scanner 120 that scans the post-meal image of the user's post-meal plate, and the predetermined terminal 300 .

In addition, referring to FIG. 3b , the food service management unit 230 of the management server of the present invention may include one or more modules, and a food service management module 231 for managing information related to a food service place, which is a place installed in the system of the present invention. ), a food ingredient inspection module 232 that performs a procedure related to inspection of ingredients delivered to the food service center, a menu creation module 233 that generates and provides weekly meal schedule information, and each user's body It may include a nutrition information management module 225 that derives and manages nutritional information by comparing the information and growth information with the user's accumulated intake information and eating habits information.

The food service management module 231 provides an information management function for a food service restaurant in which the food service management system of the present invention is installed, and can create, update, and delete information related to the maximum number of meals available at the food service center and affiliated nutritionist.

The food material inspection module 232 may provide an inspection procedure function for the food material delivered to the food service restaurant. Food materials for cooking can be delivered to the food service center on a daily basis, and nutritionists belonging to the food service center can input the process of food material receipt, inspection, and warehouse loading into the management server and check later. Accordingly, the function provided by the food ingredient inspection module 232 may be limitedly provided only to an account with nutritionist authority.

The meal creation module 233 may provide a function that allows nutritionists registered in the system to create a menu for food distributed at the food service center. At the beginning of every month, nutritionists create a meal plan in consideration of the nutritional status of the caterers, and can generate meal information by inputting the meal through the UI provided by the meal creation module 233, and such meal information is managed on a weekly basis. It is posted on the server 200 and a web site connected thereto.

On the other hand, the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention scans the user's ID card through one or more scanners installed in the food service station to identify the food service target, and scans the plate before and after a meal to obtain the amount of food and leftovers, Based on this, residual information may be generated.

In particular, in an embodiment of the present invention, more accurate intake information can be provided by applying an image processing technique to an image acquired through a scanner, and the management server may include an image processing unit for applying the image processing technique. have.

4, the image processing unit 250 included in the management server of the present invention is provided with the pre-meal image from the pre-processing module 251 for pre-processing the post-meal image taken after the meal, and the stored image storage 253. The comparison module 252 for comparing with the postprandial image, the leftover estimation module 254 for generating residual information according to the comparison result by the comparison module 252, and the intake in the form of figures, texts or graphs in response to the residual information It may include an intake information generation module 255 for generating and outputting information.

The pre-processing module 251 may perform pre-processing on the image by converting the image taken from the scanner before and after a meal into a predetermined size for comparison and removing noise.

The pre-meal image may be stored for each plate identified in the image storage, and when the post-meal image is input thereafter, it is provided to the comparison module 252 after pre-processing.

The comparison module 252 may digitize and compare the pre-processed pre-meal and post-meal images. The image is composed of a plurality of pixels having grayscale values, and the comparison module 252 may calculate a difference between the grayscale values of each pixel to perform comparison.

The image storage 253 may store the preprocessed pre-meal image for each meal plate, and may provide a pre-meal image corresponding to the post-meal image at the request of the comparison module 252 .

The images stored in the image storage 253 may be automatically deleted after a comparison procedure is performed or a predetermined time elapses.

The leftover estimation module 254 may determine the amount of food and the amount of leftover food in response to the pre-meal image and the post-meal image, and calculate the remainder information by calculating the difference therebetween. In the image input from the scanner, the part corresponding to gray or white and connected to each side of the image can be determined as the part corresponding to the plate, and the comparison module is based on the increased area of the gray or white region in the postprandial image compared to the preprandial image. Residual information can be calculated.

In addition, the leftover estimating module 254 estimates the amount of decrease in the volume of rice, the height of the soup, and the volume of side dishes based on the image, or a histogram of the brightness distribution of the entire image, and the degree of fluctuation of food according to the difference between the two histograms. can be calculated.

In particular, as an image analysis technique, the residual estimating module 254 may apply an average calculation technique of color values included in the image.

In detail, one or more regions of interest are set for the food part except for the plate part in the entire image, the region of interest is divided into a plurality of regions, and the average of the color values of pixels located in each region is calculated, based on this to identify the image.

