CN114061229A

CN114061229A - Food material management system

Info

Publication number: CN114061229A
Application number: CN202110576407.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小林大谨; 渡边浩太; 田原麻美; 中岛相见
Original assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2020-07-30
Filing date: 2021-05-26
Publication date: 2022-02-18

Abstract

Provided is a food material management system which can improve convenience. The food material management system of the embodiment includes a receiving unit and a setting unit. The receiving unit receives an instruction from a user. The setting unit sets a refrigerator to be an instruction target for food management from among the plurality of refrigerators, based on the instruction received by the receiving unit, when the plurality of refrigerators exist in the same residence.

Description

Food material management system

The present application is based on Japanese patent application No. 2020-. The present application incorporates the entire contents of these applications by reference thereto.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a food material management system.

Background

A food material management system for managing food materials and the like stored in a refrigerator is proposed. Such a food material management system is expected to improve convenience.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-146120

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

The present invention is directed to providing a food material management system capable of improving convenience.

Means for solving the problems

The food material management system of the embodiment includes a receiving unit and a setting unit. The receiving unit receives an instruction from a user. The setting unit sets a refrigerator to be an instruction target for food management from among the plurality of refrigerators, based on the instruction received by the receiving unit, when the plurality of refrigerators exist in the same residence.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, convenience can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a food material management system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cooling device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing changes in the air temperature of the freezing chamber when the "special freezing" control mode of the embodiment is executed.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a server according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the inventory list DB according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of contents of the shopping list DB according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of contents of the trash DB according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the candidate list DB according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of contents of the food material DB according to the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the content of an image of a home page for managing food materials according to the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of contents of an image showing a food material list according to the embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of control related to deletion of the stock registration according to the embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing another control example relating to deletion of the stock registration according to the embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing still another control example relating to deletion of the stock registration according to the embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing a process related to deletion of the stock registration according to the embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the food material priority order information according to the embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing a process related to an instruction to simultaneously add or delete registration of a plurality of food materials according to the embodiment.

Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the refrigerator registration information according to the embodiment.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing a process in a case where the number of refrigerators that can be set as targets of food management according to the embodiment is changed.

Description of the reference numerals

1 … food material management system, 30 … display device (report part), 100A, 100B, 100C … refrigerator, 200 … voice dialogue device (report part), 300 … terminal equipment, 310 … display device (report part), 400 … server, 421 … instruction accepting part, 422 … registration management part, 423 … response control part, 424 … setting part.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a food material management system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the components having the same or similar functions. A repetitive description of these configurations may be omitted. "based on XX" means "based on at least XX", and may include cases based on other elements in addition to XX. "based on XX" is not limited to the case of directly using XX, and may include a case of being obtained based on operation or processing of XX. "XX or YY" is not limited to one of XX and YY, and may include both XX and YY. "XX" and "YY" are arbitrary elements (for example, arbitrary information). Hereinafter, the "database" is referred to as "DB". "shelf life" and "consumption life" are examples of "intake life", respectively. By "temperature of the storage compartment" is meant the air temperature of the storage compartment. The term "answer", "report", "output error", or other "output" means that an answer, a report, an error, or information indicating other contents is output from a reporting unit (e.g., a voice dialog device and/or a display device). Further, the "answer" may also be referred to as "response" instead.

< 1. integral constitution >

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a food material management system 1 according to an embodiment. The food material management system 1 includes, for example, 1 or more refrigerators 100, a voice conversation device 200, a terminal device 300, and a server 400. However, the functions of the food material management system 1 described below may be realized by only the refrigerator 100 or only the server 400. The network NW to be described later includes, for example, 1 or more of the internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a wan (wide Area network), a lan (local Area network), a public line, a telephone line, a radio base station, and the like.

Refrigerator 100 is located in the residence of user U. The refrigerator 100 is connected to a network NW via a router R in a residence, for example, and can communicate with a server 400. In the present embodiment, a plurality of (for example, 2)

refrigerators

100A and 100B are provided in the residence of the user U. The residence of the user U may be provided with 3

refrigerators

100A, 100B, and 100C. The

refrigerators

100A, 100B, and 100C may be different in size and function from each other. Hereinafter, the

refrigerators

100A, 100B, and 100C will be simply referred to as "the refrigerator 100" without distinguishing them from each other. The refrigerator 100 will be described later in detail.

The voice conversation apparatus 200 is disposed in the residence of the user U. The audio session device 200 is connected to a network NW via a router R, for example, and can communicate with the server 400. The audio dialogue device 200 acquires a voice (voice input) generated by the utterance of the user U by using a microphone, and transmits the acquired voice of the user U to the server 400 as voice data. The audio session device 200 receives audio data for a response from the server 400, and outputs audio corresponding to the received audio data to the outside from a speaker. The voice dialogue device 200 is, for example, a smart speaker configured independently of the refrigerator 100. However, the voice conversation apparatus 200 may be provided as a part of the refrigerator 100 or other household appliance. When the terminal device 300 has a voice conversation function, the terminal device 300 may correspond to an example of a "voice conversation apparatus". In this case, the "voice dialogue apparatus 200" in the following description may be referred to as the "terminal device 300" instead. The audio conversation device 200 is an example of a "reporting unit".

The terminal device 300 is, for example, a portable terminal device owned by the user U, and is a smartphone, a tablet terminal device, or the like. The terminal device 300 is connected to a network NW and can communicate with the server 400. The terminal device 300 has a display device 310. The display device 310 includes a display screen capable of displaying images and videos, and a touch sensor provided so as to overlap the display screen. The display device 310 is another example of the "report section". The terminal device 300 is installed with an application (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "APP") for performing food management and remote operation of the refrigerator 100, which will be described later. The terminal device 300 is not limited to the above example, and may be a personal computer, a television having an input function, or the like.

The server 400 provides various services related to food material management. The server 400 may also be referred to as a "server system". The server 400 is configured by, for example, 1 or more server devices (cloud servers). In the present embodiment, the server 400 is composed of a first server device 410 and a second server device 420. The first server device 410 is a server device for controlling the audio session of the audio session device 200. In this case, the first server 410 may not be included in the food material management system 1. The second server device 420 is a server device for managing food materials and remotely controlling the refrigerator 100. The second server device 420 may be provided separately from a server device for managing food materials and a server device for remotely controlling a refrigerator. The server 400 may include an information processing unit that performs edge calculation and fog calculation, such as an information processing unit included in the router R and/or an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The server 400 is described in detail later.

< 2. refrigerator >

< 2.1 construction of refrigerator

Fig. 2 is a front view showing the refrigerator 100. The refrigerator 100 includes, for example, a casing 10, a plurality of doors 20, a display device 30, a cooling device 40 (see fig. 3), and a control device 50. A plurality of storage compartments (storage rooms) 11 are provided inside the casing 10. The plurality of storage compartments 11 include a refrigerating compartment 11A, a fresh food compartment 11B, a vegetable compartment 11C, an ice making compartment 11D, a small freezing compartment 11E1, and a main freezing compartment 11E 2. These storage compartments 11 can be closed by a door 20 so as to be opened and closed. Hereinafter, the small freezer compartment 11E1 will be simply referred to as "freezer compartment 11E" without distinguishing it from the main freezer compartment 11E 2.

The refrigerating compartment 11A is a storage compartment 11 having a temperature zone with an average temperature of 3 to 5 ℃. The freezing chamber 11B is a storage chamber 11 of a temperature zone having an average temperature of 0 to 3 ℃. The fresh air compartment 11B is an example of a "special function compartment". However, the special function chamber is not limited to the freezing chamber, and may be a partial freezing (partial freezing) chamber, a switching chamber, or the like. The special function compartment is a storage compartment 11 having a function of lowering the average temperature from the refrigerating compartment 11A at least in a certain control mode (operation mode). The vegetable compartment 11C is a storage compartment 11 having a temperature zone with an average temperature of about 6 ℃. The freezing chamber 11E is a storage chamber 11 having an average temperature of minus 18 ℃. That is, these storage compartments 11 have temperature zones that are lowered in the order of vegetable compartment 11C, refrigerating compartment 11A, fresh-ice compartment 11B, and freezing compartment 11E. Here, X, Y, Z "lower in the order of X, Y, Z" as an arbitrary element means that X is higher, Y is the middle position, and Z is lower. The definition is the same as below. The small freezer compartment 11E1 and the main freezer compartment 11E2 are storage compartments 11 of the same temperature zone.

The display device 30 includes: a display screen capable of displaying images and videos, and a touch sensor provided so as to overlap the display screen. The display device 30 is still another example of the "report section". Hereinafter, the display device 310 of the terminal apparatus 300 and the display device 30 of the refrigerator 100 are simply referred to as "display device DD" without distinguishing them from each other.

The cooling device 40 cools the storage chamber 11, and includes a compressor, a blower, and the like. The cooling device 40 will be described later. The control device 50 controls the entirety of the refrigerator 100. For example, the control device 50 controls the display device 30 to display the information received from the server 400 on the display device 30. The control device 50 controls the cooling device 40 to cool the storage chamber 11 of the refrigerator 100.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the cooling device 40. The cooling device 40 includes a compressor 41, a condenser 42, a dryer 43, a three-way valve 44,

capillary tubes

45A, 45B,

coolers

46A, 46B,

suction tubes

47A, 47B, and a check valve 48 in the order of flow of the refrigerant. A refrigerating capillary tube 45A, a refrigerating cooler 46A, and a refrigerating suction tube 47A are connected to one of the two outlets of the three-way valve 44. A freezing capillary tube 45B, a freezing cooler 46B, a freezing suction tube 47B, and a check valve 48 are connected to the other of the two outlets of the three-way valve 44.

In the cooling device 40, the three-way valve 44 is controlled by the control device 50 to select a flow path (hereinafter referred to as "flow path a") for supplying the refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 46A and a flow path (hereinafter referred to as "flow path B") for supplying the refrigerant to the freezing cooler 46B. The controller 50 controls the three-way valve 44 to alternately switch the flow path a and the flow path B as the flow path of the refrigerant. When the refrigerant flows through the flow path a, the refrigerating chamber 11A, the fresh food chamber 11B, and the vegetable chamber 11C are cooled. When the refrigerant flows through the flow path B, the ice making compartment 11D and the freezing compartment 11E are cooled. For example, controller 50 alternately repeats a refrigerating operation in which the refrigerant is caused to flow through flow path a for 20 minutes to cool refrigerating room 11A, fresh-ice room 11B, and vegetable room 11C, and a freezing operation in which the refrigerant is caused to flow through flow path B for 40 minutes to cool ice-making room 11D and freezing room 11E. Therefore, as shown in fig. 4 described later, the temperature in the storage chamber 11 changes up and down in a zigzag manner.

< 2.2 control mode of icy fresh Room

Next, a control mode (operation mode) of the fresh air compartment 11B that can be executed by the control device 50 will be described.

< normal icy fresh >)

The control mode of the "normal freezing fresh" is a control mode of cooling the freezing fresh compartment 11B by the basic operation of the refrigerator 100. In the "normal freezing" control mode, the temperature of the freezing chamber 11B is maintained in a certain temperature range with an average temperature of 0.5 to 1.0 ℃.

< fast icy fresh >

The control mode of the "quick freezing" is a control mode that causes the temperature of the freezing compartment 11B to decrease more quickly than the control mode of the "normal freezing". In the "quick-freezing" control mode, the operating frequency of the compressor 41 and the rotation speed of the blower, not shown, are set high for a predetermined time. Accordingly, a large amount of cold air is supplied to the fresh air compartment 11B, and the temperature of the fresh air compartment 11B is lowered at a single stroke. From a certain point of view, the control mode of "normal freezing" is an example of the "first operation mode". The control mode of "quick-freezing" is an example of the "second operation mode".

