JP2003030421A - Living support system and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a 'living support system' as a means for realizing a desire about domestic life, for example, reduction in housework, and its application business. SOLUTION: A sensor for observing a cabinet for bringin in/taking out food to be preserved in a refrigerator and a state of freshness maintenance of the food and a living support system server for proposing an optimum management model from the observation results, for instance, a menu and a food goods purchase plan and further being an arranging means for food, etc., are provided in order to analyze the current living conditions and a decision-making process to first reduce immediate housework. As a further development form, the 'living support system' controlled by the living support system server and its application business are constructed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention mainly relates to a life support system and a life support method for homes. For example,
The target of living support is childcare and housework, especially cleaning and laundry, as well as shopping and cooking. Among them, mainly related to shopping and cooking, some of the derived problems are dealt with within the scope of application of the life support system. However,
In the embodiments to be described later, food management is mainly illustrated and the above-mentioned shopping and cooking are supported. This is because food is a representative of consumer goods in the home, and items, goods flow and procurement means. This is because it is suitable for the description of the present invention because there are abundant abundances and the storage conditions are strict. Therefore, the technical field to which the present invention pertains is not limited to food management, but can be applied to most non-durable consumer goods such as fuel, daily sundries, and sanitary goods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are no shopping and cooking support robots, etc., and at best, at a lunch center or the like, an electric device for peeling a large amount of potatoes of substantially the same quality and cutting cabbage semi-automatically at high speed. However, it is far from a robot equipped with artificial intelligence that "discovers what to do by itself and executes this by optimal control", and even if there is such a request, it is There was no technical idea to materialize.

If there is a system similar to a shopping support robot, an "automatic parts ordering system" in the assembly (assembly / manufacturer) business of home electric appliances and the "repair" associated with the sales and after-sales service of the product. It can be seen in the parts management system. The "Automatic Parts Ordering System" is a system in which thousands of parts are ordered according to the production schedule and all of them are prepared without delay, and it is essential to thoroughly implement them according to the production plan. In other words, it corresponds to an assortment of ingredients necessary for menu. In this case, unless there is a change in the production plan, excessive parts will not be discarded and excess parts will not be discarded.

In the "repair parts management system", tens of thousands of repair parts for after-sales service are kept in stock for a predetermined period after the continuation of production or after the production is discontinued in accordance with the demand so that an appropriate amount of stock does not run out. Or, we will prepare almost all products by a prompt supply and supply system, and it is important to keep the minimum required order and inventory quantity while detecting the demand or out of stock and forecasting the demand. So to speak
It corresponds to an assortment of foodstuffs for all kinds of versatile menus.

In this case, since there is a demand for repair parts for after-sales service with respect to the occurrence of malfunctions caused by the customer's use of the product irrespective of the production plan, if the demand forecast deviates, buy too much. It is possible to discard the excess parts. There is also the issue of storage time limit.

[0006] However, as a part of business use in a large company, although the system has been established by connecting the parts / group manufacturers supplying the parts and the sales service branch network online, etc., it is purely a support for home life. There was no business that applied the shopping and cooking support robots for the purpose.

[0007]

First, as a first problem, many people provide a "life support system" as a means to realize a desire for familiar family life and its application business. Want to.

Next, as a second problem, it is desired to provide a "life support system" and its application business, which are capable of procuring the consumer goods most suitable for the family structure and storing and managing the consumer goods in the storage means.

Next, as a third problem, a robot equipped with artificial intelligence for optimally managing food items stored in the refrigerator can determine the expiration date and the degree of deterioration, and can automatically organize the food. We would like to provide "life support system" and its application business.

Next, as a fourth problem, it is possible to propose an optimal menu so that the stored items in the refrigerator are completely used up of the old food which is close to the expiration date. Not only there is no such thing, but because we can prepare a set of ingredients necessary for the menu in a predetermined place all at once, we would like to provide a "life support system" and its application business that makes it more efficient to cook.

Next, as a fifth problem, if the materials required for the menu of home cooking are automatically ordered by a computer, the optimum menu can be proposed according to the stock contents. In other words, we would like to provide a "life support system" and its application that allow a robot equipped with artificial intelligence to handle everything related to home cooking ingredients.

[0012] Next, as a sixth problem, the automatic order and / or the manual order can be appropriately executed, and the optimum menu can be always proposed in accordance with the assortment status and the stock contents. In other words, we would like to provide a "life support system" and its application that allow a robot equipped with artificial intelligence to handle everything related to home cooking ingredients.

Next, as a seventh problem, it is possible to procure high quality materials for home cooking as quickly and cheaply as necessary. And I would like to provide a "life support system" and its application business that can easily settle payments.

Next, as an eighth problem, it is desired to provide a "life support system" and its application business in which seasonal dishes according to the season can be enjoyed cheaply.

Next, as a ninth issue, we would like to provide a "living support system" and its application business that can balance the supply and demand of food, stabilize the price, and contribute to the development of socio-economics.

Next, as a tenth problem, a shopping list is semi-automatically prepared for a purchaser, and it is possible to prevent overs and shorts of shopping in terms of both the number and quantity of items, and to save time and effort for searching for necessary items. I would like to provide a “life support system” and its application business that allow me to complete shopping on the course.

Next, as an eleventh problem, if the purchaser visits the supplier after confirming that the supplier has already prepared an assortment, waste of passing can be avoided, and the purchaser himself / herself can avoid it. Since an agent delegated to
We would like to provide a "life support system" and its application that allow you to feel comfortable entrusting you with shopping such as handymen or transporters.

Next, as a twelfth problem, it is desired to provide a “life support system” and its application business which can provide the information service of the empirical law desired by the user.

Next, as a thirteenth problem, scientific numerical data is also applied to matters involving “forecast”, “prediction”, “decision making” and “judgment” which depended on “intuition” of a person. "Life support system" and its application, which can be supported and easy to give an objective explanation, naturally obtain simulation results with high accuracy, are explained in easy-to-understand words, and provide various information services that are prompt, accurate, and easy to use. I want to provide a business.

[0020] Next, as a fourteenth problem, it is desired to provide a "life support system" and its application business that can provide various information services that are quicker, more accurate and easier to use than television news.

[0021] Next, as a fifteenth problem, with regard to household food, by making full use of information and communication means to procure quickly with the minimum necessary arrangements, and from the entire society including households and / or food-related establishments. A "living support system" that not only reduces waste and improves efficiency but also provides various information services to deliver seasonal fresh food to consumers without delay
And I would like to provide its application business.

Next, as a sixteenth problem, in the invention according to claim 16, it becomes possible to learn the outer shape, the color and the expiration date of the food which is seen for the first time, and thereafter to identify it. For items that cannot be identified and are difficult to handle,
I would like to provide a "living support system" and its application business in which it issues an error message, refuses to enter the warehouse, and then automatically detects even the difference in the images taken by the surveillance camera.

Next, as the seventeenth and eighteenth problems, it is easy to collect necessary information, promote the use of this "living support system", and circulate funds for capital investment to increase its accuracy and added value. However, in terms of scale and service, we would like to further develop the application business.