In general, in an image about food, white is dominant for rice, and side dishes may have various colors in which three primary colors are combined. Accordingly, the residual estimating module 254 of the present invention may determine the residual amount according to the ratio of the predominant color by comparing the average color value between the respective regions of interest in the pre-meal image. Here, the dominant color refers to the dominant color in the entire image, and the dominant color representing the original image is determined through comparison between blocks.

The intake information generation module 255 may generate intake information, which is data in the form of figures, texts, and graphs, according to the leftover information calculated by the leftovers estimation module 254 .

Such intake information may be accumulated in personal information, displayed on the screen through the display unit of the management server, or transmitted to the user's terminal through a network.

In addition, the image processing unit 250 according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a correction means for increasing the accuracy when estimating the degree of variation.

The correction module 256 may correct the residual information by receiving a sensed value from one or more sensors installed in each scanner, and reflecting the sensed value to the degree of variation in the residual estimating module 254 at a certain rate.

That is, the correction module 256 has a sense of weight such as a temperature sensor and a load cell in the scanner.

A geo-sensor can be mounted, and the leftover information is corrected by generating a correction value using the detected temperature and weight of the plate.

As an example, when the temperature difference between the plate before and after a meal is not large, it can be determined that in particular food such as soup hardly occurs. can do.

In recognizing the types of soup, rice, and side dishes included in a meal, in the case of kimchi, it is generally not more than 30°, so it is excluded from the criterion or judged as excluding the case of 40° or less in the case of soup. can be corrected for.

The correction module 256 may generate a correction value as the number of various cases is set for the sensor value provided from the sensors.

According to the above-described structure, the management server according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a management function for catering subjects and food service stations, and at the same time, provides food service subjects with intake information according to the amount of leftover food and food intake, and nutrition intake accordingly You can provide information on ingredients, etc.

Hereinafter, an operating method of a food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

5 is a view showing an operating method of a food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the subject of each stage becomes a plurality of scanners and management servers constituting the food service management system of the present invention described above, and constituent parts constituting them, even if there is no separate description.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the operating method of the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an operating method of the food service management system including first to third scanners and a management server. Step of identifying (S100), scanning the recognition code of the pre-meal plate to identify the plate, and obtaining a pre-meal image for the user's plate (S110), scanning the plate after a meal and scanning the plate after the meal, through the identified plate It may include a step (S120) of obtaining a post-meal image for the plate, and a step (S130) of calculating overall information based on the obtained pre-meal and post-meal images, and generating intake information corresponding to the leftover information (S130).

In the step of identifying the user by scanning the ID card of the user who is the food service target (S100), the first scanner installed in the food service station scans the ID card presented by the user or transmits the information to the management server through wireless communication, and the management server It is a step of identifying that the user of the corresponding ID card is a food recipient.

After step S100, the step of determining whether or not allergic food is included by matching the user's allergy information with the food menu by the special item management module 224 may be further included.

And, if the food menu includes a food menu corresponding to the user's allergy information, the special item management module 224 provides such information to the user or the distributor to pay attention to the food service and distribution.

Next, the step of identifying the plate by scanning the recognition code of the plate before a meal, and obtaining a pre-meal image for the user's plate (S110) is a normal user, that is, when a user identified as a food subject selects a plate and receives a meal, The second scanner scans the recognition code provided on the plate, and at the same time scans the food on the plate to generate an image of the plate before a meal and transmits the information to the management server, and the management server scans the recognition code According to the result, it may consist of a step of identifying the corresponding plate and acquiring a pre-meal image. Here, the pre-meal image may be image-processed by the image processing unit of the management server and used to calculate the amount of food.

The step (S120) of scanning the plate after a meal and acquiring the post-meal image of the user's plate through the identified plate is a step in which the image processing unit of the management server acquires the post-meal image, which is an image of the plate after a meal, for each plate. This postprandial image can be used to calculate the amount of leftovers.

Thereafter, the step of calculating the leftover information based on the obtained pre-meal and postprandial images, and generating intake information corresponding to the leftover information (S130) is through the difference between the amount of food and the amount of food calculated in the steps S110 and S120. This is a step of generating leftover information and intake information corresponding to the actual amount of food.

In particular, in step S130, as the image processing unit calculates the leftover information according to the difference between the amount of food and the amount of leftovers, this leftover information can be viewed as representing the actual amount of food of the corresponding user. In addition, in the present invention, useful intake information is provided to the user by generating intake information about the user's food intake based on the leftover information and outputting it in the form of figures, texts, graphs, and the like.