< thawing >

The control mode of "defrosting" is a control mode in which the temperature of the freezing compartment 11B is increased as compared with the control mode of "normal freezing". The "thawing" control mode is a control mode for increasing the temperature of the fresh food compartment 11B to promote thawing of the food in the fresh food compartment 11B. In the "defrosting" control mode, the operating frequency of the compressor 41 and the rotation speed of the blower, not shown, are set low for a predetermined time. This sends relatively warm air into the fresh air compartment 11B, thereby raising the temperature of the fresh air compartment 11B. In the control mode of "defrosting", the temperature of the fresh ice compartment 11B falls within a certain temperature band having an average temperature of 1.5 ℃, for example. From another point of view, the "defrosting" control mode is an example of the "first operation mode". The control mode of "normal freezing" is an example of the "second operation mode".

< Special icy fresh >

The control mode of the "special freezing" is a control mode in which the time for cooling the freezing and refrigerating chamber 11B at the low temperature zone and the time for cooling the freezing and refrigerating chamber 11B at the high temperature zone are sequentially repeated. This "especially fresh" control mode is explained in detail below.

Fig. 4 is a graph showing a change in the temperature of the freezing chamber 11B in the case where the control mode of "special freezing" is executed. In the control mode of the "special cooling", the control device 50 alternately repeats low-temperature cooling control (first cooling control) for cooling the cooling chamber 11B in the first temperature zone Ta and high-temperature cooling control (second cooling control) for cooling the cooling chamber 11B in the second temperature zone Tb higher than the first temperature zone Ta. Here, "cooling" in the above-described cooling operation and freezing operation means supplying a refrigerant to the cooler (the cooling cooler 46A or the freezing cooler 47B). In contrast, the term "cooling" in the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control means that refrigerator 100 is operated so as to maintain the temperature in first temperature range Ta or second temperature range Tb. The phrase "sequentially repeating the low-temperature cooling control (first cooling control) and the high-temperature cooling control (second cooling control)" includes a case where the refrigerating operation is performed a plurality of times during the low-temperature cooling control (first cooling control), then the refrigerating operation is performed a plurality of times during the high-temperature cooling control (second cooling control), and then the refrigerating operation is performed a plurality of times during the low-temperature cooling control (first cooling control).

The average temperature of the first temperature zone Ta is, for example, -5 ℃. The average temperature of the first temperature zone Ta is a temperature below freezing, for example a temperature below 0 ℃. The first temperature zone Ta is a temperature at which the surface of the food material in the freezing chamber 11B is micro-frozen. The first temperature zone Ta is a temperature zone lower than the "generally icy" temperature zone. The low-temperature cooling control is performed for a predetermined execution time Sa (for example, 2 hours).

The second temperature zone Tb is a set temperature zone of the fresh air compartment 11B during the high-temperature cooling control. The average temperature of the second temperature zone Tb is for example +1 deg.c. The average temperature of the second temperature zone Tb is a temperature above freezing, for example a temperature above 0 ℃. The second temperature zone Tb is a temperature at which a micro-frozen layer made on the surface of the food material in the freezing compartment 11B can be melted. The high-temperature cooling control is performed for a predetermined execution time Sb (for example, 5 hours) longer than the execution time Sa of the low-temperature cooling control.

According to this "especially fresh food" control pattern, by alternately repeating the low-temperature cooling control during the predetermined execution time Sa and the high-temperature cooling control during the predetermined execution time Sb, only the surface of the food material is micro-frozen, and drying and oxidation of the food material can be suppressed. Thereby, the freshness of the food material can be maintained longer than usual freshness.

In the control mode of "especially fresh cooling", the temperature band in which the average temperature is minus 0.5 is observed in the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control. That is, the control mode of the "special freezing state" is a control mode in which the temperature zone of the freezing chamber 11B is decreased as compared with the control mode of the "normal freezing state". The control mode of "normal freezing" is an example of the "first operation mode". The control mode of "particularly fresh" is an example of the "second operation mode".

< 3. Server >

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the server 400. As described above, the server 400 is configured by, for example, the first server device 410 and the second server device 420.

The first server device 410 includes, for example, an audio processing unit 411, a response generation unit 412, and a storage unit 413. All or a part of these functional units are realized by executing a program (software) by one or more hardware processors such as a cpu (central Processing unit) mounted on the first server device 410. However, all or a part of these functional units may be realized by hardware (including circuit units) such as asic (application Specific Integrated circuit), pld (Programmable Logic device), or fpga (field Programmable Gate array), or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware. The storage unit 413 is implemented by a ram (random Access memory), a rom (read Only memory), an hdd (hard Disk drive), a flash memory, or a combination of a plurality of these. The storage unit 413 stores the sound DB 511. A dictionary for explaining the meaning of the utterance of the user U and voice information for generating voice data for a sounding application are registered in the voice DB 511.

The audio processing unit 411 receives audio data acquired based on the utterance of the user U from the audio session device 200. The audio processing unit 411 analyzes audio data received from the audio dialogue device 200. For example, the voice processing unit 411 performs voice recognition processing to convert voice data into text, and performs natural language processing on the converted voice data to interpret the meaning. The audio processing unit 411 transmits the analysis result of the audio data to the second server device 420.

The response generation unit 412 receives information indicating the content of the utterance output from the voice conversation apparatus 200 to the user U from the second server apparatus 420. The response generation unit 412 generates audio data to be output to the user U based on the information received from the second server device 420 by referring to the audio DB 511. The response generation unit 412 transmits the generated voice data to the voice dialogue device 200. The audio dialogue apparatus 200 responds to and reports the user U with audio by operating a speaker based on audio data received from the first server apparatus 410.

The second server device 420 includes, for example, an instruction receiving unit 421, a registration managing unit 422, a response control unit 423, a setting unit 424, and a storage unit 425. All or a part of these functional units are realized by executing a program (software) by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU mounted on second server device 420. However, all or a part of these functional units may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit) such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA, or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware. The storage section 425 is realized by a RAM, a ROM, an HDD, a flash memory, a combination of a plurality of them, or the like. The storage unit 425 stores an inventory list DB521, a shopping list DB522, a trash box DB523, a candidate list DB524, a food material DB525, a stock DB526, food material priority information 527, response priority information 528, and refrigerator registration information 529. The stock list DB521, shopping list DB522, trash box DB523, candidate list DB524, stock DB526, and refrigerator registration information 529 are prepared for each user U.

The instruction receiving unit 421 receives an instruction of the user U concerning the management of food materials, the change of the setting of the refrigerator 100, and the like. For example, the instruction receiving unit 421 receives the analysis result of the voice data of the user U who uttered the voice dialogue device 200 from the first server device 410, and receives an instruction based on the voice input of the user U. Further, instruction receiving unit 421 receives information indicating an operation of user U (for example, an operation of display device DD by the user) performed on refrigerator 100 and/or terminal device 300 from refrigerator 100 and/or terminal device 300. The instruction receiving unit 421 receives an instruction from the user U based on information received from the refrigerator 100 and/or the terminal device 300. The instruction receiving unit 421 outputs the received instruction of the user U to the registration management unit 422, the response control unit 423, and the setting unit 424. The instruction accepting unit 421 is an example of "accepting unit".

The registration management unit 422 manages various DBs (the stock list DB521, the shopping list DB522, the candidate list DB524, the trash box DB523, the stock DB526, and the like) described later based on the information received by the instruction receiving unit 421. For example, the registration management unit 422 performs processing for adding, deleting, and confirming (viewing) registration of the food to each DB. The specific function of the registration management unit 422 will be described later. The "user instruction" in the following description means an instruction of the user U received by the instruction receiving unit 421.

The response control unit 423 manages the ingredients and generates information to be reported to the user U based on the instruction of the user U received by the instruction receiving unit 421 and/or the information managed by the registration management unit 422. When the voice dialog apparatus 200 notifies the user U by voice, the response control unit 423 transmits the generated information and a predetermined control signal to the first server apparatus 410. When the user U is notified of the information displayed on the display device DD of the refrigerator 100 and/or the terminal apparatus 300, the response control unit 423 transmits the generated information and a predetermined control signal to the refrigerator 100 and/or the terminal apparatus 300. The specific function of the response control unit 423 will be described later.

When a plurality of refrigerators 100 are present in the same residence, setting unit 424 sets refrigerator 100 to be an instruction target for food management from among the plurality of refrigerators 100, based on the instruction received by instruction receiving unit 421. The specific function of the setting unit 424 will be described later.

< 4. various DB >

< 4.1 inventory List DB >

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the inventory list DB 521. The food material existing as stock in the residence of the user U is registered in the stock list DB 521. In the inventory list DB521, it is possible to register not only the food items stored in the refrigerator 100 but also food items stored outside the refrigerator 100 (for example, stored at normal temperature).

A registration R1 (hereinafter referred to as "stock registration R1") indicating the stock of food materials is managed in the stock list DB 521. In each stock registration R1, "management ID", "food material name", "food material classification", "storage place", "purchase date", "expiration date" (or "consumption date"), "number", "unit", and "history" are associated with each other. In the inventory list DB521, the same kind of food materials (food materials of the same name) purchased at the same time are registered as one inventory registration R1. In other words, even for the same kind of food material (food material of the same name), the food material purchased at a certain date and the food material purchased at another date are registered as different stock registrations R1. The "purchase date" referred to herein is used in the following sense: the term "registration date" when a specific food is newly registered, i.e., the date when the stock level increases, includes a case where the food is not purchased by the acquisition route. The same kind of food materials (food materials of the same name) is an example of "same divided food materials". The same divided food material is not limited to the food material with the same name, and may include a plurality of food materials set in advance to the same division. This will be described later.

The term "food material classification" means division (Japanese: distinction) of food materials. In the present embodiment, 16 food material categories are set as the "food material category" as follows: "vegetables", "fruits", "meats", "fish, shellfish, seaweed", "egg, dairy product", "bean, bean product", "processed food", "cooked rice, bread", "flour", "beverage", "frozen food", "confectionery", "seasoning", "spice", "side food" and "others". However, the above-described division is merely an example, and the division of the food material classification can be appropriately set.

The "storage location" means a location where food materials are stored. In the present embodiment, the following 5 types of storage locations are set as the "storage locations: "refrigerating chamber", "vegetable chamber", "fresh-ice chamber", "freezing chamber", and "others". The "refrigerating compartment" corresponds to the refrigerating compartment 11A. The "vegetable room" corresponds to the vegetable room 11C. The "fresh ice compartment" corresponds to the fresh ice compartment 11B. The "freezer compartment" corresponds to a region where the small freezer compartment 11E1 and the main freezer compartment 11E2 are combined. The "other" corresponds to a storage place outside the refrigerator 100. The "number" is the latest number of food materials registered. In the "history", when the number of food items is decreased, information indicating the number of food items decreased and the date and time of the decrease is registered.

< 4.2 shopping List DB >

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of shopping list DB 522. The shopping list DB522 is a DB that the user U can refer to when shopping to prevent forgetting to purchase. The shopping list DB522 registers ingredients for which the purchase plan (e.g., an explicit purchase intention) of the user U is confirmed. Ingredients with a higher purchase possibility than the candidate list DB524 described later are registered in the shopping list DB 522. In the shopping list DB522, the food material may be registered by estimation based on the stock meaning of the user U (meaning that a certain food material is stocked as a stock) without being limited to the purchase meaning explicitly indicated by the user U. In the shopping list DB522, a registration R2 (hereinafter referred to as "shopping registration R2") indicating shopping candidates is managed. In each shopping registration R2, "management ID", "food material name", "food material classification", "number", and "unit" are associated.

< 4.3 dustbin DB >

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the trash DB 523. The food materials deleted from the inventory list DB521 are temporarily registered in the trash box DB 523. For example, a food material that has been registered in the inventory list DB521 and consumed in the trash box DB523 and deleted from the inventory list DB521 based on a deletion instruction of the user U is registered. The food materials registered in the trash DB523 can be registered again in the inventory list DB521 by an instruction of the user U. A registration R3 (hereinafter referred to as "deletion registration R3") indicating the deleted food material is managed in the trash DB 523. In each deletion registration R3, "management ID", "food material name", "food material classification", and "registration date to the trash DB 523" are associated with each other.