[0024] Next, as a nineteenth problem, regarding food-related advertisements, an information medium that can satisfy both those who want to publish and those who want to browse the advertisements can be used as an alternative means to insert advertisements into newspapers. I would like to provide a "living support system" and its application that can reduce paper waste and contribute to environmental conservation.

Next, as a twentieth problem, even if the information is based on an unknown logic or coding system having a different bar code system, if some samples are read, the rule of the logic or coding system is automatically determined. In the case of food that has not been identified, or has no expiration date or bar code, the person inputs information known about the food by using the numeric keypad or words, and from now on the image taken by the surveillance camera "Life support system" that can automatically identify things that were previously unidentifiable and set expiration dates
And I would like to provide its application business.

Next, as a twenty-first problem, it is desired to provide a "life support system" and its application business which can automate the tidying up in the refrigerator, which has been difficult to do manually.

Next, as a 22nd subject, it is desired to provide a “life support system” and its application business which can collect management-effective information from receipts and the like accompanying the purchase of the consumer goods.

[0028] Next, as the 23rd subject, whether the user is healthy regardless of age or sex, whether or not he is pregnant / lactating, whether or not he / she has a preexisting condition, whether or not he / she is losing weight, whether before or after weight loss, etc. I would like to provide a "life support system" and its application business that can respond to each other by providing optimal menu including advice from doctors.

[0029]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 discloses an observing means for observing various phenomena at any time and outputting an objective index, and analyzing the index, The forecasting means for issuing a forecast related to the phenomenon and the forecast or the index are used to support the family life and / or the social economy.

By doing so, it is possible to support the family life and / or socio-economics accurately and efficiently based on scientific support.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 provides a consumer goods demand forecasting means for forecasting the consumer goods demand based on the family structure, a food procurement means corresponding to the demand of the consumer goods, and the household life. Consumer goods items stored in storage means,
It is equipped with an observation means for observing the storage / delivery amount, staying period and quality status of each item, and a program for controlling the consumer goods procurement means so as to compare the observed result with the demand and eliminate the discrepancy between them. .

By doing so, it is possible to provide the optimal consumer goods procurement for the family structure and the optimal storage management in the storage means for the consumer goods.

In the invention according to claim 3, as the observing means, a monitoring camera and an item of food and an item for judging the degree of deterioration thereof are processed by recognizing the contents of the image taken by the monitoring camera. Read the information on any of the processing date, purchase date, item, and expiration date from the deterioration determination means and the characters and / or codes displayed on the food, and if the information is insufficient, calculate the estimated expiration date from the information obtained. A shelf life estimation means, a refrigerator internal / external arrangement means that allows the food to move inside and / or outside the refrigerator, and an estimated shelf life estimated by the shelf life estimation means and the item-specific deterioration determination means. An internal / external organizing means driving program for controlling the refrigerator internal / external organizing means by comprehensively judging the determination result and the supply / demand situation of the item is provided.

By doing so, the food items stored in the refrigerator can be optimally managed. That is, a robot equipped with artificial intelligence can judge the expiration date and the degree of deterioration, and can automatically arrange the information.

Further, in the invention according to claim 4, as a food procuring means, a table of inventory status regarding the items, the quantity, the purchase date, the expiration date, and the deterioration degree of the food stored in the refrigerator is tabulated. Regarding the quantity list for each item calculated from the inventory list program and the inventory status list, a menu program that proposes a menu of dishes that preferentially uses food that is close to the expiration date, and the inventory list program and the menu program. If the administrator wants to execute the excess and deficiency adjustment program for adjusting excess and deficiency and the menu proposed by the menu program, the refrigerator internal and external arrangement means gathers the materials necessary for the menu at the food supply location. Depending on the product assembling means to be used and the calculation result of the excess / deficiency adjustment program, the excess stock in the refrigerator after the expiration date has been disposed of or lacked. Reaches of the arrangements, was to run the inventory management and / or menu suggestions.

By doing so, it is possible to provide an optimal menu according to the purpose of using up the old food which is near the expiration date without exhausting the stored material in the refrigerator, and if the manager follows it, it is wasteful. Not only is there no problem, but the set of ingredients necessary for the menu can be gathered together in a predetermined place, making it convenient for cooking.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 is a database storing a menu correspondence list for listing the materials necessary for realizing the proposed menu by the number of people, the menu correspondence list and the stock status. The procurement request list is prepared for each supplier based on the result of comparison and verification with the list and / or subtraction, and an automatic ordering means for automatically ordering to the supplier is provided.

By doing so, it is possible to appropriately execute the automatic ordering by the computer for the materials required for the menu of home cooking, and propose the optimal menu according to the contents of the inventory. That is, a robot with artificial intelligence can be entrusted with everything related to home cooking ingredients.

The invention according to claim 6 is a procurement arranged for new procurement by an information communication network provided between a general household and a food supply base and / or the supplier, and the procurement request list. Equipped with means.

By doing so, it is possible to appropriately execute the automatic order and / or the manual order, and always propose the optimum menu according to the assortment status and the stock contents. That is, a robot with artificial intelligence can be entrusted with everything related to home cooking ingredients.

In the invention according to claim 7, the food supply base is an agricultural and fishery industry, a processing / food production factory, a food market, or a large / small scale retailer, and from ordering to delivery, inspection and settlement of price. It was equipped with a system that executes semi-automatically. By doing so, it is possible to procure high quality ingredients for home cooking as quickly and cheaply as necessary. Also, payment for payment, etc. can be done easily.

Further, the invention according to claim 8 is provided with a program for inputting seasonal information and / or market information regarding each food and reflecting it in the menu. By doing so, seasonal dishes can be enjoyed cheaply according to the season.

The invention according to claim 9 realizes an optimum production plan by totaling food consumption trend information obtained from a plurality of households through the network for each item and distributing the information to the supplier. Equipped with the system.

By doing so, the supply and demand of the food is balanced, so that the price is stable and it contributes to the socioeconomics.

Further, the invention according to claim 10 is not based on the automatic ordering method as the procurement means, but when the purchaser has a hard time at the store and inquires in kind to shop as usual, it is optimal based on the procurement request list. Equipped with a program to set up a shopping course.

By doing so, since the purchaser has a shopping list, it is possible to prevent the purchaser from having an excess or deficiency in terms of both the number of items and the quantity, to save the trouble of searching for a necessary item, and to purchase the shortest course. Can be completed.

Further, the invention according to claim 11 is not based on the automatic ordering method as the procurement means, but when the purchaser has a hard time in the store and inquires in kind to shop as usual, it is optimal based on the procurement request list. And a system for causing the supplier to carry out the assortment preparation.

By doing so, if the purchaser visits the supplier after confirming that the supplier has already prepared the product lineup, it is possible to avoid the waste of passing each other and entrust the purchaser himself. Since the delegated agent is enough,
You can rest assured that you will be able to use a handyman or other carrier or a carrier to carry out shopping.