In addition, although not shown, after step S130, the step of displaying intake information according to the meal and the step of outputting a coupon in response to the intake information may be further included, and according to these steps, the user's It is possible to determine the exact amount of intake, and by supplying intake information about the intake to the user, it is possible to provide calorie and nutritional information, and to provide coffee coupon compensation as various benefits for reducing leftovers.

That is, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide food service providers with information that is helpful in improving the quality of food service and reducing leftovers by notifying users of precise and specific preferred food and intake amount for each food.

According to the above-described steps, in the operating method of the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, each meal target can provide intake information according to the actual amount of food according to the step of acquiring the image of the plate, and the user can provide such intake information You will be able to check and manage your own eating habits by directly checking the

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a method for generating the leftover information before and after the provision of meals in the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In the following steps, the executing entity becomes the image processing unit and its comparison module, even if there is no separate description.

6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an image analysis method for generating leftover information of a food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 6A , as a step of recognizing the plate ( S200 ), the comparison module of the image processing unit recognizes the plate after the dispensing photographed by the scanner is completed. In detail, zones in which rice, soup, side dishes, and dishes are placed on the plate are partitioned through the boundary surface formed on the plate, and the direction of the plate is recognized to determine the zone in which food is placed.

Next, the step of classifying the food on the plate (S210) is a step in which the comparison module recognizes the type of food for each partitioned area in the plate, and the image acquired by the image sensor, that is, the scanner is related to a plurality of food for machine learning. knowledge of learning images

By comparing the learning images accumulated in the database, the food is judged by matching the image recognition result for each zone with the menu of the day.

At this time, if the matching success rate is more than 80%, the result is immediately stored in the image storage, and if it is less than 80%, it is classified as undefined food and stored in the image storage.

The step of setting the area along the boundary surface of the food ( S220 ) is a step of accurately setting the boundary surface of the food for each zone. In this case, temperature, color and shape may be considered. As an example, among the foods on the plate, a food boundary that accurately divides between salad and kimchi is set.

Next, the step of recognizing the ingredients according to the menu for each area ( S230 ) is a step of identifying the materials constituting the food in the area formed by the food boundary as the food boundary is set while the menu for each area is recognized.

As an example, with respect to the plate partitioned from the first zone to the fifth zone, assuming that the first zone contains a salad, cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, carrot, etc., which are ingredients constituting the salad in the first zone, are identified respectively. . In this step S230, machine learning and image comparison procedures may be performed. In this case, even if it is assumed that the same amount of salad is contained in the first zone, the amount of ingredients recognized for each plate may be different.

Next, calculating the volume of the food ( S240 ) is a step of recognizing the volume of each food based on the boundary surface for each food using the information obtained through the 3D sensor included in the scanner. The above-described 3D sensor can measure a depth value of a subject, and through this, extract a height within a food boundary, and calculate a volume by using the boundary and height to calculate the amount of food.

In addition, the amount of food can be estimated from the pre-meal and post-meal images by comparing the average values of the colors of the food.

According to the above-described steps, the image processing unit may store the acquired pre-meal image, and then generate residual information using the post-meal image obtained by re-photographing the plate on which the meal is completed.

Referring to FIG. 6B , as a step of recognizing the plate ( S300 ), the comparison module of the image processing unit recognizes the plate that the scanner photographed and the plate is completed, and determines the area along the plate boundary.

The step of setting the area along the boundary surface of the food on the plate ( S310 ) is a step of accurately setting the boundary surface of the food for each zone.

Subsequently, the step of calculating the volume of food for each region ( S320 ) is a step of recognizing the volume of each food according to information obtained using a 3D sensor included in the scanner based on the boundary surface for each food. In this step S320, if the comparison module determines that the volume of food is 5% or less compared to the pre-meal image, the remaining amount of the menu in the corresponding area is considered as 0% and calculates the volume of food for other areas, If it is determined that the amount of is more than 5%, the following step S330 is performed.

In the step of classifying food and matching it with pre-meal food (S330), the ingredients in the menu are recognized using the learning image of the knowledge database for machine learning, and based on the volume calculated in the steps S310 and S320, each menu and This is a step of generating residual information by calculating the residual amount for each material.