< 4.4 candidate list DB >

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the candidate list DB 524. The candidate list DB524 is a DB to which the user U can assist in referring to prevent forgetting to purchase. The candidate list DB524 registers ingredients that are purchase candidates for which the purchase plan (e.g., the explicit purchase intention) of the user U is not confirmed. In the candidate list DB524, a registration R4 (hereinafter referred to as "proposed registration R4") indicating a material proposed for purchase is managed. In each proposed registration R4, "management ID", "food material name", "food material classification", and "registration date to the candidate list DB 524" are associated with each other. The candidate list DB524 is generated by, for example, deleting the registration of the food material registered in the inventory list DB 521. In the present embodiment, when the number of food materials registered in the inventory list DB521 decreases and a predetermined condition is satisfied (for example, when the inventory becomes zero), the food materials are automatically registered in the candidate list DB 524. The instruction accepting unit 421 can accept an instruction of the user U to move the food registered in the candidate list DB524 to the shopping list DB 522.

< 4.5 food Material DB >

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the material DB 525. The material DB525 is a default DB set in common for a plurality of users. A plurality of food materials that are normally distributed are registered in the food material DB 525. A registration R5 (hereinafter referred to as "food material registration R5") indicating information of a food material used for automatic input of food material information is registered in the food material DB 525. In each food registration R5, "food material name", "candidate for accepting food material name (synonym of food material name)", "food material classification", "icon of food material classification", "default storage location (recommended storage location)", and "shelf life (or consumption life)" are associated with each other.

< 4.6 DB, a stock product

The stock DB526 registers ingredients that the user U often uses (for example, ingredients that do not want to be empty in stock). The stock DB526 has registered therein ingredients to which the user U has instructed that the user U desires to stock.

< 4.7 display examples of various DBs

Fig. 11 shows an example of the content of the image IM1 of the home page of the food material management. The content displayed on the image IM1 is generated based on the inventory list DB 521. The image IM1 includes display frames D1 to D5 corresponding to the refrigerator compartment 11A, the fresh food compartment 11B, the vegetable compartment 11C, the freezer compartment 11E, and other places. The display frames D1 to D5 display the number of food items (the number of stock registers R1) stored in refrigerating room 11A, freezing room 11B, vegetable room 11C, freezing room 11E, and other places. The image IM1 is displayed on the refrigerator 100 and/or the display device DD of the terminal apparatus 300 by the control of the server 400.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the image IM2 of the food item list. The food material list shown in fig. 12 is a list showing all the inventory registers R1 registered in the inventory list DB 521. In the food material list, icons indicating food material categories, food material names, purchase dates, expiration dates (or consumption dates), quantities, and units are displayed for each inventory registration R1. The stock register R1 is arranged in a predetermined order regardless of which stock register R1 is a food material stored in which storage location. The "prescribed order" is, for example, the order of names of food materials (the order of letters or pseudonyms (e.g., "あいうえお")), the order of purchase dates from old to new (or from new to old), and the order of shelf life (consumption period) from near to far (or from far to near). The user can change the predetermined order (can rearrange the display order of the stock register R1) by operating the operation unit IM2a included in the image IM 2.

The server 400 generates an image IM2 of the food material list and displays it on the display device DD of the refrigerator 100 and/or the terminal device 300. The server 400 can generate a food material list indicating the stock registration R1 of each storage room 11 independently of the above food material list and display the food material list on the display device DD. The server 400 can also generate the same list for the contents registered in the shopping list DB522, the trash can DB523, the candidate list DB524, and the stock DB526, and display the list on the display device DD.

< 5. control example based on Voice input >

The server 400 can perform the following control based on an instruction given by the user to speak (voice input) to the voice dialogue apparatus 200. Details of control examples other than the following description are described in japanese patent application No. 2020-. The entire specification of these applications is incorporated herein by reference.

< 5.1 inventory addition >

First, addition of the inventory register R1 to the inventory list DB521 will be described. The same applies to the addition of the shopping registration R2 in the shopping list DB 522.

The instruction accepting unit 421 can accept an addition instruction of the stock register R1 in which the food and the storage room 11 are specified, and an addition instruction of the stock register R1 in which only the food is specified without specifying the storage room 11. The "addition instruction specifying the stock registration of the ingredients and the storage room" means an addition instruction of the stock registration R1 accompanying the name of the ingredients, the number of the ingredients, and the name of the storage room 11, such as "putting 1 horse mackerel with 1 middle piece in the freezing room", "registering 5 cucumbers and 2 bags of needle mushrooms in the vegetable room", and the like. The order of speaking the food names and the names of the storage chamber 11 is not limited, and the names of the storage chamber 11 may be spoken first. The registration manager 422 adds the stock registration R1 of the designated food material in association with the designated storage room 11.

On the other hand, the "addition instruction for specifying only the stock registration of the food without specifying the storage room" means an addition instruction of the stock registration R1 without specifying the name of the storage room 11, such as "adding three eggs". When such an addition instruction is accepted, the registration manager 422 adds the stock registration R1 of the specified food material in association with the storage room 11 set as the default storage location for each food material, based on the food material DB 525.

The instruction receiving unit 421 of the present embodiment can register or delete a plurality of materials before one reception of the voice conversation function is completed. In other words, the instruction receiving unit 421 can continuously receive a plurality of instructions included in one utterance of the user U (for example, "register 5 cucumbers and 2 bags of enoki mushrooms in the vegetable room"). Details of this process are described in the above-mentioned Japanese patent application No. 2020-022912 (2/13/2020).

In the present embodiment, the registration management unit 422 manages the maximum number of food materials that can be registered in each stock register R1 as 999 pieces, and the maximum number of food materials registered in the stock register R1 as 100 pieces. Therefore, when accepting an instruction to add the stock registration R1, the registration management unit 422 determines which of "addition completion (presence of room designation) (a 1)", "addition completion (absence of room designation) (a 2)", "number excess 1000 parts (A3)", "material excess 100 pieces (a 4)", and "system error (a 5)" corresponds to the food to be added in the stock registration R1.

In the case of (a1), the response controller 423 performs "one piece of horse mackerel is added to the freezer compartment. "the name, the food material name, and the number of the storage room 11 are shown, and the addition of the response inventory register R1 is completed. In the case of (a2), the response controller 423 adds 3 eggs as described above. "the addition of the answer inventory register R1 is completed by showing the name and the number of the food items without speaking the name of the storage room 11. However, in the case of (a2), the response controller 423 may add the name of the storage room 11 to which the stock register R1 is added (the name of the storage room 11 set as the default storage room for each food material) and reply.

In the case of (a3), for example, when an instruction to add stock registration R1 such as "add 1500 g of beef to the refrigerator compartment" is received, the registration manager 422 adds the stock registration R1 to the number of food to be added by a predetermined number equal to or less than the maximum registration number (999 g). In the present embodiment, the registration management unit 422 adds the stock registration R1 with the number of food items to be added as the maximum registered number (999 grams). Then, the response control unit 423 determines that "the maximum number that can be registered is 999. 999 grams of beef has been added to the cold room. "in this way, the addition of the inventory registration R1 with the number of food materials as the maximum registered number (999 g) and the occurrence of an error (first error described later) with respect to the maximum registered number are answered. This point will be described later in detail. The predetermined number is not limited to the maximum registration number, and may be a smaller number. For example, when an addition instruction of the stock register R1 such as "add 1500 cabbage to the refrigerating room" is received, the stock register R1 may be added in a predetermined number (for example, 20 in the case of cabbage) set in advance for each food material.

In the case of (a4), for example, when an instruction to add the inventory register R1 is received in a state where the inventory list DB521 already contains 100 inventory registers R1, the registration manager 422 does not add the inventory register R1. Then, the response control section 423 "the maximum number of registered pieces of food material list is 100 pieces. Please delete the food material. "in this way, an error (a second error described later) relating to the maximum number of registered pieces is generated. This point will be described in detail later. In the case of (a5), the response control unit 423 performs a "sorry" process. Has failed. Please try again. "so answer that the processing has failed.

< 5.2 inventory deletion >

Next, the deletion of the inventory register R1 in the inventory list DB521 will be described. The same applies to deletion of the shopping registration R2 in the shopping list DB 522.

The instruction accepting unit 421 can accept an instruction to delete the stock register R1 in which the food and the storage room 11 are specified, and an instruction to delete the stock register R1 in which only the food is specified without specifying the storage room 11. The "deletion instruction specifying the stock registration of the food and the storage room" means a deletion instruction of the stock registration R1 accompanying the name of the food and the name of the storage room 11, such as "deleting ice cream from the freezing room", "deleting 2 color peppers and 1 Chinese cabbage from the vegetable room". The order of speaking the food names and the names of the storage chamber 11 is not limited, and the names of the storage chamber 11 may be spoken later. On the other hand, the "deletion instruction to specify only the stock registration of the food material without specifying the storage room" means a deletion instruction of the stock registration R1 not accompanied by the name of the storage room 11, such as "delete 100 g of chicken legs".

When the deletion instructions are accepted, the registration management unit 422 determines which of "deletion possible (B1)", "none of the food materials is stored in one stock (B2)", "insufficient number of food materials (B3)", "different units specified in the food materials (B4)", and "system error (B5)" corresponds to the stock registration R1 of the food material to be subjected to the deletion instruction.

In the case of the above (B1), the response control part 423 responds as if "one ice cream has been deleted from the freezing chamber. "thus, the name, the food material name, and the number of the storage room 11 are shown, and the deletion of the inventory register R1 is answered. However, the name and number of the storage room may not be described. In the case of the above (B2), for example, "ice cream is not present in the freezer compartment. "that is, the deletion of the inventory registration R1 has failed. In the case of (B3), for example, when a deletion instruction of "delete 200 g of chicken thigh in the refrigerating room" is received in a state where only 100 g of chicken thigh is in the refrigerating room 11A, the registration management unit 422 deletes the stock registration R1 of 100 g of chicken thigh in the refrigerating room 11A. Then, the response control part 423 responds to "only 100 g of chicken leg meat in the refrigerating chamber. Has been deleted entirely. "thus, the answer is that the stock register R1 has been deleted within the range of the registered stock quantity. In the case of (B4), the response control unit 423 requests a change if the "unit" is different from the registration. "that is, a meaning that the processing failed is answered. In the case of (B5), the response control unit 423 performs a "sorry" process. Has failed. Please try again. "so that the processing has failed is answered.

Here, when two or more of the above-described (B1) to (B4) occur simultaneously, the priority of the response by the response controller 423 becomes lower in the order of (B1), (B3), (B2), and (B4). That is, the priority of (B1) is highest and the priority of (B4) is lowest. The "priority of response" refers to the priority of the output order of the processing results (which processing result is output first). In the present embodiment, when a deletion instruction for a plurality of food materials is accepted, if two errors are generated, namely, "none of the food materials is stored (B2)" and "insufficient number of food materials is stored (B3)", an error relating to "insufficient number of food materials is stored (B3)" is output first, and then an error relating to "none of the food materials is stored (B2)" is output. For example, when a deletion instruction of "three cabbages and three tomatoes are deleted" is received in a state where there are 2 tomato stock registers R1 and no cabbage stock register R1, only two tomatoes are output. Has been deleted entirely. There is no cabbage. "such response.

< 5.3 stock confirmation >

< 5.3.1 identification of stock of food Material >

In the present embodiment, the instruction accepting unit 421 can accept confirmation of the stock of the specified food material. "confirmation of stock of specified food material" means "there are eggs? "," is there chicken leg and milk? "," there are two eggs? "," several pieces of dried horse mackerel? "and the like are instructions accompanying stock confirmation of food material names.