The invention according to claim 12 is an observation means for observing various phenomena of the world at any time and outputting an objective index,
A social science function for analyzing the index to elucidate the rule governing the above phenomena and output an empirical law, a database storing the empirical law, and a database disclosing means for disclosing the database.

By doing so, with respect to the empirical law, ambiguity such as "oral tradition inheritance", that is, "tradition" is eliminated, and each case distinguished by all preconditions and constraint conditions is dealt with. The database can be disclosed. Therefore, the empirical law desired by the user can be provided as an information service.

Further, the invention according to claim 13 is an index digitizing means for digitizing the index and geography, traffic, weather, population, local industry, economic trend, stock price, price and product demand as the various phenomena. There is provided a simulation means based on a mathematical model for associating with each other, and an index numerical value explanation means for translating the numerical values of the indexes input and output to the simulation means into words.

By doing so, scientific numerical values can be applied to matters involving “forecast”, “estimate”, “decision-making” and “judgment”, which conventionally depended on “intuition” of a person. It is backed up by data, it is easy to attach an objective explanation, naturally a simulation result with a high hit rate is obtained, and the explanation translated by the index numerical explanation means can be made in easy-to-understand words. Therefore, it is possible to provide various information services that are quicker, more accurate, and easier to use than the news reports, such as television news, in which viewers passively collect information.

The invention according to claim 14 uses the numerical values as weather forecasts, market surveys, demand forecasts, economic prospects, job placement,
Equipped with social science application means for stock price forecast, traffic congestion forecast, and / or countermeasure proposal. By doing so, various information services that are quicker, more accurate, and easier to use than TV news can be provided.

Further, the invention according to claim 15 comprises the observing means, the database disclosing means, the simulating means, and the information communicating means arranged in a home refrigerator and / or a food-related establishment. .

By doing so, as for domestic food, unless the forecast contents by the database disclosure means and the simulation means are correct, the information communication means is used to make quick procurement with the minimum necessary arrangement. , An information service that not only reduces waste from the entire society, including households and / or food-related establishments that are equipped with the above-mentioned observing means, and improves efficiency, but also delivers seasonal fresh food to consumers without delay. You can

Further, the invention according to claim 16 has a learning function for learning the information contents and / or the information decoding method one by one, and a function for expressing the fact that the item cannot be identified or is unknown. By doing this, for example, when you see an apple for the first time, you can learn its outer shape, color and its expiration date, and you will be able to identify the apple after that, and improve the performance and utility value of this life support system. Can promote and develop its application.

In addition, in this life support system, if a substance that cannot be distinguished from food and is difficult to handle is separately processed, it will not cause a malfunction. For example, if a bouquet is mistakenly brought in when you intended to bring vegetables into the refrigerator, you should reject the receipt by issuing an error message or the like even if the bouquet reads the carnation. Furthermore, if you capture the image of the bouquet with a surveillance camera,
The characteristics of carnations and bouquets are recorded in a database of food images and rules of thumb, and from then on, the detection of differences is automated by the images taken by the surveillance camera.

The invention according to claim 17 includes a member identifying means for identifying a person who provides and / or uses information as a member, a member privilege setting means for setting a privilege for the member, and a member privilege executing means. Prepared By doing so, the use of this life support system is promoted and the number of users as members increases, so that the applied business can be further developed in terms of scale and service.

The invention according to claim 18 is provided with an information providing fee paying means for paying the consideration to the information providing person and / or an information use fee charging means for charging the information providing person. By doing this, it is easy to collect the necessary information, and the funds are circulated for capital investment to increase its accuracy and added value, so the performance of this life support system can be improved and its use promoted. Therefore, the application business can be further developed in terms of scale and service.

Further, the invention according to claim 19 comprises an advertisement placement fee charging means for charging an advertisement placement fee to a person who places an advertisement so as to be browsed on the network. By doing so, a new business will be established as an information medium that can satisfy both the applicant who wants to post a food advertisement and the person who wants to browse it. Also, since it can be used as an alternative means for advertising in newspapers, it reduces waste of paper and contributes to environmental conservation.

Further, in the invention according to claim 20, as the expiration date estimating means, even if the information is based on an unknown logic or a coding system including a human language, a human voice or a fixed value manually input or Since learning is performed sequentially while matching with the estimated value, even if information is based on unknown logic or coding system with different bar code systems, if you read a few samples, the rules of that logic or coding system will be read. Automatically resolves and reduces read errors.

Alternatively, in the case of a food product that has neither the expiration date nor the bar code, it is sufficient to input the information that the person knows about the food product using the ten keys or words.
For example, if "this carrot was put in the refrigerator today, the deadline is 7 days", that fact is input to the optimum menu suggestion means and is effectively used. Then, the characteristics of carrots are recorded in a food image or a database of rules of thumb, and from then on, the process of automating the identification of carrots and the setting of the expiration date by the images taken by the surveillance camera is automated.

Further, since the invention according to claim 21 provides the robot arm as a part of the refrigerator inside / outside organizing means, there is provided a possibility of automating the organizing in the refrigerator which is difficult to do manually. it can.

Further, since the invention according to claim 22 is provided with the optical reading means for reading the information regarding the item name of the consumer good and the storage period of the consumer good from the paper, the receipt etc. accompanying the purchase of the consumer good Can also collect useful information for management.

In the invention according to claim 23, the menu program includes the constitution, physical condition or medical condition of the user and / or
Or, since it has a function to provide the optimal menu corresponding to the request of the person or the advice of another person, the user can distinguish between men and women of all ages,
Whether or not you are healthy, pregnant or breastfeeding, whether you have a medical history, its type, whether you are losing weight, before or after sports, etc. can be distinguished, and you can provide optimal menu including advice from doctors etc. .
In the invention according to claim 24, the step of predicting the demand of the consumer goods based on the family structure by the consumer goods demand predicting means and the consumer goods corresponding to the demand of the consumer goods by the consumer goods procuring means. Comparing the observed results with the demand, the steps, the step of observing the items of the consumer goods stored in the storage means for use in the household life, the storage / delivery amount, the retention period and the quality state of each item. It is characterized by including a step of controlling the consumer goods procuring means so as to eliminate the difference. As a result, it is possible to provide the optimal consumer goods procurement for the family structure and the optimal storage management in the storage means for the consumer goods.

[0066]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a life support system (hereinafter, referred to as “this system”) 1 according to the present invention, and an objective index is obtained by observing various phenomena related to the actual conditions of family life, social economy, natural environment, etc. as needed. A scientific analysis that analyzes the first observation means 2 that outputs and the first index that is output from it, elucidates the regularity that is common to the various phenomena, and discloses and outputs the numerical information and / or the rules that support it. There is a life support unit 4 so as to efficiently support home life and / or socio-economics by means 3 and the outputted numerical information and / or rules.

Then, various phenomena relating to life improved by being supported are observed at any time and an objective index is output in order to confirm the effect by seeing a new actual condition resulting from the support. There is a second observing means 5, and the second index output from the second observing means 5 is also input to the scientific analysis means 3 for analysis. Here, optimal support is provided by adjusting the action of the life support unit 4 based on the index of the supported result. That is, it is a life support that is feedback-controlled.