On the other hand, in order to generate intake information in the above-described feeding system operating method, the amount of food and leftovers are obtained by scanning the plate before and after a meal to determine the amount of food. The structure of the scanner used in the food service management system is explained.

7 is a view showing the structure of the scanner used in the food management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the scanner 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body 121 , a support 122 vertically connected to one side of the body 121 , and an upper portion of the support 122 , and the plate is The cradle 123 to be seated, one side of the body 121 is installed to face the upper part of the cradle 123 , and may include a camera 124 for photographing food on the plate 7 .

The body 121 forms the exterior of the scanner 120, and may be installed in a fixed form near the food outlet of the food service station. A support part 122 may be connected to one side of the body 121 at a predetermined height.

The support part 122 may be formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the top and protrudes by a predetermined length from the side. The support part 122 supports the holder 123 disposed on the upper part from the lower part.

The cradle 123 may seat a plate before and after a meal. The holder 123 may be coupled to be fixed on the support 122 so that the plate faces the lens of the camera 124 to be described later.

In particular, the lower portion of the cradle 123 may be supported and coupled by one or more load cells 125 installed on the support 122 , and these load cells 125 are the cradle 123 and a plate seated on the upper portion of the cradle 123 . It can detect the weight of (7) and transmit it to the management server.

In addition, one or more temperature sensors (not shown) may be mounted on one side of the holder 123 to detect the temperature of the plate seated thereon, and the temperature sensed by these temperature sensors is transmitted to the management server and the above-described weight In addition, by measuring the weight and temperature of the food currently on the plate, it can be used as a correction value to calculate the amount of food served, the amount of leftovers, or the degree of variation by the management server.

The camera 124 is installed on the body 121, and as it is disposed at a position spaced apart from the support 122 by a predetermined distance, the entire area of the plate 7 on the cradle 123 can be scanned. can Image information and depth information can be acquired through the camera 124, and the camera 124 has a configuration for acquiring image information to determine the type of food and a configuration for acquiring depth information for understanding the volume of food. may include The configuration of the camera 124 for acquiring image information may be, for example, an RGB camera, but is not limited thereto, and the configuration of the camera 124 for acquiring depth information may be a stereo camera, a Time of Flight (ToF) camera, or a 3D camera. but is not limited thereto.

The camera 124 is installed so that the lens faces the cradle 123, each of the plates before and after a meal is photographed to transmit the pre-meal plate image and the post-meal plate image to the management server.

8 is a diagram illustrating a virtual simulation of a food menu to an avatar according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the management server 200 of the food service management system according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a simulation unit 280 .

The simulation unit 280 creates a virtual avatar for each user with big data on eating habits and nutrition information built using the intake information of users in the restaurant, and uses the virtual avatar for food menu input from the manager. Through the simulation, users' preferences for food menus and changes in nutritional status can be obtained.

Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 8 , the simulation unit 280 builds big data of eating habits information and nutrition information by accumulating intake information of each user in the food service station 1 . (Step S400)

Then, the simulation unit 280 generates a virtual avatar of each user by using the built big data. (Step S410)

Since each user's avatar is generated based on intake information generated using the pre-meal and post-meal images of the user's plate, it is created based on the user's eating habits and nutrition information.

Accordingly, the user's avatar generated through the simulation unit 280 can have a virtual meal similar to the user.

After step S410, the simulation unit 280 simulates the food menu to the avatar. (Step S430)

In this case, the food menu input to the simulation unit 280 and simulated may mean a menu menu planned in the food service station 1 .

Accordingly, the nutritionists and managers of the food service station 1 input various types of food menus into the simulation unit 280 in the process of setting menus at the food service station 1 in the future so that the virtual avatar can consume them, and the avatar for the food menu It is possible to select a food menu by using the result information such as their preference (receptivity) and nutritional status change.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the management server 200 may provide the user's eating habit information and nutritional status information at regular intervals to the sharing target received from the user terminal or the guardian terminal.

At this time, the sharing target can be applied to schools, academies, daycare centers, homes, etc., and sharing information by providing the user's eating habits and nutritional status information so that the user's nutritional status can be identified and education on eating habits can be carried out together. it means.