In this case, the registration management unit 422 determines which of "stock (C1)", "no stock among all the food materials (C2)", and "no stock among a part of the food materials (C3)" corresponds to the object of the stock confirmation based on the stock list DB 521.

In the case of (C1), the response controller 423 counts 2 eggs. "as such, the item name and the number are shown, and the answer is stored. In the case of (C2), the response controller 423 responds to all the food materials for which stock has not been confirmed, such as "kawa, no chicken leg meat, and no milk". Further, a continuing word such as "kayi" may not be provided. In the case of (C3), the response controller 423 indicates that "chicken leg meat is present. There was no milk. "as such, the food materials with and without stock are answered.

< 5.3.2 stock confirmation in storage room

In the present embodiment, the instruction receiving unit 421 can receive the inventory check specifying the storage room 11. "stock confirmation specifying storage room" means "what is in vegetable room? "," is there a horse mackerel in the freezer? "and the like are instructions accompanied by stock confirmation of the name of the storage room 11.

In this case, the registration manager 422 determines, based on the stock list DB521, which of "one or more stocks exist in a designated storage room (D1)", "none of the stocks in the designated storage room (D2)", "a designated material in the designated storage room (D3)", and "no designated material in the designated storage room (D4)" corresponds to the object of stock confirmation.

In the case of (D1), the response controller 423 replies "7 registration items in the vegetable room. Each of the good components is one, and each of the good components is 2, …. The other two pieces can be validated on APP. "and the like, the number of stock registers R1 in the designated storage room, the reading of food materials up to a predetermined number (for example, 5), the number of stock registers R1 other than the read food materials, and the confirmation method. The reading of the predetermined number of food materials is, for example, in the order of the purchase day from old to new or in the order of the intake term from near to far. In the case of (D2), the response controller 423 takes an answer that the designated storage chamber 11 does not contain food, as "no food is contained in the vegetable chamber 11C". Further, there may be no word following the word "aiya". In the case of (D3), the response controller 423 may be configured to "two pieces of dried horse mackerel in the freezer". "as such, the specified storage room 11, food names, and number are shown, and the answer is made that the food is in stock. In the case of (D4), the response controller 423 may be configured to "no pod fish is present in the freezer," for example. "as such, the designated storage room 11 is shown, and the stock without the designated food item name is answered.

< 5.3.3 stock confirmation of unspecified food materials and storage

In the present embodiment, the instruction receiving unit 421 can receive an unspecified food material and an inventory check of the storage room 11. "confirmation of the stock of unspecified food and storage room" means "what is in the refrigerator? "please read the food item list" or the like, for example, an instruction to confirm the inventory of all the food items registered in the inventory list DB 521.

In this case, the registration manager 422 determines which of "one or more stocks exist (E1)" and "none at all (E2)" corresponds to based on the stock list DB 521. In the case of the above (E1), the response control unit 423 answers "there are 12 registrations. Each of the good components is one, and each of the good components is 2, …. The other 7 pieces can be identified on APP. "etc., the number of all stock registers R1, the reading of food materials up to a predetermined number (e.g., 5), and the number of stock registers R1 other than the read food materials and the confirmation method. The reading of the prescribed number of food materials is, for example, in the order of purchase day from old to new or in the order of intake term from near to far. In the case of (E2), the response control unit 423 returns "no stock" or the like, in which there is no stock.

< 5.4 stock use-up confirmation >

In the present embodiment, the instruction receiving unit 421 can receive a stock end check. The "stock use-up confirmation" is an instruction to confirm that there is no stock of food materials set in the stock DB256, such as "please notify that there are no stock of goods", "frequently used food materials are out of stock".

In this case, the registration management unit 422 determines which of "all the food materials registered in the stock DB526 are in the stock list DB521, the stock registration R1 (F1)" corresponds to "all the food materials registered in the stock DB 526" and "a part or all of the food materials registered in the stock DB526, and no stock registration R1 (F2)" corresponds to "the stock list DB521 is compared with the stock DB 526".

In the case of (F1), the response control unit 423 replies "all stock foods are present. ". In the case of the above (F2), the response control portion 423 answers "there are 7 pieces of registered food materials out of stock in the refrigerator. Good quality not good, good quality …. The other two pieces can be validated on APP. "etc., the number of ingredients running out of stock, reading of the ingredients running out of stock up to a predetermined number (for example, 5), the number of ingredients running out of stock other than the read-out ingredients, and a method of confirming the same. The reading of the predetermined number of food materials is performed in the order of old to new registration with the stock DB526, for example. In the case of (F2), the response controller 423 outputs "add to shopping list? "ask questions. When the instruction accepting unit 421 accepts an affirmative answer from the user U to the question, the registration managing unit 422 adds all the ingredients registered in the stock DB526, which are not stocked in the stock list DB521, to the shopping list DB 522.

< 5.5 shopping List validation >

In the present embodiment, the instruction accepting unit 421 can accept confirmation (review) of a shopping list. By "confirmation of a shopping list" is meant "what is there in the shopping list? "," what was bought? "etc. to confirm the contents of the shopping list. In this case, the response control section 423 answers "there are 6 registrations based on the shopping list DB 522. Good for good, … good for good. The other piece can be validated on the APP. "etc., the number of shopping registers R2 registered in the shopping list DB522, the reading of food materials up to a predetermined number (e.g., 5), the number of shopping registers R2 other than the read food materials, and a confirmation method. The reading of the predetermined number of food materials is performed in order of, for example, registration with the shopping list DB522 from near to far. That is, the more recently registered shopping register R2, the earlier it is read. However, the reading of a predetermined number of food materials may be performed in the order of old to new registration with shopping list DB522, for example.

< 5.6 confirmation of stock List >

In the present embodiment, the instruction accepting unit 421 can accept confirmation (review) of the list of the stock articles. By "confirmation of stock list" is meant "what is a food material that is frequently used? "please notify stock food", and the like, and an instruction to confirm the content registered in the stock DB 526. In this case, the response control section 423 replies "there is 15 pieces of registration" based on the stock DB 526. Good for good, … good for good. The other 10 pieces can be identified on APP. "etc., the number of registrations registered in the stock DB526, the reading of food materials up to a predetermined number (for example, 5 pieces), and the number of registrations and confirmation methods other than the read food materials. The reading of the predetermined number of food materials is performed in the order of old to new registration with the stock DB526, for example.

Next, several control examples related to addition and deletion of registration will be described. In the following description, the "case where an instruction is received" means a case where an instruction of the user U is received by the instruction receiving unit 421.

< 6. control example > relating to deletion instruction with ambiguous deletion object

< 6.1 processing Contents >

As shown in fig. 12, in the inventory list DB521, there may be a plurality of inventory registrations R1 relating to food materials of the same name (food materials of the same type). In the example shown in fig. 12, there are a plurality of stock registers R1 having different purchase dates for "pork". Hereinafter, the plurality of inventory registrations R1 relating to food materials of the same name may be simply referred to as "a plurality of inventory registrations RS".

When a plurality of stock registrations RS relating to food materials of the same name exist, and when a deletion instruction of the user U having designated the deletion target is accepted, the registration management unit 422 deletes the stock registration R1 of the deletion target from the plurality of stock registrations RS. The "deletion instruction of the user U having designated the deletion object" refers to a deletion instruction of the stock registration R1 capable of uniquely specifying the deletion object from among the plurality of stock registrations RS. The deletion instruction of the user U specifying the deletion target is a deletion instruction capable of distinguishing the plurality of inventory registration RSs from each other, such as "good quality with the deletion purchase date being X month and X day", "good quality with the deletion being the longest" and the like.

On the other hand, when there are a plurality of stock registrations RS related to a food material of the same name, and when an instruction to delete the stock registration R1 whose deletion target is not clear is accepted with respect to the food material, the registration management unit 422 of the present embodiment deletes one or more stock registrations R1 among the plurality of stock registrations RS based on a preset priority order. For example, when receiving an instruction to delete the inventory register R1 whose deletion target is unclear, the registration management unit 422 deletes the inventory register R1 having the highest priority in the above priority order among the plurality of inventory registers R1.

Here, the same name of the food material is an example of "the same divided food material". The same divided food material is not limited to the food material with the same name, and may include a plurality of food materials set in advance as the same division. For example, "tomatoes" and "cherry tomatoes" may be set as the same material for each division. The division may be set in advance not on a food material basis but on a group basis of food materials. For example, when "salmon", "tuna", "sea bream" or the like is set as the food material of the same division as "fish", when a deletion instruction of the user U of "delete fish" is accepted, one or more stock registers R1 out of the plurality of stock registers R1 (for example, the stock registers R1 of "salmon", "tuna" and "sea bream") relating to "fish" may be deleted based on the above priority order (for example, the order of purchase day from old to new). The "division" may also be referred to as "classification" instead. Hereinafter, an example in which the division is set for each food material with the same name will be described.

In the present embodiment, the priority order is an order of the purchase date of the food material from old to new. However, the order of priority may be in the order of the intake deadline from early to late instead of the above example. The order of "intake deadline" from early to late is the order of intake deadline from early to late.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of control related to deletion of the stock register R1. In the example shown in fig. 13, as the plurality of stock registrations RS relating to "pork", there are "purchase date: inventory registration of 5 months and 31 days R1 and "purchase day: 6 month 2 day "inventory register R1. In this case, when an instruction to delete the user U (for example, an instruction to delete the pork) such as "delete the pork" is accepted, the registration manager 422 deletes the "purchase date: inventory registration R1 of 5 months and 31 days "maintains" purchase date: 6 month 2 day "inventory register R1.

Here, the stock amounts of the plurality of stock registers RS may be different from each other. The registration management unit 422 includes, in a plurality of stock registrations RS concerning a certain food material, a first registration indicating that a first amount of the food material is present, and a second registration indicating that a second amount of the food material greater than the first amount is present, the second registration being lower in priority than the first registration in the priority order, and the second registration indicating that the food material greater than the first amount is present, and deletes the first registration and maintains the second registration as it is, when a deletion instruction to delete the food material greater than the first amount without specifying the deletion target is accepted with respect to the food material. In this case, the response control unit 423 may report to the user U that the second registration is maintained as it is at the second amount.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing another control example relating to deletion of the stock registration. In the example shown in fig. 14, as the plurality of stock registrations RS relating to "pork", there are "purchase date: day 5, 31, stock: stock register R1 of 200 grams "and" date of purchase: day 26 month, stock: 300 grams "inventory register R1. In this case, when an instruction to delete the user U (for example, an instruction to delete the pork by utterance) of "delete the pork 300 g" is accepted, the registration manager 422 stores the "purchase date: day 5, 31, stock: the stock registration R1 of 200 g "was deleted, and the" purchase date: day 26 month, stock: 300 grams "inventory register R1.

Further, in the same situation as described above, when an instruction to delete a larger amount of the food material than the second amount is received for the food material without specifying the deletion target, the registration management unit 422 according to the present embodiment deletes the first registration and maintains the second registration as it is at the second amount. That is, as in the example shown in fig. 14, there are "purchase dates: day 5, 31, stock: stock register R1 of 200 grams "and" date of purchase: day 26 month, stock: in the case of the stock registration R1 of 300 g ", when an instruction to delete the user U (e.g., an instruction to delete based on the utterance) of" delete pork 400 g "is accepted, the registration manager 422 stores the" purchase date: day 5, 31, stock: the stock registration R1 of 200 g "was deleted, and the" purchase date: day 26 month, stock: 300 grams "inventory register R1.

By performing such processing, when the user U erroneously indicates a large amount of the stock registration R1 for the deletion target, it is possible to avoid that the stock registration R1 that is not the deletion target accidentally disappears. On the other hand, when the amount of the deletion instruction is correct (when it is desired to delete the stock register R1 whose purchase date is new as well), although the stock amount of the stock register R1 whose purchase date is new is not appropriately reduced, the stock register R1 is left in the stock list DB521 and is in a state in which the user U can easily confirm it, and therefore, by issuing an additional deletion instruction, the stock amount of the stock register R1 whose purchase date is new can be easily corrected to a correct amount by the user U.