Numerical information and / or rules output from the scientific analysis means 3 are stored in an empirical database (hereinafter referred to as "D").
Prediction / prediction means (not shown), which is stored in 6) and is stored in a freely searchable manner to issue predictions / predictions related to the above-mentioned various phenomena.
It is effectively used for life support by the social science application means 7, which also constitutes the.

The experience rule DB 6 stores meteorological forecasts, market surveys, demand forecasts, economic forecasts, job placement information, stock price forecasts, traffic congestion forecasts, etc. in a state that can be reasoned objectively. For example, the meteorological forecast announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency is a first observation that outputs various objective phenomena such as weather, temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind direction, and wind force at multiple fixed points at any time or outputs objective indicators. It is a typical example by means 2. According to the present forecasting technology, that is, the scientific analysis means 3, it is possible to prepare a weather forecast map, etc. and issue forecasts for several days to several months ahead.

For example, in the case of short-term weather forecasts such as typhoon approach information, the majority of people who receive this will naturally take self-defense measures without needing to use social science application means 7. On the other hand, when the demand forecast or economic outlook for a specific product or service is required, the social science application means 7 added to the medium- to long-term weather forecast, for example, in the beer production, "Because the hot summer continues this summer, It is possible to respond appropriately, such as "increase" or "when there is less snow this winter, so there will be fewer guests," when preparing for the ski resort.

Regarding the index in business management, although it is common to have a sophisticated scientific analysis means 3, an empirical rule DB 6 and a social science application means 7 so as to survive the fierce competition, the present invention Is limited to the purpose of supporting home life. Therefore, the purpose of this system 1 is not to pursue profits first, but to support family life mainly, so that it is convenient and comfortable, and then the whole society can efficiently develop and progress. Therefore, the purpose is not to survive the competition principle of winning and losing. By doing so, it is possible to support fields that are considered to lack scientific support, that is, family life and / or socio-economics, to a certain degree and efficiency.

Next, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the periphery of the refrigerator in this system, and description will be given along this. A surveillance camera 9 observes the entire interior of the refrigerator near the center of the household refrigerator 8 and inputs visual information to the expiration date estimation means 10. The expiration date estimation means 10 will be described later.
In addition, the robot arm 11 supported at the center freely grasps the foods 20 that are refrigerated or frozen over the entire inside of the refrigerator while discriminating their varieties, moves to the desired place, and quietly Can be released. In short, you can organize the entire area of the warehouse instead of manpower. Although the intention of the robot arm 11 to operate will be described later, the description of the drive control means for a specific electric servo or hydraulic mechanism will be omitted.

Food 20 appropriately procured from each supplier 21 at the food supply base by the food procuring means 22 described later is stored in the refrigerator 8 from the storage port 23. At that time, the warehousing sensor 24 manages warehousing. Although it is ideal that the warehousing sensor 24 and the surveillance camera 9 have the food identification capability of the same function, here, for convenience of explanation, all the foods 20 are barcoded by a unified logic or coding system. Assuming that a label is attached, it is assumed that the incoming sensor 24 and the surveillance camera 9 have a function of completely reading the bar code.

Further, in addition to the warehousing sensor 24 and the monitoring camera 9, an optical reading means such as a scanner (not shown) is provided, and information about the item name of the food 20 and its expiration date can be obtained from the receipt accompanying the purchase of the food 20. Can be read from the paper such as the receipt, so that it is possible to collect information effective for management.
A means for converting the image information collected by tracing the receipt or the like with a scanner or the like into text data or the like is well known, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The food delivery port 25, which will be described later, is provided with a delivery sensor 26, and the disposal port 29 is provided with the disposal sensor 13 having the same function as the delivery sensor 24, so that the entry and exit of the food 20 can be grasped. Has become. The management information relating to these warehousing and warehousing is input to the optimum menu suggestion means 28 described later.

The home-cooked food material accumulating section 27 is provided with the foodstuffs necessary for the menu at the foodstuff supply port 25 in cooperation with the optimum menu suggestion means 28. In the actual food procurement means, not all foods 20 pass through the refrigerator 8, but here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that all foods 20 pass through the refrigerator 8.

In the present system 1, since the theoretical food demand is set in advance, for example, it is optimal based on the annual total food demand plan of a family of 4 children of 2nd and 4th graders and 2 adults. Menu suggestion means 28 is programmed so as to coordinate with the food procurement means 22 while referring to the daily stock.

Further, as an optional function, the menu program forming the optimum menu suggestion means 28 is provided with a function of providing the optimum menu corresponding to the constitution, physical condition or medical condition of the user and / or the request of the user or the advice of another person. If so, the user can be distinguished by gender, whether they are healthy or not, whether they are pregnant or breastfeeding, whether they have a medical history and their types, whether they are losing weight, before or after sports, etc. We can propose the optimal menu including it.

Here, the user has diabetes or adult diseases,
If your doctor has instructed you to take a low-calorie, low-cholesterol diet, you will be offered a proper menu, or if you are on a diet even if you are not instructed by a doctor etc., a menu according to your intentions. Is proposed. Therefore, in the above example, 2 children and 2 adults in the 2nd and 4th grades of elementary school
The initial setting of a family of four with a total of four people can be handled in any way by registering according to the actual situation, such as a 2-year-old infant or an 78-year-old old man.

In short, a housewife at home considers the menu, looks into the refrigerator, and prepares the shortage of food by shopping.
However, if the current inventory deviates too much from the menu that we have come up with, we will change it to a menu that can be made in time with ready-made materials. Or, if you bought it in bulk because it was cheap before, and the expiration date peculiar to the food has arrived before the whole quantity has been sold, and the current judgment is that you have to choose between eating and discarding the food, I want to make a menu that can be used up. On the other hand, I want to eat seasonal gastronomy and use cheap bargain products. Furthermore, we would like to consider special menus such as prevention of adult diseases. It substitutes a series of thought and error stages.

Although the order from the above may be reversed, most of the judgment requirements are such. If so, the optimal menu suggestion means 28 and the food procurement means 22, which can be changed appropriately, can be controlled in cooperation with each other by an appropriate program. However, if you buy a large number of cheap special items artificially in excess of the appropriate amount, and of course the excess inventory cannot be exhausted even with similar menus on consecutive days and the expiration date expires, the robot arm 11
However, it grasps the food 20 that has expired and has been stored in a refrigerator or frozen over the whole area while identifying the item, moves it to the disposal port 29, and automatically discards it.

It should be noted that, in reality, it is no problem that a camera and a sensor are provided at the tip of the robot arm 11, that is, at the hand, but theoretically, the food 20 is stored at the beginning when it is stored. The purpose can be achieved if there is a means (not shown but attached to the optimum menu suggesting means 28) for storing the location, the destination, the expiration date information and the like regarding the food 20. In short, the housewife's mind always keeps food ingredients,
That is, since the optimal menu can be planned because the stock form of the refrigerator 8 is known, it is only necessary to design the system in accordance with it.

