JP2021089105A - Food material management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a food material management system with which a user can readily grasp the present storage place of a food material relating to storage places including two or more storage chambers which are formed in a refrigerator.SOLUTION: A food material management system includes: food material information acquisition means for acquiring information relating to the present location and the type of a food material; and storage place determination means for determining the present storage place in which the food material is stored at the moment on the basis of the food material information acquired by the food material information acquisition means. The storage place determination means can determine the present storage place by separating at least two or more storage chambers for storing a food material which are formed in the refrigerator 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a foodstuff management system.

A food management system is known that has an RFID tag reader / writer that reads RFID tags attached to food in a refrigerator that stores and stores food, and a database that manages information on food stored in the refrigerator. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-242911

However, in the foodstuff management system as shown in Patent Document 1, when the refrigerator has two or more storage chambers, it is not possible to easily grasp which storage chamber the foodstuff is stored in. Therefore, even if it takes time for the user to search for the desired food material or the food material is stored in a place different from the storage place suitable for the type of food material, the user cannot easily notice it.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. The purpose is to obtain a foodstuff management system that can easily grasp the current storage location of foodstuffs for a storage location including two or more storage chambers formed in a refrigerator.

The food material management system according to the present invention currently stores the food material based on the food material information acquisition means for acquiring information on the current position and type of the food material and the food material information acquired by the food material information acquisition means. A storage location determining means for determining a storage location is provided, and the storage location determining means can determine the current storage location by distinguishing at least two or more storage chambers for storing foodstuffs formed in the refrigerator.

According to the food material management system according to the present invention, there is an effect that the current storage place of the food material can be easily grasped for the storage place including two or more storage chambers formed in the refrigerator.

It is a front view of the refrigerator to which the food material management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is applied. It is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure which concerns on the control of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the food identification data which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the storage place determination of the food material using the RFID tag of the food material management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the notification based on the information about the time limit of the foodstuff of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the inventory management operation of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the deadline notification operation of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the display example of the recipe information of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the option of the recipe policy of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the recipe proposal setting item of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the recipe proposal operation of the foodstuff management system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the food material ordering operation of the food material management system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

A mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be appropriately simplified or omitted. In the following description, for convenience, the positional relationship of each structure may be expressed with reference to the illustrated state. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and is free combination of each embodiment, modification of any component of each embodiment, or each of them, as long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated. Any component of the embodiment can be omitted.

Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator to which a food management system is applied. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerator control system. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration related to the control of the refrigerator. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of food identification data. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the determination of the storage location of the food material using the RFID tag of the food material management system. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification based on information on the deadline of foodstuffs in the foodstuff management system. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an inventory management operation of the food material management system. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the deadline notification operation of the foodstuff management system.

In each drawing, the dimensional relationship and shape of each component may differ from the actual ones. In addition, the positional relationship between the constituent members in the specification (for example, the vertical relationship, etc.) is, in principle, the one when the refrigerator is installed in a usable state.

The refrigerator 100 to which the food material management system according to this embodiment is applied is installed, for example, in the house of the user of the refrigerator 100. The main body of the refrigerator 100 has a heat insulating box 1 as shown in FIG. The front surface (front surface) of the heat insulating box 1 is opened to form a storage space inside. The heat insulating box body 1 has an outer box, an inner box, and a heat insulating material. The outer box is made of steel. The inner box is made of resin. The inner box is placed inside the outer box. The heat insulating material is, for example, urethane foam or the like, and is filled in the space between the outer box and the inner box. The storage space formed inside the heat insulating box 1 is divided into a plurality of storage chambers for storing and storing food by one or a plurality of partition members.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, here, the main body of the refrigerator 100 includes, for example, a refrigerating room 10, a switching room 20, an ice making room 30, a freezing room 40, and a vegetable room 50 as a plurality of storage rooms. .. These storage chambers are arranged in a heat insulating box 1 in a four-stage structure in the vertical direction.