In the present embodiment, when all or a part of the plurality of inventory registers RS relating to the material to be deleted is inventory registers relating to the freezing chamber 11E, and when an instruction to delete the inventory register R1 whose deletion target is unclear is accepted with respect to the material, the response control unit 423 outputs a question indicating which inventory register R1 is to be deleted from the notification unit (the audio dialog device 200, the display device 30 of the refrigerator 100, or the display device 310 of the terminal device 300).

In the present embodiment, when the question is output, the response control unit 423 causes the voice dialog apparatus 200 to output the question as a voice by transmitting a predetermined control signal to the first server apparatus 410. In this case, the response control unit 423 adds different pieces of identification information to the plurality of stock registrations RS related to the material to be deleted and outputs the information as sound. The identification information is, for example, a different number or a different letter, but is not limited to the above example as long as it is information that can respond with a short utterance or information that can be easily distinguished (information that is easily identified). The registration management unit 422 specifies the stock registration R1 to be deleted based on an instruction from the voice input of the user U that specifies the identification information received by the instruction receiving unit 421. On the other hand, when an instruction based on a voice input for specifying a food material name is received by the instruction receiving unit 421 in addition to an instruction based on a voice input for specifying the identification information, the registration management unit 422 uses the instruction based on the voice input for specifying the food material name in place of the specification of the stock registration R1 to be deleted or in addition, uses the instruction with a weight smaller than the identification information in the specification of the stock registration R1 to be deleted. The identification information may be managed as a part of each inventory register R1 in association with information indicating a food material (food material information) in the inventory list DB521, for example.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing still another control example relating to deletion of the stock register R1. In the example shown in fig. 15, as the plurality of stock registrations RS, there are "purchase date: day 5, 31, storage room: stock register of freezer compartment R1 and "purchase date: day 2, 6 months, storage room: cold room "inventory register R1. In this case, when an instruction to delete the user U (for example, an instruction to delete the pork based on the utterance) such as "delete pork" is accepted, the response control unit 423 outputs from the audio dialog device 200 which of "delete pork on day 1, day 5, month 31, and day 2, day 6, month 2? "this question. In addition, the response control unit 423 may also be configured to "delete which of the pork of the freezing chamber and the pork of the refrigerating chamber on the purchase day 5, month 31, and day 2, month 6, and day 2? "the question added to the storage room 11 is outputted from the voice dialogue device 200.

Then, the instruction receiving unit 421 waits for an instruction to add the audio data to the user U. For example, when there is a voice-based answer from the user U of "delete No. 1", the instruction receiving unit 421 sends a "purchase date: day 5, 31, storage room: the stock register R1 of the freezing room "is determined as the stock register R1 of the deletion object. In this case, the registration management unit 422 deletes the inventory registration R1 to be deleted, which is specified by the instruction receiving unit 421, from the inventory list DB 521.

< 6.2 control flow

Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing a process related to deletion of the stock registration R1. First, the instruction receiving unit 421 receives a deletion instruction of the stock registration R1 from the user U (S101). Next, when the instruction accepting unit 421 accepts the deletion instruction, the registration managing unit 422 determines whether or not the inventory register R1 corresponding to the object of the deletion instruction is present in the inventory list DB521 (S102). When the stock registration R1 corresponding to the object instructed to delete is not in the stock list DB521 (no in S102), the response controller 423 reports to the user U that there is no stock registration R1 corresponding to the object instructed to delete (S103), and ends the processing.

When the inventory register R1 corresponding to the object instructed to delete exists in the inventory list DB521 (yes in S102), the registration manager 422 determines whether or not two or more inventory registers R1 corresponding to the object instructed to delete exist in the inventory list DB521 (S104). When only one inventory register R1 corresponding to the object instructed to delete exists in the inventory list DB521 (S104: no), the registration management unit 422 deletes the inventory register R1 corresponding to the object instructed to delete (S105). In this case, the response control unit 423 reports the deleted inventory register R1 to the user U (S109), and ends the process.

When two or more inventory registers R1 corresponding to the object of the deletion instruction exist in the inventory list DB521 (yes in S104), the registration manager 422 determines whether or not the inventory register R1 of the deletion object can be specified based on the instruction of the user U (that is, whether or not the inventory register R1 is a deletion instruction capable of uniquely specifying the deletion object) (S105). When the stock registration R1 to be deleted can be specified (yes in S105), the registration manager 422 deletes the specified stock registration R1 (S107). In this case, the response control unit 423 reports the deleted inventory register R1 to the user U (S109), and ends the process.

On the other hand, when the stock registration R1 of the deletion target cannot be specified (no in S105), the registration manager 422 deletes the one stock registration R1 corresponding to the deletion-instructed target based on the priority (S108). In this case, the response control unit 423 reports the deleted inventory register R1 to the user U (S109), and ends the process.

< 6.3 advantage >

In the present embodiment, when a deletion instruction of the inventory register R1 whose deletion target is unclear is accepted, one or more inventory registers R1 in the plurality of inventory registers RS are deleted based on a preset priority order. With this configuration, even when there are a plurality of stock registrations R1 for food materials of the same name, it is possible to suppress the request for a detailed deletion instruction to the user U or the deletion of the stock registration R1 by making a plurality of queries to the user U, and thus it is possible to reduce the burden on the user U. This can improve the convenience of the user U.

In the present embodiment, the priority order is an order of the purchase date of the food material from old to new or an order of the intake time limit from early to late. Since there is a high possibility that a food material that is purchased at a long date or a food material that has a short intake date is preferentially used for cooking, it is possible to perform deletion processing that matches the intention of the user U with higher accuracy by preferentially deleting a food material that is purchased at a long date or a food material that has a short intake date.

In the present embodiment, when a part or all of the plurality of inventory registers RS are the inventory registers R1 relating to the freezing compartment 11E, a question indicating which inventory register R1 to delete is output. Since the food stored in freezing chamber 11E may be used later even if the purchase date is long, the deletion process according to the intention of user U can be performed with higher accuracy by asking the user a question to confirm.

In the present embodiment, when the question is output, different identification information is added to the plurality of stock registers RS and the output is made by voice, and the stock register R1 to be deleted is specified based on an instruction by voice input from a user who specifies the identification information. With this configuration, erroneous recognition in the voice input can be reduced. This enables the deletion process to be performed with higher accuracy in accordance with the intention of the user U.

In the above-described control example, when an instruction to delete the inventory register R1 whose deletion target is unclear is received, the inventory register R1 having the highest priority in the priority order among the plurality of inventory registers R1 is deleted. Alternatively, when the deletion instruction from the user U indicates that the deletion amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount, the registration manager 422 may delete two or three or more inventory registers R1 having a higher priority in the priority order among the plurality of inventory registers R1, in accordance with the deletion instruction amount.

< 6.4 modification

(first modification)

In the case where a part of the plurality of stock registrations RS relating to the material to be deleted is the stock registration R1 relating to the freezing chamber 11E, and in the case where an undefined deletion instruction is accepted for the material, the registration management unit 422 of the first modification excludes at least a part of the stock registration R1 relating to the freezing chamber 11E and deletes one or more stock registrations R1 out of the plurality of stock registrations RS. That is, in the present modification, at least a part of the stock registration R1 relating to the freezing chamber 11E is automatically excluded, and the stock registration R1 to be deleted is specified from the stock registrations R1 of the foodstuffs stored in the storage chamber 11 different from the freezing chamber 11E. With this configuration, the user U can perform the deletion process in accordance with the deletion instruction designating the storage chamber 11 when the user U wants to delete the material stored in the freezing chamber 11E, and can perform the deletion process in accordance with a simpler deletion instruction when the user U wants to delete the material stored in the other storage chamber 11. This can further improve the convenience of the user. The phrase "exclude at least a part of" as used herein means that, for example, if there is the stock registration R1 relating to the freezing room 11E that satisfies a specific condition, they may be determined whether or not they are the deletion objects, not by excluding them from the candidates for deletion objects, on the basis of the same criterion as the stock registration R1 relating to the refrigerating room 11A. The "inventory registration satisfying the specific condition" is, but not limited to, inventory registration R1 in which the food stored in freezing chamber 11E is in accordance with a specific food category (for example, fruit), inventory registration R1 in which the purchase date of the food stored in freezing chamber 11E is longer than a predetermined date, and the like.

(second modification)

In the case where a plurality of stock registrations RS relating to a material to be deleted are registrations relating to storage rooms having the same temperature range, and in the case where an instruction to delete stock registration R1 whose deletion target is unknown is accepted for the material, the registration management unit 422 of the second modification deletes one or more stock registrations R1 among the plurality of stock registrations R1 based on the order of the purchase date of the material from old to new or the order of the intake time limit from early to late, that is, the priority order of the first reference. On the other hand, in the case where the plurality of stock registrations RS relating to the material to be deleted are registrations relating to storage rooms 11 having different temperature ranges, and in the case where an instruction to delete the stock registration R1 whose deletion target is unknown is accepted with respect to the material, the registration management unit 422 of the present modification deletes one or more stock registrations R1 among the plurality of stock registrations R1 in accordance with the priority order based on the second reference different from the first reference. These first reference and second reference are stored in the storage unit 425 as the material priority information 527.

The second reference is a priority order set in advance according to the type of the storage chamber 11, for example. For example, in the second reference, the lower the temperature zone of the storage chamber 11, the lower the priority. For example, the priority order becomes lower in the order of refrigerating room 11A and freezing room 11E. As described above, in the present specification, "lower in the order of X, Y" means that X is higher and Y is lower. That is, when the plurality of stock registers RS are different between stock register R1 relating to refrigerating room 11A and stock register R1 relating to freezing room 11E, registration manager 422 preferentially deletes stock register R1 relating to refrigerating room 11A. The food stored in refrigerating compartment 11A is more likely to be used earlier than the food stored in freezing compartment 11E. Therefore, according to the above processing, the deletion processing according to the intention of the user U may be performed with higher accuracy.

In another example, the priority order of the second reference is lower in the order of the fresh food compartment 11B, the refrigerating compartment 11A, and the freezing compartment 11E. The ingredients stored in the fresh food compartment 11B are more likely to be used earlier than the ingredients stored in the refrigerating compartment 11A and the freezing compartment 11E. Therefore, according to the above processing, the deletion processing according to the intention of the user U may be performed with higher accuracy.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the material priority information 527. In the example shown in fig. 17, the priority order of the second reference is lower in the order of the fresh food compartment 11B, the refrigerating compartment 11A, the vegetable compartment 11C, and the freezing compartment 11E. The vegetables stored in the fresh food compartment 11B and the refrigerating compartment 11A are likely to be used earlier than the vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 11C. Therefore, according to the above processing, the deletion processing according to the intention of the user U may be performed with higher accuracy.

However, the first reference and the second reference in the present modification are not limited to the above example. In the modification described above, the refrigerating compartment 11A, the vegetable compartment 11C, and the fresh food compartment 11B are each divided into storage compartments 11 having different temperature zones. However, in a case of a large view, refrigerating room 11A and vegetable room 11C can be regarded as storage rooms 11 having the same temperature range. In this case, even when the plurality of stock registrations RS relating to the material to be deleted are registrations classified into the refrigerating room 11A and the vegetable room 11C, the stock registration R1 of the material with the oldest purchase date (or the material with the oldest intake date) among the stock registrations R1 of the materials stored in the refrigerating room 11A and the vegetable room 11C may be deleted when a deletion instruction of the stock registration R1 whose deletion target is unclear is accepted with respect to the material.

(third modification)

When a plurality of stock registrations RS relating to a material to be deleted exist, and when a deletion instruction of the stock registration R1 whose deletion object is unclear is accepted with respect to the material, the registration management unit 422 of the third modification deletes one or more stock registrations R1 among the plurality of stock registrations R1 based on only the priority order preset in accordance with the type of the storage room 11 regardless of the purchase date and the intake time limit of the material. That is, the registration management unit 422 according to the third modification determines the stock registration R1 to be deleted, based only on the priority order of the second criterion. The details of the priority order of the present modification are the same as the priority order of the second criterion of the second modification.