Specifically, the service providing unit 290 may transmit information for comparing a specific user and a user group with respect to at least one of leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutritional information to the terminal 300 predetermined for a specific user, and , furthermore, to the terminal 300 predetermined for a specific user, by further transmitting the pre-meal image of the specific user's pre-meal plate and the post-meal image of the specific user's post-meal plate, it can help the guardian to directly check it have.

The personal information processing module 221 may receive and store a comparison user for a specific user. The comparison user may be a target for objective comparison with a specific user. Here, the comparative analysis module 226 may recommend at least one comparison user from among the user groups in consideration of the specific user's body information. For example, a user who is taller or better developed than a specific user in the user group may be recommended as a comparison user by the comparative analysis module 226, and the comparative user stored in the personal information processing module 221 is the comparative analysis module ( 226) may be selected from at least one comparison user recommended by the user.

The service providing unit 290 further transmits at least one of leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutritional information for the comparison user to the terminal 300 predetermined for the specific user, and, if necessary, the specific user and the comparison user. By providing information about

Meanwhile, in the user management unit 220 , the comparative analysis module 226 may compare and analyze body information, nutrition information, and intake information between different users.

The comparative analysis module 226 compares at least one of nutrition information, intake information, and eating habits information between the user and the comparison group selected by the user or guardian to derive information such as eating habits that the user needs to improve and nutrients that the user needs to consume. , will be provided as at least one of a user terminal or a guardian terminal.

In this case, the comparison group means that at least one of a specific height, weight, body type, and growth rate is selected for comparison with the user, and may also be selected by directly referring to another user.

For example, if the user's height is 168cm and the user/guardian selects 180cm as a comparison group, information of other users close to 180cm is extracted to generate statistical data on nutrition information, intake information, eating habits information, etc. Compare and analyze with users.

Then, the user management unit 220 analyzes the information on the eating habits that the user needs to improve and the nutrients that the user needs to consume derived through the comparative analysis module 226, and derives information such as food, nutritional supplements, eating habits, etc. necessary for the user. It can be provided as a terminal or a guardian terminal.

In addition, in addition to providing the above information through the configuration of the comparative analysis module 226, the user management unit derives the necessary food and meal menu for the user, and recommends a restaurant that sells the corresponding food and meal menu, and a delivery company function can be provided.

In addition, the user management unit may recommend a nutritional supplement required to the user by using the user's nutritional information, dietary information, and information derived through the comparative analysis module 226 . Even in this case, the user management unit may recommend a store (online, offline) from which nutritional supplements can be directly purchased.

Specifically, the advertisement management unit 270 compares at least one of the leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutrition information of the specific user with the user group or the standard group to identify the items that are relatively lacking in the specific user, and supplement the deficiencies. You can search or organize the products or products that can do it. In other words, it is possible to derive nutrients that are lacking in a specific user and search for a product that can supplement it, or organize or plan a new product.

The service providing unit 290 may provide information so that a specific user can purchase the searched product to the predetermined terminal 300 so that the guardian can purchase the corresponding product.

On the other hand, the advertisement management unit 270 compares at least one of the leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutrition information of the specific user with the user group or the standard group to identify the specific user's relatively shortcomings, and to compensate for the shortcomings. Available foods may be searched for, and the service providing unit 290 may request the specific user 300 to input a pre-meal image for the searched food with the predetermined terminal 300 . In other words, you can not only provide information, but also force them to eat the food.

In addition, when the post-meal image for the post-meal plate of the specific user is input, the advertisement management unit 270 derives the accumulated leftover information of the user group to which the specific user belongs by using the leftover information of the specific user, and the user group Information to be compared with the accumulated residual information of other user groups may be displayed on the display to induce competition among user groups to induce the reduction of leftovers.

In one embodiment, the user management unit may calculate the nutritional status and health status index of the user by using the user's body information, intake information, and eating habits information, and provide them to an insurance company or medical institution selected from the user or guardian terminal.

In this case, the user management unit may provide a function of discounting insurance premiums by providing the user's nutritional status, body information, dietary information, and the like to an external company related to insurance.

For example, if the user has a strong body condition, adheres to nutritional status, and maintains a proper diet, the probability of developing health problems is significantly lower than that of those who do not. means there is

Although many matters are specifically described in the above description, these should be construed as examples of preferred embodiments rather than limiting the scope of the invention.

Accordingly, the invention should not be defined by the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and equivalents to the claims.