Then, the system 1 has information content and / or
Or, it has a learning function to learn the information decoding method one by one, and a function to express that fact for unidentifiable or unknown matters. By doing this, for example, when you see an apple for the first time, you can learn its outer shape, color and its expiration date, and you will be able to identify the apple after that, and improve the performance and utility value of this life support system. Can promote and develop its application.

Further, in the present system 1, a substance which cannot be distinguished from food and which is difficult to handle can be treated separately so as not to cause a trouble. For example, if a bouquet is mistakenly brought in where the vegetables were intended to be brought into the refrigerator, an error message or the like will be issued and the entry will be refused even if the bouquet is read as carnation. Furthermore, if the image of the bouquet is captured by the surveillance camera, the characteristics of the carnation and the bouquet are recorded in the food image and database of rules of thumb, and from then on, the detection of differences is automated by the image captured by the surveillance camera. .

Next, FIG. 3 is a flow chart of food management in the present system 1, which will be described.
Further, other drawings will be appropriately referred to. First, a menu DB3 that incorporates special menus such as seasonal changes, seasonal tastes, and prevention of adult diseases.
1 (see FIG. 4), there is a step (hereinafter, abbreviated as “S”) 1 for appropriately searching a menu plan, and the inside of the refrigerator 8 is observed every predetermined time or every time the food 20 is put in and out (S2).
In addition, the stock storage status is managed intermittently. Is the management item mainly whether or not there are sufficient ingredients for the menu plan for several days including today? Is the freshness of the stock at least within the shelf life? There are two points.

Regarding the freshness of the food 20, the monitoring camera 9 and the expiration date estimation means 10 are used. Here, however, the expiration date of all the foods 20 stored in the storage is determined by the bar code information read by the storage sensor 24. It is assumed that it is known. Therefore, management is possible without the surveillance camera 9. The means for visually determining deterioration by the image captured by the monitoring camera 9 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Next, the menu plan and inventory are compared (S3).
If the necessary ingredients are insufficient, the menu within the stock range is searched (S4), for example, up to 9 times (S5). However, if the number of times exceeds 10, the lacking food material is newly procured (S6).

On the other hand, when one or more suitable menu items that can be covered by the available food items are found, the expiration date of the food items used for the menu item is confirmed (S7). If there are foods that are about to expire, the menu will be limited to use more of the foods (S8). Here, if the expired foodstuff is reserved, the corresponding foodstuff is discarded (S9), and the shortage foodstuff is procured (S6). If there is no pressing problem regarding the expiration date, the menu is decided (S10).

If the menu search (S4) is set to, for example, only once, instead of suggesting an ideal health menu in which nutritionists and the like take into account the season's taste and nutrition and calorie calculation, a new menu is created. Some material costs will increase due to the purchase of materials. Do not give up once and execute up to 100 times (S5)
Then, "Thought and error to save the purchase of new materials and minimize the waste that is expired and discarded" 10
Repeated 0 times. It moves away from the ideal health menu and forces an unnatural menu.

Therefore, for example, if there are five tofus whose expiration dates have expired today, it would be a menu suggestion enough to get tired of marbo tofu, hot tofu, and cold tofu. In this way, the number of executions (S5), that is, the compromise point to be set depends on the convenience of the user or the administrator. In Figure 4, for the time being 1
It is set to less than 0 times and executed (S5). In this way, the present system 1 substitutes for the steps through which the housewife made a series of thoughts and errors, the management items, and the like.

Next, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the present system 1, in which a life support system server (hereinafter referred to as “server”) SV is connected to the Internet 30 and has an information terminal Tf having observation means not shown. Are distributed to each home so that they can communicate freely. Further, although the information terminal Ts is also arranged on the supplier side, an observing means (not shown) is an entrance / exit sensor 24/26 and a disposal sensor 13 arranged in the domestic refrigerator 8. In contrast, it collects seasonal information and market information, and provides information that serves as an index that contributes to consumer convenience.

The server SV, which is the core of the system 1, has the above-mentioned menu DB 31, market price / season information DB 32, food consumption trend DB 33 for each item, and experience rule DB 34, which are updated appropriately and according to the search demand. There is. In particular, since the market price information is close to news, it has little value other than the latest information, but it is useful for predicting the near future based on past experience.

Further, the essence of the weather forecast and the like is an empirical rule, and the forecast is made on the basis of the latest information. Eg 1
On the day of physical education on 10th of October, the weather rate is high.
I do it around the day. However, if it is a weather forecast, there is not only a lot of information that can be satisfactorily known by only one-way news reports such as newspapers and television until the tide time, but here, "various forecasts based on experience" are households. The facts that are well known are dared to be illustrated because it is necessary to explain the facts that support life and socioeconomics.

It should be noted that, with the help of the “investment support system” for forecasting stock prices and the “management strategy support system” in various fields, the investors and managers who have obtained the desired index are those “support systems”. There is a well-known fact that it is possible to obtain advantageous results over decision-making that relies only on a limited range of limited information and intuition based on one's own rules, without relying on
Since the use of this system 1 is limited to "the range of supporting family life and socio-economics", the above-mentioned various databases should be able to search for and store the information necessary for the support within the range. Is enough.

For example, although astronomical information on "sunspot activity of the sun" is unnecessary for the time being, the latest information on "trend supply and demand trends and market developments" is necessary and useful. Internet 3 while constantly updating the information within the range of purchasable areas (hereinafter referred to as "suburban mass information")
0 means that you can browse freely.

In addition, the simulation means 40 based on the mathematical model, for example, inputs the family composition up to age and gender, and cooperates with the menu DB 31 and the market price information DB 32 to estimate the food cost for the entire family over the next year. Can be calculated.

Further, the index numerical explanation means 41 uses, for example, the "precipitation probability" in the weather forecast as "an index indicating the probability of rainfall of 10 mm or more as a percentage".

Further, the social science analysis means 42 is, for example,
If there is a market research theme of "Forecast of total demand for furisode in next year's ceremony," the 20-year-old woman's population adult ceremony implementation rate, attendance rate, kimono wearing rate,
It is possible to calculate a new product purchase rate, a unit price and sales ratio for each rank, an economic trend, an average income amount in consideration of the unemployment rate of the father generation of the target person, and the like in cooperation with the simulation means 40 using a mathematical model.

The result of the analysis shows that production adjustment for the furisode supplier and personnel allocation adjustment for the hairdressing salon are appropriate. On the other hand, for the target person himself and his guardian, for example,
Adult rate is less than 30%, attendance rate is less than 40%, kimono wearing rate is less than 60% of participating women, new product purchase rate is 10%, unit price by rank and sales ratio is less than 100,000 yen Low-priced item 8 More than 10%, less than 10% of luxury goods over 500,000 yen, economic trend is -2.5% compared to the previous year, and if the unemployment rate of the father's generation of the target person is 8.9%, wear a kimono and participate in the adult ceremony On the contrary, it turns out that such a habit itself tends to be abolished, and new purchasers are limited to a very small number of people who can effectively use their furisode repeatedly.