(fourth modification)

In the fourth modification, the priority order preset according to the type of the storage chamber 11 is different depending on the food material. That is, when the plurality of stock registrations RS include a first registration in which a food is present in a first storage room and a second registration in which the food is present in a second storage room having a temperature lower than that of the first storage room, the priority order is lowered in the order of the first storage room and the second storage room when the food is a first food, and the priority order is lowered in the order of the second storage room and the first storage room when the food is a second food different from the first food.

In one example, the first storage compartment is a refrigerating compartment 11A, the second storage compartment is a refrigerating compartment 11B, the first food material is meat or fish and shellfish, and the second food material is vegetables. That is, when the stock register R1 to be deleted is meat or fish or shellfish, the registration manager 422 preferentially deletes the stock register R1 in the refrigerating room 11A over the stock register R1 in the fresh food room 11B. On the other hand, when the stock registration R1 to be deleted is a vegetable, the registration manager 422 preferentially deletes the stock registration R1 relating to the fresh food compartment 11B over the stock registration R1 relating to the refrigerating compartment 11A. This is because the meat and fish and shellfish stored in refrigerating compartment 11A are likely to be used earlier than the meat and fish and shellfish stored in refrigerating compartment 11B, while the vegetables stored in refrigerating compartment 11B are mostly partially cooked (for example, cut) vegetables, and are likely to be used earlier than the vegetables stored in refrigerating compartment 11A.

In another example, the first storage chamber is a refrigerating chamber 11A, a freezing chamber 11B, or a vegetable chamber 11C, the second storage chamber is a freezing chamber 11E, the first food is vegetables, meat, or fish and shellfish, and the second food is fruit. That is, when the stock register R1 to be deleted is a vegetable, meat, or fish or shellfish, the registration manager 422 preferentially deletes the stock register R1 in the refrigerating room 11A, the freezing room 11B, or the vegetable room 11C over the stock register R1 in the freezing room 11E. On the other hand, when the stock register R1 to be deleted is fruit, the registration manager 422 preferentially deletes the stock register R1 relating to the freezing chamber 11E over the stock registers R1 relating to the refrigerating chamber 11A, the fresh food chamber 11B, or the vegetable chamber 11C. This is because vegetables, meats, and fish and shellfish stored in refrigerating room 11A, refrigerating room 11B, or vegetable room 11C are more likely to be used earlier than vegetables, meats, and fish and shellfish stored in freezing room 11E, and on the other hand, fruits stored in freezing room 11E are more likely to be eaten earlier as frozen fruits.

(fifth modification)

In a case where the plurality of stock registers RS include a first registration indicating that a food is present in the fresh food chamber 11B and a second registration indicating that the food is present in the refrigerating chamber 11A, the registration management unit 422 of the fifth modification decreases the priority in the order of the fresh food chamber 11B and the refrigerating chamber 11A when the operation mode for cooling the fresh food chamber 11B is the first operation mode, and decreases the priority in the order of the refrigerating chamber 11A and the fresh food chamber 11B when the operation mode for cooling the fresh food chamber 11B is the second operation mode having a lower temperature zone than the first operation mode. This is because, when the temperature zone of the fresh food chamber 11B is operated in the low operation mode, the food stored in the refrigerating chamber 11A is likely to be used earlier than the food stored in the fresh food chamber 11B.

For example, when the operation mode for cooling fresh food chamber 11B is the "normal fresh food" operation mode, registration manager 422 preferentially deletes stock register R1 associated with fresh food chamber 11B over stock register R1 associated with refrigerating chamber 11A. On the other hand, when the operation mode for cooling the fresh air chamber 11B is the operation mode of "quick cooling", the registration manager 422 preferentially deletes the stock register R1 associated with the refrigerating chamber 11A over the stock register R1 associated with the fresh air chamber 11B.

In another example, when the operation mode for cooling fresh food compartment 11B is the "defrosting" operation mode, registration manager 422 preferentially deletes inventory register R1 associated with fresh food compartment 11B over inventory register R1 associated with refrigerating compartment 11A. On the other hand, when the operation mode for cooling the fresh air chamber 11B is the "normal fresh air" operation mode, the registration manager 422 preferentially deletes the stock register R1 associated with the refrigerating chamber 11A over the stock register R1 associated with the fresh air chamber 11B.

In another example, when the operation mode for cooling fresh food chamber 11B is the "normal" operation mode, registration manager 422 preferentially deletes inventory register R1 associated with fresh food chamber 11B over inventory register R1 associated with refrigerating chamber 11A. On the other hand, when the operation mode for cooling the fresh air chamber 11B is the "special fresh air" operation mode, the registration manager 422 preferentially deletes the stock register R1 associated with the refrigerating chamber 11A over the stock register R1 associated with the fresh air chamber 11B.

Several modifications have been described above, but the modifications are not limited to the above examples. For example, when a plurality of stock registers RS are separated into a plurality of storage rooms 11, the response control unit 423 may ask the user U which stock register R1 is deleted every time. Further, the registration manager 422 may determine the stock registration R1 to be deleted only for the storage room 11 with the door 20 open, based on the detection result of the open/close switch (not shown) of the door 20 of the refrigerator 100.

< 7. control example associated with reporting order of error >

< 7.1 processing Contents >

As described above, the instruction receiving unit 421 according to the present embodiment can receive an instruction of voice input based on the user U to add or delete the registration of a plurality of food materials at the same time. In the present specification, the term "simultaneous addition or deletion" means addition or deletion instructed during one utterance of the user U, rather than exact timing. When such an instruction is accepted, the process may be normally completed for some of the plurality of materials, but the process may fail for some other materials. In this case, the response control unit 423 reports an error to the user U in the following reporting order. The priority order of the responses including the order of reporting these errors is set in advance and stored in storage unit 425 as response priority order information 528. The term "normal" in this specification means a state in which no error is reported to the user U.

In detail, when the instruction of the user U relating to addition or deletion of registration of a part of the plurality of food materials is not normally received by the instruction receiving portion 421 (that is, when an error is output with respect to registration of a part of the plurality of food materials), the response control portion 423 outputs a processing result relating to a food material of the plurality of food materials for which the instruction has been normally received (that is, a food material that is not a target of the error) first and outputs a processing result relating to a food material of the plurality of food materials for which the instruction has not been normally received (that is, a food material that is a target of the error) later, regardless of an utterance order of the plurality of food materials in the voice input. The "registration" mentioned here is not limited to the stock registration R1, and includes a shopping registration R2, a deletion registration R3, a proposed registration R4, and the like.

For example, when a deletion instruction of "three cabbages and one tomato are deleted" is accepted, the response control unit 423 may delete one tomato if there is only one cabbage. There is only one cabbage. Has been deleted entirely. "in this way, even if the response is about the material indicated first in one utterance, the response relating to the material associated with the error is output later.

As described above, the registration management unit 422 manages the maximum number of registered food items that can be registered in each stock register R1 as 999 pieces and the maximum number of registered food items in the stock register R1 as 100 pieces. When a first error relating to the maximum number of registered food items and a second error relating to the maximum number of registered inventory registers R1 occur simultaneously in the processing relating to the instruction to add the registration of a plurality of food items simultaneously, the response control unit 423 outputs the first error first and then outputs the second error. The first error is an error that occurs when the stock registration R1 is added in an amount exceeding the maximum registration amount. The second error is an error that occurs when the stock register R1 is further added in a state where the stock register R1 of the maximum number of registers has been registered. The term "simultaneously generated" in this specification means not strictly coinciding in time but generating a plurality of errors in the content indicated in one utterance of the user U.

Here, when the first error occurs, the registration management unit 422 according to the sample embodiment registers the ingredients having the first error in a predetermined number equal to or less than the maximum number of registrations. That is, as described above, when an addition instruction of the stock registration R1 such as "add 1500 g of beef to the refrigerating room" is accepted, the registration management unit 422 adds the stock registration R1 by setting the number of the food to be added to the maximum registration number (999 g). The predetermined number is not limited to the maximum registration number, and may be a smaller number. As described above, when an instruction to add the stock register R1 such as "add 1500 cabbages to the refrigerating room" is received, the stock register R1 may be added by a predetermined number (for example, 20 in the case of cabbages) set in advance according to the food material.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the first error and the second error occur simultaneously in the process related to the instruction to add the registration of a plurality of food items simultaneously, the registration management unit 422 registers the food items in which the first error has occurred by the predetermined number (for example, the maximum registration number), and does not register the stock registration R1 for the food items in which the second error has occurred. Then, the response control unit 423 outputs the first error together with the first error when the first material has been registered by the predetermined number (for example, the maximum registration number), and outputs the second error later.

For example, when an instruction of "add 1500 g of beef and add one cabbage" is received, if 99-piece inventory registration R1 is made at that time, the response control unit 423 sets the "maximum number that can be registered to 999. 999 grams of beef has been added. The maximum number of registered food materials is 100. Please delete food material "to answer.

Further, when the first error occurs in a first food material of the plurality of food materials, the registration management unit 422 of the present embodiment normally processes a second food material of the plurality of food materials, and the second error occurs in a third food material of the plurality of food materials, the registration management unit 422 registers the first food material by the predetermined number (for example, the maximum registration number), normally registers the second food material, and does not register the third food material. Then, the response control unit 423 outputs the first error when the second food has been normally processed, outputs the first error together with the first error when the first food has been registered by the predetermined number (for example, the maximum registered number), and outputs the second error associated with the third food later.

For example, when an instruction of "add 1500 g of beef, add three eggs, and add one cabbage" is received, the response control unit 423 may "add three eggs" if 98 pieces of stock registration R1 are already present at this time. The maximum number that can be registered is 999. 999 grams of beef has been added. The maximum number of registered food materials is 100. Please delete the food material. "so answer.

In the present embodiment, when an error occurs in three or more food materials included in the plurality of food materials, the registration management unit 422 does not process all of the plurality of food materials. Then, the response control unit 423 outputs a response that generally indicates that the processing has failed for the plurality of food materials. In this case, the response control part 423 does not output individual contents regarding the three or more food materials (contents of an error regarding each of the three or more food materials).

For example, when an instruction "delete 200 g of pork, delete 200 g of beef, delete two carrots" is accepted, the response controller 423 fails to perform the "all processes" if the deletion of the stock registration R1 of "pork", "beef" and "carrots" fails for any one of the reasons (B1) to (B5) described above. Please try to indicate separately. "so answer.

However, when the plurality of food materials include four or more food materials, and an error occurs in three or more of the food materials, but the user can normally process the other one or more food materials, the registration management unit 422 may normally process the other one or more food materials and the response control unit 423 may report to the user U that the user normally processes the other one or more food materials.

< 7.2 control flow >

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing a process related to an instruction of the user U to add or delete registration of a plurality of food materials at the same time. First, the instruction receiving unit 421 receives an instruction from the user U (S201). Next, the registration management unit 422 starts the process of adding or deleting the registration based on the instruction from the instruction accepting unit 421 (S202).

Next, the registration manager 422 determines whether or not any error has occurred in three or more of the plurality of food materials (S203). When some error occurs in the three or more food materials (yes in S203), the response control unit 423 outputs a response that generally indicates that the processing has failed for the plurality of food materials (S204), and ends the processing.

When no error occurs in the three or more materials (including when the number of materials to be instructed is two or less in nature) (S203: no), the registration management unit 422 determines whether or not there is an instruction to add or delete the registered user U of a plurality of materials at the same time, and whether or not there is an instruction to process the materials normally (S205). When there is a normally processed instruction (yes in S205), the registration management unit 422 assigns an identifier "i" to the normally processed instruction (S206), and proceeds to S207. On the other hand, if there is no instruction that has been normally processed (no in S205), the registration management unit 422 proceeds to S207.