240: device management unit
250: image processing unit
260: database
270: advertising management department
280: simulation module

Claims (10)

an image processing unit for generating leftover information and intake information of the user by using the pre-meal image of the user's pre-meal plate and the post-meal image of the user's post-meal plate;
a eating habit determination module for generating eating habit information by using at least one of the leftover information and the intake information;
a nutritional status estimation module for generating nutritional information by using at least one of the leftover information and the intake information;
A comparative analysis module that recommends a user group or a comparison group including a comparison user in consideration of the body information of a specific user or receives a comparison group input from the outside, the comparison analysis module comparing the specific user with the comparison group; and
A service providing unit for transmitting information comparing the specific user with the comparison group with respect to at least one of the leftover information, the intake information, the eating habits information, and the nutritional information to a terminal predetermined for the specific user,
The service providing unit compares at least one of nutrition information, intake information, and eating habits information between the specific user and the comparison group, derives a diet that the specific user needs to improve or a nutrient that needs to be consumed, and provides it to the predetermined terminal, ,
The user management unit analyzes the eating habits that the specific user needs to improve or the nutrients that need to be consumed derived through the comparative analysis module, and derives information related to at least one of food or nutritional supplements required for the specific user, and sends the information to the predetermined terminal. A food management system, characterized in that it provides.
According to claim 1,
The comparative analysis module,
When receiving a selection of at least one indicator of a specific height, weight, body type, and growth rate from the predetermined terminal,
In the user group, information of other users close to the selected index at a preset level is extracted as a comparison group to generate statistical data on at least one of nutrition information, intake information, and eating habits information, and compare with the specific user and Characterized in the analysis, the food management system.
According to claim 1,
By accumulating the intake information of each user in the user group, big data of eating habits information and nutrition information is built, based on this, a virtual avatar is created for each user, and the food menu input from the manager using the virtual avatar is added. Further comprising a simulation unit for obtaining a change in the nutritional status and preferences for the food menu of users in the user group by performing a virtual meal simulation for the food management system.
According to claim 1,
The service provider,
To the predetermined terminal for the specific user, the pre-meal image for the specific user's pre-meal plate and the post-meal image for the specific user's post-meal plate are further transmitted to the predetermined terminal, the food management system. According to claim 1,
Comparing at least one of the leftover information, the intake information, the eating habits information, and the nutritional information of the specific user with the user group or the standard group, the specific user is relatively deficient, and the deficient is supplemented. Advertising management department that searches or organizes available products
further comprising,
The service provider,
To the predetermined terminal for the specific user, to provide information so that the searched product can be purchased, the food service management system.
According to claim 1,
Comparing at least one of the leftover information, the intake information, the eating habits information, and the nutritional information of the specific user with the user group or the standard group, the specific user is relatively deficient, and the deficient is supplemented. Advertisement management department searching for food that can be used
further comprising,
The service provider,
The meal management system that requests the input of a pre-meal image for the searched food to the predetermined terminal for the specific user.
According to claim 1,
Special item management module for receiving and storing caution information about the specific user's food
further comprising,
The special matter management module,
When it is determined that there is food included in the caution information in the pre-meal image for the pre-meal plate of the specific user, or when it is determined that there is food included in the caution information in the diet information, the predetermined terminal for the specific user Or to provide an alarm to the scanner for scanning the pre-meal image, food management system.
8. The method of claim 7,
The attention information on the specific user's food will include information about the food to which the specific user has an allergy, the food service management system.
According to claim 1,
A special management module for receiving and storing the target meal information of the specific user
further comprising,
The target meal information is information about at least one target of leftover information, intake information, eating habits information, and nutrition information,
The special matter management module,
When it is determined that the target meal information has not been achieved based on at least one of the leftover information, the intake information, the eating habits information, and the nutrition information of the specific user, a pre-meal image of the user's pre-meal plate A scanner for scanning, a scanner for scanning a post-meal image of the user's post-meal plate, and a notification to at least one of the predetermined terminal, the meal management system.
According to claim 1,
When the post-meal image of the meal plate after a meal of the specific user is input, the accumulated leftover information of the user group to which the specific user belongs is derived using the leftover information of the specific user, and the accumulated leftover information of other user groups other than the user group Advertising management unit that displays information to compare with
Which will further include, the food management system.

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