In addition, the social science application means 43, for example, predicting changes in school education and the like to the public and answering simple questions about "for what?""Where?""What to learn?" You can give an index to search for. As the simplest reference example, "In an environment where the prediction index for the 18-year-old population to decrease drastically is specified, the driving school manager has set up a sports gym at the location of the driving school,
It is effective to have an advisory function, such as "They should gradually shift to entertaining men and women of all ages in addition to the 18-year-old".

Further, the procurement list creating means 44, via the Internet 30, from the information terminal Tf to the information terminal Ts in order to accurately and efficiently execute the shortage of procurement (S6) described above with reference to FIG. What is communicated or printed out on paper may be carried as a “shopping list” by a housewife who is shopping.

When the procurement list is delivered to the supplier 21 by the automatic ordering means 45, the shopping for the food 20 described at least with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 is fully automated.

Further, there are an advertisement listing fee charging means 46, an information providing fee paying means 47, and an information use fee charging means 48, which are already known in the Internet 30 electronic commerce, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. It is disclosed here because a special effect can be obtained in combination with the present system 1. still,
The type of each DB, the performance / scale of each means, and the number and location of the servers SV built in the server SV can be modified in any way.

Next, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the expiry date estimating means. The calendar and clock 50 showing the current date and time are used for refrigerating or freezing in the refrigerator immediately after the food 20 is purchased. Are stored and used to calculate the storable period for each food item 20 calculated from the date of storage.

Further, the surveillance camera 9 takes a picture of all the foods 20 to be stored, and the images thereof are read by the bar code reading means 5.
2 is input to the food image analysis means 54. Incidentally, here, there is no problem whether the surveillance camera 9 and the barcode reading means 52 are integrated or different. Further, a case where the bar code display position is not standard, or a case where the bar code is difficult to read, etc. will be described later. The bar code reading means 52 is linked to the time limit management means 53 for the expiration date as displayed, and the optimum menu suggesting means described with reference to FIG. 3 so that the bar code reading means 52 can be eaten before the freshness of fresh food is deteriorated. Work on 28.

Further, in the food image pattern DB 55, the outer shape of the food 20 which may be stored and stored in the refrigerator 8 of a general household is stored in advance as image information, and the deterioration mode for each product type is also stored. I have a deterioration sample. For example, when the color of meat changes from reddish red to brown, the degree of deterioration is determined by matching with the limit sample. In addition, data deficiency may be appropriately learned.

Further, the type identification means 56 performs identification by pattern recognition in the image processing technique. For example, the appearance of the saury fish is identified by collating it with the food image pattern DB 55, and the optimal menu suggestion means 28 is controlled so that the sauteed fish will eat within a maximum of three days even if refrigerated. still,
For foods 20 that cannot be identified by any means, the barcode reading means 52 may be controlled by the time management means 53 with respect to the expiration date as displayed. If that is also difficult, the optimum menu suggesting means 28 may control so that the food is uniformly eaten within three days.

Alternatively, as for the food 20 in which both the barcode reading and the identification by the pattern recognition are impossible,
Even if it is not used for menu, it may be disposed of in three days evenly, even if it is not damaged, so it is wasteful, so manual processing at the time of storage, i.e. manual recognition processing, time management for expiration date Means 53
You may leave it to control.

As the expiry date estimating means 59, even information based on unknown logic or coding system including human language is sequentially checked against a human voice or a fixed value or estimated value manually input. Since it is designed to learn, even if the information is based on an unknown logic or coding system with a different bar code system, if you read some samples, the rules of that logic or coding system will be automatically elucidated and read. Errors are reduced.

Incidentally, the means for recognizing the human language by voice has already been put to practical use, and since it is a well-known matter, its explanation is omitted. Further, a microphone, a voice recognition device and the like are not shown and are included in the expiration date estimation means 10, and are complemented for identifying an object which cannot be identified even if captured by the surveillance camera 9 or the barcode reading means 52. It is positioned as a means. Naturally, it also contributes to the learning function.

Therefore, in the case of a food product having neither the expiration date nor the bar code, it is sufficient for the person to input information known about the food product by using a ten-key (not shown) or words. For example, if "the carrot was put in the refrigerator today, the deadline is 7 days", the optimum menu suggestion means 28
The fact is input to and is effectively used.

Then, the characteristics of carrot are recorded in the food image pattern DB 55 and the empirical rule DB 6, and from the next time, the image taken by the surveillance camera 9 is used to identify the carrot from its shape and color and the expiration date. It is automated up to the setting of. As a part of the learning function, the image of carrots that have deteriorated over time is also shown as a deterioration sample.
55 stores various kinds in time series, carrots and Japanese radish have expiration date of 7 days, various kinds stored in experience rule DB 6, and if it is searchable, the function of acting as a housewife will be further enhanced. Can be enough.

Next, the storable period calculation means 57 from the warehousing date, the deterioration degree determination means 58, and the estimated shelf life calculation means 59 have three systems: bar code reading, deterioration pattern recognition in image processing technology, and manual processing. Make a comprehensive judgment. On the other hand, there may be a method to determine the bad odor when fresh food rots, but since it is a problem to be treated before that,
The method of detecting the rotten odor is not included in the scope of the present invention for the time being. Also, palpation by the robot arm 11 may be effective for some fibrous vegetables such as leeks.

Then, the information relating to the date and time of the expiration date output from the estimated expiration date calculating means 59 is input to the optimum menu suggesting means 28 and contributes to the optimum control. Although this expiration date estimating means 10 is not the essence of the present invention, in order to fully operate the robot arm 11 in order to configure the present system 1 capable of supporting near future home life and / or socioeconomics, This is a technology that should be established.

The main gist of the present invention is to provide a forecasting means for issuing a forecast, and to support family life and / or socio-economics by the forecast or the index. Since the learning function for learning the information content and / or the information decoding method one by one is provided, it is possible to deal with the food 20 sold in most supermarkets, convenience stores and the like. Therefore, since the performance and the utility value of this life support system are sequentially enhanced by the learning function, further utilization can be promoted and its application business can be developed.

Also, a person who provides and / or uses information,
That is, a member identification means for identifying a member who provides valuable information representative of the family life of that era from the member,
Member privilege setting means for setting a privilege for the member,
Equipped with member privilege execution means. In short, setting up a means of purchasing food at a member preferential price. By doing so, the use of this life support system is promoted and the number of users as members increases, so that the applied business can be further developed in terms of scale and service.

In the above-described embodiment, the management of food is mainly illustrated to support the shopping and cooking described above. This is because food is a representative of consumer goods in the home, and items and This is because it is suitable for explaining the present invention because it has abundant material flow rates and procuring means and has strict storage constraints.

The life support system and its applied business can be established by replacing the above-mentioned “food” with any item of “non-durable consumer goods such as fuel, daily sundries and sanitary goods”. For example, in the case of kerosene, the storage means is not a refrigerator but a fuel tank, and the storage period is about 3 months. In the case of toilet paper, the demand forecast formula can be calculated using only the variables of family members, but if it is purchased too much, it will be bulky and the storage constraint will be determined by the space available for stock.