Next, the registration manager 422 determines whether or not there is an instruction to generate a first error with respect to an instruction to add or delete the registered users U of the plurality of ingredients at the same time (S207). When there is an instruction that the first error has occurred (yes in S207), the registration management unit 422 assigns an identifier "j" to the instruction that the first error has occurred (S208), and proceeds to S209. On the other hand, if the instruction of the first error is not generated (no in S207), the registration management unit 422 proceeds to S209.

Next, the registration manager 422 determines whether or not there is an instruction to generate a second error with respect to an instruction to add or delete the registered users U of the plurality of ingredients at the same time (S209). When there is an instruction that the second error has occurred (yes in S209), the registration management unit 422 adds an identifier "k" to the instruction that the second error has occurred (S210), and proceeds to S211. On the other hand, if the instruction of the second error is not generated (no in S209), the registration management unit 422 proceeds to S211.

Next, the response control unit 423 rearranges the order of response to the instruction in the order of the identifiers "i", "j", and "k" (S211). Next, the response control unit 423 outputs a response to the processing result instructed by the user U based on the response order rearranged in S211 (S212).

< 7.3 advantage >

As a comparative example, consider a food material management system that responds to only the processing has failed for the instruction of the user U. When such a response is performed, the user U may be unpleasant and the processing of the user U may become complicated. As a result, the convenience of the user U may be reduced.

Therefore, in the food material management system according to the present embodiment, when some of the instructions related to the food materials are not normally processed, regardless of the speaking order of the plurality of food materials in the voice input, the processing result related to the food material of which the instruction has been normally processed is output first, and the processing result related to the food material of which the instruction has not been normally processed is output later. With this configuration, compared to the comparative example, it is possible to reduce the discomfort of the user U when the process fails, and to promote a smooth process thereafter. This can improve the convenience of the user U.

In the present embodiment, when a first error regarding the maximum number of registered ingredients and a second error regarding the maximum number of registered ingredients are simultaneously generated, the response control unit 423 outputs the first error first and outputs the second error later. According to this configuration, by outputting a second error that requires the attention of the user U more than the first error, the attention of the user U to the second error is easily and strongly attracted (easily left in the consciousness of the user U). This can further improve the convenience of the user U.

Here, when an error occurs for all of three or more food materials, if all of the contents of the error are output, the response becomes long, and it becomes difficult for the user U to pay attention to the details of the response. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when an error occurs in three or more food materials, the response control unit 423 outputs a response that generally indicates that the processing has failed for the three or more food materials. According to this configuration, the response can be shortened as compared with the case where all errors are output. This can further improve the convenience of the user U.

< 7.4 modification

(first modification)

When an instruction of the user U who added or deleted the registration of a plurality of materials at the same time is accepted, the response control unit 423 according to the first modification outputs a response that indicates in summary that the processing has failed for the plurality of materials when an error occurs with respect to two or more materials included in the plurality of materials. In this case, the response control part 423 does not output individual contents regarding the two or more food materials (contents of an error regarding each of the two or more food materials). This can shorten the response compared to the case where all errors are output. This may further improve the convenience of the user U.

(second modification)

The registration management unit 422 according to the second modification example does not register the first food material, the second food material, and the third food material when the instruction receiving unit 421 does not normally recognize the instruction regarding the first food material among the plurality of food materials and the first error regarding the second food material among the plurality of food materials and the second error regarding the third food material among the plurality of food materials are simultaneously generated. Then, the response control unit 423 outputs the second material that has been registered in the predetermined number (for example, the maximum number of registrations) together with the first error in advance, and then outputs the second error associated with the third material and a third error indicating that the first material has not been recognized normally in the latter order.

For example, when an instruction "add three eggs, add 1500 g of beef, and add one cabbage" is received, if 99 pieces of stock registration R1 are already made at this time and the instruction relating to "eggs" is not recognized normally, the response control unit 423 sets the maximum number of registerable items to 999 as if. 999 grams of beef has been added. The maximum number of registered food materials is 100. Please delete the food material. The first indication is not recognized. "so answer.

(third modification)

The third modification is an example in which the analysis result of the voice of the user U and the likelihood information indicating the likelihood of the recognition result for each instruction of the user U are transmitted together from the first server device 410 to the instruction receiving unit 421 of the second server device 420.

When an instruction of the user U to add or delete a plurality of items simultaneously is accepted, and when the likelihood of the recognition result of the instruction relating to a first item of the plurality of items is smaller than a predetermined threshold value and the first error relating to a second item of the plurality of items and the second error relating to a third item of the plurality of items simultaneously occur, the registration management unit 422 of the third modification registers the first item with an estimated item (the item with the highest likelihood), registers the second item with the predetermined number (for example, the maximum registration number), and does not register the third item. Then, the response control unit 423 outputs the second material that has already been registered in the predetermined number (for example, the maximum number of registrations) together with the first error, and outputs the second error associated with the third material that has been registered together with the estimated material.

For example, when an instruction "add three eggs, add 1500 grams of beef, and add one cabbage" is received, the response control unit 423 sets the "maximum number that can be registered to 999" if 98 pieces of stock registration R1 are already made at that time and the likelihood of the recognition result in the instruction relating to "egg" is smaller than a preset threshold value. 999 grams of beef has been added. The maximum number of registered food materials is 100. Please delete the food material. It may be that the first food material is an egg. Three eggs have been added. "so answer. Since the response relating to the food material estimated to be registered is the last response, the user U is likely to be strongly noticed (likely to be in the consciousness of the user U) about the food material estimated to be registered. Therefore, when the registered food is estimated to be incorrect, the possibility that the user U corrects the food without forgetting it can be increased.

Several modifications have been described above, but the modifications are not limited to the above examples. For example, when an instruction to add or delete a plurality of registered food items at the same time is accepted, and when an instruction relating to a part of the plurality of food items cannot be recognized, the response control unit 423 may output a response indicating that the user U cannot be recognized or output a question to the user U for the content of which the instruction cannot be recognized. In this case, the response and the question to the user U, which are not recognized, are output at the end of the above-described error reporting order (for example, after the reporting of the first error and the second error).

< 8 control example in case where there are a plurality of refrigerators

< 8.1 processing Contents >

As described above, when a plurality of refrigerators 100 (for example,

refrigerators

100A and 100B) are present in the same residence, the setting unit 424 sets the refrigerator 100 to be instructed to manage food materials from among the plurality of refrigerators 100, based on the instruction received by the instruction receiving unit 421. The "refrigerator set as the instruction target for material management" is not limited to the case of newly setting the refrigerator 100 as the instruction target for material management, and includes the case of changing the refrigerator 100 as the instruction target for material management from one refrigerator 100 to another refrigerator 100.

Here, the "instruction target of material management" is, for example, the refrigerator 100 to which the addition, deletion, or confirmation of the stock registration R1 is made when there is an instruction (addition, deletion, confirmation, or the like of the stock registration R1 of the stock list DB 521) of a voice that does not specify the user U of the refrigerator 100 with respect to material management by voice operation of the voice dialogue device 200. In another aspect, the "instruction target of material management" is, for example, refrigerator 100 in which, among operations on display device 310 of terminal device 300, an operation of material management can be performed on a home page of material management displayed first after APP is started. In other words, the "instruction target for food material management" is the refrigerator 100 having the highest priority for food material management among the plurality of refrigerators 100 in the same residence.

In the present embodiment, the setting unit 424 sets the refrigerator 100 to be subjected to material management from among the plurality of refrigerators 100, based on the instruction of the voice input by the user U received by the instruction receiving unit 421. In the present embodiment, when outputting information indicating a plurality of refrigerators 100 that can be set as objects of food management, the response control unit 423 adds different identification information to the plurality of refrigerators 100 and outputs the information as sound. The identification information is, for example, a different number or a different letter, but is not limited to the above example as long as it is information that can respond with a short utterance or information that can be easily distinguished (information that is easily identified). Then, setting unit 424 sets refrigerator 100 to be a target of food management, based on an instruction based on the voice input of user U that specifies the identification information.

In the present embodiment, the setting unit 424 can receive registration of an arbitrary name (nickname) for each of the plurality of refrigerators 100 by the instruction receiving unit 421. The arbitrary names are, for example, "father's refrigerator", "mother's refrigerator", or "big refrigerator", "small refrigerator", or "kitchen refrigerator", "living room refrigerator", and the like, and the user U can distinguish the names of the plurality of refrigerators 100.

Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the refrigerator registration information 529. In the refrigerator registration information 529, a user ID capable of identifying the user U, a refrigerator ID capable of identifying the refrigerator 100, an arbitrary name registered for the refrigerator 100, and information indicating whether or not any refrigerator 100 is set as a target of food management are associated. In the present specification, "a plurality of refrigerators 100 in the same residence" or "a plurality of refrigerators 100 that can be set as objects of food management" means, for example, a plurality of refrigerators 100 registered in association with the same user U (the same user ID). Instead of this, the "plurality of refrigerators 100 in the same residence" or the "plurality of refrigerators 100 settable as the object of food management" may be a plurality of refrigerators 100 communicating with the server 400 through the same router R.

In the present embodiment, when the refrigerator 100 to be instructed to manage food materials is set (for example, when the refrigerator is newly set or is changed), the response control unit 423 outputs the names and the identification information (for example, numbers or letters) added to the plurality of refrigerators 100 as a combination (set) by voice. Then, setting unit 424 sets refrigerator 100 to be a target of food management, based on an instruction based on the voice input of user U that specifies the identification information. On the other hand, in addition to the instruction based on the voice input for specifying the identification information, when the instruction receiving unit 421 receives the instruction based on the voice input for specifying the title, the setting unit 424 uses the instruction based on the voice input for specifying the title without using it for specifying the refrigerator 100 to be the target of food management or using it with a weight smaller than the identification information.

For example, when the refrigerator registration information 529 as shown in fig. 19 is registered, the response control unit 423 outputs "refrigerator with 1, mother, refrigerator with 2, and father" from the voice dialogue device 200 when the instruction receiving unit 421 receives an instruction for voice input by the user U to switch the refrigerator 100, such as "refrigerator to change food management", "switch refrigerator", or "desire to change to a different refrigerator". Which food material management function is used? Please note with the number. "this question. Then, the instruction receiving unit 421 waits for an additional instruction by the voice of the user U, for example. For example, when there is a voice response of the user U such as "No. 1", the setting unit 424 sets "ID: 100214' is determined as the refrigerator 100 of the indication object of the food material management. Then, the setting unit 424 updates the refrigerator registration information 529 based on the information indicating the specified refrigerator 100, thereby switching the refrigerator 100 to which the instruction of the material management is directed.

In the present embodiment, setting unit 424 maintains the setting regarding the instruction target of food material management until instruction of user U who changes refrigerator 100 to be the instruction target of food material management is received by instruction receiving unit 421. That is, when the refrigerator 100 to be instructed to manage the ingredients is set, the refrigerator 100 to be instructed to manage the ingredients is fixed to the same refrigerator 100 even after the operation by the voice dialogue apparatus 200 or the terminal device 300 is completed, until an addition instruction to delete or change the registration of the refrigerator 100 to be instructed to manage the ingredients is given.

< 8.2 example in case of setting a new refrigerator

< 8.2.1 example of the case where the new refrigerator is provided

When the number of refrigerators 100 that can be set as the indication target of material management increases, the response control unit 423 outputs a question indicating which refrigerator 100 is set as the indication target of material management. For example, response control portion 423 outputs "refrigerator 100 registered with APP has been changed. There are refrigerator No. 1 and mother, refrigerator No. 2 and father, and refrigerator No. 3 and living room. Which food material management function is used? Please note with the number. "this question. Then, setting unit 424 sets refrigerator 100 to be instructed to manage food materials, based on the answer to the question from user U.