Therefore, the technical field to which the present invention pertains is not limited to food management, but can be applied to most non-durable consumer goods such as fuel, daily sundries and sanitary goods. And as a suitable range of application, it is effective for living in an isolated environment in an area where traffic is inconvenient, for example, living in an isolated island in a severe sea by a maintenance worker of a sea oil field or a lighthouse, and wintering in mountain huts and polar regions. Is.

[0120]

Since the invention is constructed as described above, according to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to support the family life and / or socioeconomics accurately and efficiently based on scientific support.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optimal consumer goods procurement means for the target family and an optimal storage state in the consumer goods storage means.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to optimally manage the food items stored in the refrigerator. That is, a robot equipped with artificial intelligence can judge the expiration date and the degree of deterioration, and can automatically arrange the information.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, the optimal menu can be proposed and managed in accordance with the purpose of completely using up the stored foods in the refrigerator for the old foods that are near the expiration date. If a person follows it, not only is there no waste,
The set of ingredients necessary for the menu can be arranged in a predetermined place, which is convenient for cooking.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, the automatic ordering and / or the manual ordering are appropriately executed,
We can always propose the optimal menu according to the assortment status and inventory contents. That is, a robot with artificial intelligence can be entrusted with everything related to home cooking ingredients.

Further, according to the invention of claim 7, it is possible to procure high quality materials for home cooking as quickly and cheaply as necessary. Also, payment for payment, etc. can be done easily.

Further, according to the invention of claim 8, seasonal dishes can be enjoyed cheaply according to the season.

Further, according to the invention of claim 9, the supply and demand of food are balanced, so that the price is stable and it contributes to the social economy.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, since the purchaser has a shopping list, it is possible to prevent overs and shorts of shopping in terms of both the number and quantity of items, and to spend time and effort to search for necessary items. Can be omitted, and shopping can be completed in the shortest course. And avoid the waste of passing each other,
Since the agent entrusted to the purchaser himself is sufficient, it is possible to leave the shopping at ease to the operator such as a handyman or the carrier.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, with respect to the empirical law, ambiguity such as “oral tradition inheritance”, that is, “tradition” is eliminated, and each case is distinguished by any precondition or constraint condition. The database can be disclosed. Therefore, the empirical law desired by the user can be provided as an information service.

According to the invention of claim 13, the "prediction", the "prediction", and the "prediction", which conventionally depended on the "intuition" of a person,
Even for matters involving "decision making" and "judgment", it is easy to attach objective explanations, backed by scientific numerical data, and naturally simulation results with a high hit rate are obtained, and the results are used as index values. The commentary translated by the commentary means can be made in easy-to-understand words. Therefore, it is possible to provide various information services that are quicker, more accurate, and easier to use than the news reports, such as television news, in which viewers passively collect information.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide various information services that are quicker, more accurate and easier to use than television news.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, regarding the food for home use, as long as the predicted contents by the database disclosing means and the simulating means are not missed, the information communication means is used to the minimum necessary. Promptly procured by arrangement, not only waste and efficiency are improved from the entire society including households and / or food-related establishments that have the above-mentioned observation means, but also seasonal fresh foods to consumers without delay Information service for delivery is possible.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, for example, when an apple is first seen, its outer shape, color, and its expiration date can be learned, and thereafter the apple can be identified. It enhances the utility value, so it can promote the utilization and develop its application.

In addition, in this life support system, if a substance that cannot be distinguished from food and is difficult to handle is separately processed, it will not cause a failure. For example, when a bouquet is mistakenly brought in where the vegetables were intended to be brought into the refrigerator, an error message or the like can be issued and the warehousing can be refused even if it is read as a carnation in the barcode.

Furthermore, if the image of the bouquet is captured by the surveillance camera, the characteristics of the carnation and the bouquet are recorded in the food image and database of rules of thumb, and from then on, the detection of the difference by the image taken by the surveillance camera. Be automated. In this way, the performance and utilization value of this life support system are enhanced, so that the utilization can be promoted and its application business can be developed.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the use of this life support system is promoted and the number of users as members increases, so that the application business can be further developed in terms of scale and service.

According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, it is easy to collect necessary information, and the money is circulated for facility investment for increasing its accuracy and added value. Therefore, the performance of this life support system is improved. Since it can be done and its use is promoted, the application business can be further developed in terms of scale and service.

Further, according to the invention of claim 19, a new business is established as an information medium which can satisfy both the applicant who wants to post the advertisement related to food and the person who wants to browse it. Also, since it can be used as an alternative means for advertising in newspapers, it reduces waste of paper and contributes to environmental conservation.

According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, as the expiration date estimation means, even information based on an unknown logic or coding system including a human language is determined by a human voice or manually input. Since the learning is sequentially performed while checking the values or the estimated values, if some samples are read, the rules of the logic or coding system are clarified semi-automatically, and reading errors are reduced.

According to the twenty-first aspect of the invention, since the robot arm is provided as a part of the refrigerator inside / outside organizing means, there is a possibility of automating the organizing in the refrigerator, which is difficult to do manually. Can be provided.

Further, according to the invention of claim 22, since the optical reading means is provided for reading the information regarding the item name of the consumer good and the storage period of the consumer good from the paper, the receipt accompanying the purchase of the consumer good is received. It is possible to collect information that is effective for management from the above.

According to the twenty-third aspect of the invention, the menu program has a function of providing an optimal menu corresponding to the constitution, physical condition or medical condition of the user and / or the request of the user or the advice of another person. Therefore, users can be distinguished by gender, whether they are healthy or not, whether they are pregnant or breastfeeding, whether they have a medical history and their types, whether they are losing weight, whether they are losing weight, before or after sports, etc. We can provide you with the optimal menu including the menu. Further, according to the invention of claim 24, it is possible to provide the optimal consumer goods procurement for the family structure and the optimal storage management in the storage means for the consumer goods.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a life support system (present system) according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram around a refrigerator in the present system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of food management in this system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the present system.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of expiration date estimation means.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, life support system 2, first observation means 3, scientific analysis means 4, life support unit 5, second observation means 6, empirical rule database 7, social science application means 8, refrigerator 9, surveillance camera 10, taste Deadline estimation means 11, robot arm 13, disposal sensor 20, foodstuff 21, supplier 22, food procurement means 23, entrance 24, entrance sensor 25, foodstuff supply opening 26, exit sensor 27, foodstuff stacker 28 for home cooking, Optimal menu suggestion means 29, waste outlet 30, internet 31, menu DB 32, market price / season information DB 33, food consumption trend DB 34 by item, empirical rule DB 40, simulation means 41 by mathematical model, index numerical explanation means 42 , Social science analysis means 43, Social science application means 44, Procurement list creation means 45, Automatic ordering means 46, Advertising fee section Means 47, information provision fee payment means 48, information usage fee charging means 50, calendar and clock 52 showing current date and time, bar code reading means 53, time limit management means 54, food image analysis means 55, food image pattern DB 56, product type identifying means 57, storable period calculating means 58 from storage date, deterioration degree determining means 59, estimated shelf life calculating means S1, search menu S2, observe inside refrigerator S3, plan and inventory Comparison S4, Search for menu within stock range S5, Search for menu within stock range (S4) is executed up to 9 times. However, if the number of times exceeds 10, the foodstuff that is insufficient in stock is newly procured (S6). S6: Procuring the missing food materials newly. S7, Confirm the expiration date for the ingredients used for the menu S8, Search for the menu that uses more ingredients near the expiration date. S9, If the expired foodstuff is reserved, the corresponding foodstuff is discarded S10, menu decision

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. An observing means for observing various phenomena at any time and outputting an objective index, a forecasting means for analyzing the indicator and issuing a forecast related to the various phenomena, and a household life and And / or a life support system characterized by being adapted to support socioeconomics. 2. The consumer goods demand forecasting means for forecasting the demand of the consumer goods based on the family structure, the consumer goods procuring means corresponding to the demand of the consumer goods, and the storing means for the household life. Items for consumer goods, and observation means for observing the storage / delivery amount, staying period and quality status of each item, and the consumer goods procurement means for comparing the observed results with the demand and eliminating the divergence between them. The life support system according to claim 1, further comprising a control program. 3. A monitoring camera as the observing means, an item-by-item deterioration determining means for determining the food item and its deterioration degree by recognizing the content of the image taken by the monitoring camera, and displaying on the food item. A expiration date estimating means for reading information on any of the processing date, purchase date, item and expiration date from the written characters and / or codes, and calculating an estimated expiration date based on the information obtained if the information is insufficient, Refrigerator internal / external arrangement means that allows food to be moved in and / or out of the refrigerator, an estimated shelf life estimated by the shelf life estimation means, a determination result by the item-specific deterioration determination means, and a supply and demand situation of the item. And a rearrangement means driving program for controlling the inside / outside rearrangement means based on a comprehensive judgment. System. 4. A stock list program for creating a stock list of food items stored in a refrigerator, the quantity, the purchase date, the expiration date, and the deterioration degree of the food items stored in the refrigerator as a food procurement means, and an inventory status table. From the menu program that proposes a menu of dishes that preferentially uses food that is close to the expiration date, and an excess and deficiency adjustment that adjusts the excess and deficiency with respect to the quantity of each item calculated by the inventory list program and the menu program When the administrator wants to execute the program and the menu proposed by the menu program, the refrigerator inside / outside organizing means collects the materials necessary for the menu at the food supply location and provides them for use, and According to the calculation result of the excess / deficiency adjustment program, disposal of excess stock for which the expiration date has passed in the refrigerator, arrangement for shortage procurement,
The life support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein inventory management and / or menu proposal is executed. 5. A database that stores a menu-correspondence list that lists the materials necessary for realizing the proposed menu by the number of people, and the comparison and collation between the menu-correspondence list and the inventory status list and / Or an automatic ordering means for creating a procurement request list for each supplier from the result of the subtraction and automatically placing an order to the supplier.
The life support system according to claim 4. 6. An information communication network provided between a general household and a food supply base and / or the supplier, and a procurement means arranged for new procurement by the procurement request list. The life support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is characterized. 7. The food supply base is an agricultural / fishery industry, food processing /
7. A production factory, a food market, or a large / small scale retail store, which is provided with a system that semi-automatically executes from ordering to delivery, inspection and settlement of price. The life support system according to any one of items. 8. The life support according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a program for inputting seasonal information and / or market price information regarding each food item and reflecting the information in the menu. system. 9. The food consumption trend information obtained from a plurality of households via the network is totaled for each item and distributed to the supplier. The life support system according to item 1. 10. A program for setting an optimum shopping course based on the procurement request list when a purchaser has a hard time at a store and inquires in-kind to shop as usual without relying on an automatic ordering system as the procurement means. The life support system according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized by being provided. 11. When the purchaser is struggling with a store and making inquiries in kind and shopping as usual without relying on an automatic ordering system as the procurement means, the optimum assortment preparation based on the procurement request list is provided by the supply. The life support system according to any one of claims 6 to 10, further comprising: a system that is executed by a person. 12. An observation means for observing various phenomena at any time and outputting an objective index, and a social science function for analyzing the index to elucidate the rule governing the various phenomena and outputting an empirical law, A database storing the empirical law, a database disclosure means for disclosing the database,
The life support system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising: 13. Numerical means for numerically indexing the index, and simulation by a mathematical model that correlates the various phenomena such as geography, transportation, weather, population, local industry, economic trend, stock price, price and commodity demand. 13. The life support system according to claim 12, further comprising: means and index numerical value commenting means for translating the numerical value of the index input to and output from the simulation means into words. 14. A social science application means for applying the numerical value to a weather forecast, a market research, a demand forecast, an economic outlook, a job placement, a stock price forecast, a traffic congestion forecast and / or a countermeasure proposal. The life support system according to claim 13. 15. The observation means, the database disclosure means, the simulation means, and the information communication means, which are arranged in a domestic refrigerator and / or a food-related establishment, are provided. Item 12
The life support system according to claim 14. 16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a learning function for learning the information and / or the information decoding method one by one, and a function for expressing an unidentifiable or unknown matter.
The life support system according to any one of 1. 17. A member identification means for identifying a person who provides and / or uses information as a member, a member privilege setting means for setting a privilege for the member, and a member privilege execution means. The life support system according to any one of claims 1 to 16. 18. An information providing fee payment means for paying the consideration to an information providing person and / or an information use fee charging means for charging an information providing person, and the information providing fee paying means. 17. The life support system according to any one of 17. 19. The advertisement placement fee charging means for charging an advertisement placement fee to a person who places an advertisement so as to be browsed on the network, according to any one of claims 6 to 18. The life support system according to item 1. 20. As the expiry date estimating means, even if information based on an unknown logic or coding system including a human language is sequentially learned while collating with a human voice or a fixed value or an estimated value manually input. The life support system according to any one of claims 3 to 19, wherein the life support system is configured to do so. 21. A robot arm is provided as a part of the refrigerator inside / outside organizing means.
21. The life support system according to claim 20. 22. The optical reading means according to claim 2, further comprising an optical reading unit for reading information on the item name of the consumer good and the storage time limit of the consumer good from a paper surface. Life support system. 23. The menu program is provided with a function of providing an optimum menu corresponding to the constitution, physical condition or medical condition of the user and / or the request of the user or the advice of another person. The life support system according to claim 22. 24. A step of predicting the demand of the consumer goods based on the family structure by the consumer goods demand predicting means, a step of procuring the consumer goods corresponding to the demand of the consumer goods by the consumer goods procuring means, and the household. Items of consumer goods stored in the storage means used for daily life, a process of observing the amount of goods stored / delivered, the staying period and the quality state of each item, and comparing the observed results with the demand to eliminate the divergence between them. A method for supporting life as described above, including the step of controlling the consumer goods procurement means.