< 8.2.2 modified example in case of installing a new refrigerator

In the modification, when the number of refrigerators 100 that can be set as the indication target of material management increases, the setting unit 424 automatically sets the refrigerator 100 to which the registration is added last as the indication target of material management. In still another modification, when the number of refrigerators 100 that can be set as indication targets of food management is increased, the setting unit 424 automatically sets the refrigerator 100 to which the registration is added last as an indication target of food management when the refrigerator 100 to which the registration is added last is updated compared with the refrigerator 100 that is being set as an indication target of food management and/or when the capacity is larger. The comparison of the old and new or the capacity of the plurality of refrigerators 100 can be performed based on the refrigerator ID registered in the refrigerator registration information 529 and product information not shown. On the other hand, for example, when the refrigerator 100 to which the registration is added last is older than the refrigerator 100 being set as the instruction target of the material management or has a smaller capacity, the setting unit 424 may not set the refrigerator 100 to which the registration is added last as the instruction target of the material management.

< 8.3 example of case where refrigerator is discarded

< 8.3.1 example of case where refrigerator is discarded >

When a first refrigerator (for example, the refrigerator 100A) and a second refrigerator (for example, the refrigerator 100B) are registered as the refrigerator 100 that can be set as the indication target of the material management, and when the registration of the first refrigerator that is being set as the indication target of the material management is deleted (for example, when the registration is deleted from the refrigerator registration information 529), the setting unit 424 changes the stock registration of the material related to the first refrigerator to the stock registration related to the second refrigerator. In this case, the setting unit 424 changes the stock register R1 of the first refrigerator to the stock register R1 of the second refrigerator while maintaining the information indicating the storage room 11 associated with each stock register R1. That is, the stock register R1 related to the refrigerating chamber 11A of the first refrigerator is changed to the stock register R1 related to the refrigerating chamber 11A of the second refrigerator, and the stock register R1 related to the freezing chamber 11E of the first refrigerator is changed to the stock register R1 related to the freezing chamber 11E of the second refrigerator.

For example, when the refrigerator registration information 529 as shown in fig. 19 is registered, the following case will be described as an example: as the indication target of the food material management, "parent refrigerator 100" is set, and as the stock register R1 relating to "parent refrigerator 100", there are stock registers R1 of "pork 200 g" for refrigerating room 11A, and "ice cream 2" for freezing room 11E, there are stock registers R1. In this case, when the registration of the "parent refrigerator 100" is deleted, as the stock registration R1 relating to the "mother refrigerator 100", the stock registration R1 of "pork 200 g" is added to the refrigerating room 11A, and the stock registration R1 of "ice cream 2" is added to the freezing room 11E.

< 8.3.2 Another example of the case where the refrigerator is discarded >

When the plurality of refrigerators 100 that can be set as the indication target of food management include a first refrigerator (for example, refrigerator 100A), a second refrigerator (for example, refrigerator 100B), and a third refrigerator (for example, refrigerator 100C), and the second refrigerator is being set as the indication target of food management, the response control unit 423 outputs a question indicating which of the first refrigerator and the third refrigerator 100 is set as the indication target of food management when the registration of the second refrigerator is deleted. For example, when there are "mother's refrigerator", "father's refrigerator", and "living room 'refrigerator" and the registration of "father's refrigerator", which is set as an instruction target for food management, is deleted, the response control unit 423 outputs that "the refrigerator 100 registered in the APP has been changed. There are refrigerator No. 1 and mother, and refrigerator No. 2 and living room. Which food material management function is used? Please note with the number. "this question. Then, setting unit 424 sets refrigerator 100 to be instructed to manage food materials, based on the answer to the question from user U.

< 8.4 control flow >

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing a process in a case where the number of refrigerators 100 that can be set as food management targets is changed. When the number of refrigerators 100 that can be set as food management targets is changed, the response control unit 423 determines whether the number of changed refrigerators 100 is 1 or 2 or more (S301). When the number of refrigerators 100 changed is 1 (S301: 1), the response control unit 423 reads aloud names of the refrigerators 100 available at that time (S302). For example, the response control unit 423 outputs a response such as "refrigerator of father is currently available".

On the other hand, when the number of refrigerators 100 after the change is 2 or more (S301: 2 or more), the response control unit 423 outputs a question indicating which refrigerator 100 is set as the instruction target for material management (S303). Next, the instruction receiving unit 421 receives the answer to the question from the user U (S304). Next, the setting unit 424 sets the refrigerator 100 to be subjected to material management based on the response of the user U received by the instruction receiving unit 421 (S305). Next, the response control portion 423 reads aloud the refrigerator 100 set as the object of material management (S306). Thereby, the series of processes ends.

< 8.5 advantage >

In the present embodiment, when a plurality of refrigerators 100 are present in the same residence, the refrigerator 100 to be instructed for food management is set from among the plurality of refrigerators 100 based on the instruction received by the instruction receiving unit 421. According to this configuration, when a plurality of refrigerators 100 are owned, the food management function can be assigned to any refrigerator 100. Thereby, the management load of the user U can be reduced as compared with a case where the food material management functions of the plurality of refrigerators 100 are managed individually. This can improve the convenience of the user U.

In the present embodiment, when outputting information indicating a plurality of refrigerators 100 that can be set as food management targets, the response control unit 423 adds different identification information to the plurality of refrigerators 100 and outputs the information by voice. Then, setting unit 424 sets refrigerator 100 to be a target of food management, based on an instruction based on the voice of user U that specifies the identification information. With this configuration, erroneous recognition in the voice input can be reduced. This enables the deletion process to be performed with higher accuracy in accordance with the intention of the user U.

According to at least one embodiment described above, when an instruction to delete an inventory registration whose deletion target is unclear is accepted for a certain food material, the food material management system deletes one or more inventory registrations among the plurality of inventory registrations in accordance with a preset priority order. With this configuration, the convenience of use of the food material management system can be improved.

[ appendix ] A food material management system according to another aspect is enclosed.

A food material management system is provided with:

a reception unit that receives an instruction based on a voice input from a user, the instruction being an instruction to add or delete registration of a plurality of food materials at the same time; and

the response control unit, when an error is output in relation to registration of a part of the plurality of food materials, causes a processing result related to a food material that is not a target of the error among the plurality of food materials to be output first and causes a processing result related to a food material that is a target of the error among the plurality of food materials to be output later, regardless of an utterance order of the plurality of food materials in the voice input.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in other various ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope and equivalents of the invention described in the claims.

Claims

1. A food material management system is provided with:

a reception unit configured to receive an instruction from a user; and

and a setting unit that sets a refrigerator to be an instruction target for food management from among the plurality of refrigerators, based on the instruction received by the receiving unit, when the plurality of refrigerators exist in the same residence.

2. The food material management system of claim 1,

the receiving unit receives an instruction from the user based on a voice input,

the setting unit sets a refrigerator to be a target of the food management from the plurality of refrigerators, based on the instruction based on the voice input by the user received by the receiving unit.

3. The food material management system of claim 2,

further comprising a response control unit for outputting information indicating the plurality of refrigerators by voice by adding different identification information to the plurality of refrigerators,

the setting unit sets a refrigerator to be a target of the material management, based on an instruction by a voice input by the user specifying the identification information.

4. The food material management system of claim 3,

the setting unit receives registration of an arbitrary name for each of the plurality of refrigerators,

the response control unit outputs the titles and the identification information added to the plurality of refrigerators by voice when outputting information indicating the plurality of refrigerators,

5. The food material management system of any one of claims 1 to 4,

the setting unit maintains the setting regarding the instruction target of the material management until the receiving unit receives the instruction of the user to change the refrigerator to be the instruction target of the material management.

6. The food material management system of any one of claims 1 to 5,

the food management system further comprises a response control unit that outputs a question indicating which refrigerator is set as the food management instruction target when the number of refrigerators that can be set as the food management instruction targets increases.

7. The food material management system of any one of claims 1 to 5,

the setting unit sets the last added refrigerator as the instruction target of the material management when the number of refrigerators that can be set as the instruction target of the material management increases.

8. The food material management system of any one of claims 1 to 7,

further comprises a registration management part for managing the inventory registration of food materials,

when the registration of a first refrigerator among the plurality of refrigerators, which is being set as an instruction target of the material management, is deleted, the registration management section changes the stock registration of the material related to the first refrigerator to a stock registration related to a second refrigerator, which is a different refrigerator from the first refrigerator, among the plurality of refrigerators.

9. The food material management system of any one of claims 1 to 8,

the food management system further includes a response control unit that outputs a question indicating which of the first refrigerator and the third refrigerator is set as the indication target of the food management when the registration of the second refrigerator is deleted in a case where the plurality of refrigerators include a first refrigerator, a second refrigerator, and a third refrigerator and the second refrigerator is set as the indication target of the food management.

10. The food material management system of any one of claims 1 to 9,

further comprises a response control part for outputting a response related to the registration of the food material,

the receiving unit receives an instruction from the user based on an audio input, the instruction being an instruction to add or delete a plurality of food items at the same time,

the response control unit, when an error is output in relation to registration of a part of the plurality of food materials, outputs a processing result related to a food material that is not a target of the error in advance and outputs a processing result related to a food material that is a target of the error in the plurality of food materials later, regardless of an utterance order of the plurality of food materials in the voice input.

11. The food material management system of claim 10,

when a first error relating to the maximum number of registered ingredients and a second error relating to the maximum number of registered ingredients are generated in the processing relating to the instruction, the response control unit outputs the first error first and outputs the second error later.

12. The food material management system of claim 11,

further comprises a registration management unit for registering the food material based on the instruction,

the registration management unit registers, among the plurality of food materials, a predetermined number of food materials in which the first error has occurred, the predetermined number being equal to or less than the maximum registration number.

13. The food material management system of claim 12,

in the event that the first error has occurred for a first food material of the plurality of food materials and the second error has occurred for a second food material of the plurality of food materials,

the registration management unit registers the first food material by a predetermined number equal to or less than the maximum registration number, and does not register the second food material,

the response control unit outputs the first error and the second error in advance of each other when the predetermined number of the first food items have been registered, and outputs the second error in the following order.

14. The food material management system of claim 12 or 13,

in the event that the first error has occurred for a first food material of the plurality of food materials, no error has occurred for a second food material of the plurality of food materials, and the second error has occurred for a third food material of the plurality of food materials,

the registration management section registers the first food material by a predetermined number equal to or less than the maximum registration number, registers the second food material based on the instruction, and does not register the third food material,

the response control unit outputs the result of processing of the second material in advance, then outputs the result of processing of the second material registered in the predetermined number together with the first error, and outputs the second error in the following.

15. The food material management system of any one of claims 12 to 14,

in the event that the indication relating to a first of the plurality of food materials is not normally identified and the first error has occurred for a second of the plurality of food materials and the second error has occurred for a third of the plurality of food materials,

the registration management unit does not register the first food, registers the second food in a predetermined number of the maximum number of registrations or less, and does not register the third food,

the response control unit outputs the second material which has been registered in the predetermined number, in advance of the first error, outputs the second error, and outputs a third error, which indicates that the first material has not been recognized normally, in the subsequent stage.

16. The food material management system of any one of claims 12 to 15,

in the event that the likelihood of the indicated recognition result relating to a first of the plurality of food materials is less than a threshold, the first error has occurred for a second of the plurality of food materials, and the second error has occurred for a third of the plurality of food materials,

the registration management unit registers the first food material with the estimated food material, registers the second food material with a predetermined number equal to or less than the maximum registration number, and does not register the third food material,

the response control unit outputs the second food material that has been registered in the predetermined number, in advance of the first error, outputs the second error, and outputs the first food material that has been registered in the estimated food material.

17. The food material management system of any one of claims 12 to 16,

when an error occurs in three or more food materials included in the plurality of food materials, the response control unit outputs a response that generally indicates that the processing for the plurality of food materials has failed.

18. The food material management system of claim 10,

when an error occurs in two or more food materials included in the plurality of food materials, the response control unit outputs information that generally indicates that processing for the plurality of food materials has failed.