The refrigerating chamber 10 is arranged at the uppermost stage of the heat insulating box 1. The switching chamber 20 is arranged on one side below the refrigerating chamber 10 on the left and right sides. The cold insulation temperature zone of the switching chamber 20 can be switched by selecting any one of a plurality of temperature zones. The plurality of temperature zones that can be selected as the cold insulation temperature zone of the switching chamber 20 include, for example, a freezing temperature zone (for example, about -18 ° C.), a refrigerating temperature zone (for example, about 3 ° C.), a chilled temperature zone (for example, about 0 ° C.), and the like. It is in a soft refrigeration temperature range (for example, about -7 ° C.). The ice making chamber 30 is arranged adjacent to the side of the switching chamber 20 in parallel with the switching chamber 20, that is, on the left and right other sides below the refrigerating chamber 10.

The freezing chamber 40 is arranged below the switching chamber 20 and the ice making chamber 30. The freezing chamber 40 is mainly for use when the storage object is frozen and stored for a relatively long period of time. The vegetable compartment 50 is arranged at the lowermost stage below the freezing chamber 40. The vegetable compartment 50 is mainly for storing vegetables and large PET bottles having a large capacity (for example, 2 L or the like).

A rotary refrigerating room door 7 for opening and closing the opening is provided in the opening formed on the front surface of the refrigerating room 10. Here, the refrigerating room door 7 is a double door type (double door type), and is composed of a right door 7a and a left door 7b. The refrigerating room door 7 is a door that opens and closes one side of the refrigerating room 10 which is a storage room. An operation panel 6 is provided on the outer surface of the refrigerator compartment door 7 (for example, the right door 7a) on the front surface of the refrigerator 100.

Each storage room (switching room 20, ice making room 30, freezing room 40, and vegetable room 50) other than the refrigerating room 10 is opened and closed by a drawer-type door. These pull-out doors are formed in the depth direction (front-back direction) of the refrigerator 100 by sliding a frame fixed to the door with respect to rails formed horizontally on the left and right inner wall surfaces of each storage chamber. It can be opened and closed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front side (left side when facing the figure) of the refrigerating chamber 10 is closed by the refrigerating chamber door 7. The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 2 is based on the cross-sectional view AA'in FIG. One or more refrigerating room shelf boards 11 are provided inside the refrigerating room 10. Here, a case where a plurality of refrigerating room shelf boards 11 are provided is taken as an example. The inside of the refrigerating chamber 10 is partitioned into a plurality of spaces (shelves) in the vertical direction by these refrigerating chamber shelf boards 11. Food is placed on the refrigerating room shelf board 11. Further, a door pocket 13 is provided on the inner surface of the refrigerator compartment door 7. Food can be placed and stored in the door pocket 13.

Each refrigerating room shelf board 11 is supported by a shelf board supporting portion 12 at a predetermined position in the refrigerating room 10. The shelf board support portion 12 is formed so as to project from the inner surface of the side wall of the refrigerating chamber 10 to the inside of the refrigerating chamber 10. The shelf board support portion 12 may be configured so that the vertical position of one refrigerating room shelf board 11 can be changed.

The space below the refrigerating room shelf board 11 at the bottom is a chilled room 14. A chilled case 15 is installed inside the chilled chamber 14. In the illustrated configuration example, the chilled case 15 is provided in two upper and lower stages. Each of these chilled cases 15 can be pulled forward along a guide member (not shown) such as a rail. When all the chilled cases 15 are correctly housed in the chilled chamber 14, the chilled chamber 14 is completely separated from the refrigerating chamber 10 by the chilled case 15 and the lowermost refrigerating chamber shelf plate 11. Therefore, the chilled chamber 14 of this embodiment is one storage chamber independent of the refrigerating chamber 10. In other words, the storage chamber for storing the foodstuffs formed in the refrigerator 100 includes not only the refrigerator compartment 10, the switching chamber 20, the ice making chamber 30, the freezer compartment 40 and the vegetable compartment 50, but also the chilled chamber 14.

The foodstuff management system applied to the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment includes a foodstuff information acquisition means for acquiring information about foodstuffs. The food material information acquisition means can at least acquire information on the current position and type of food material. In the configuration example described here, the food material information acquisition means includes an RFID reader 81, a camera 82, and a weight sensor 83. However, the food material information acquisition means does not have to be provided with all of them, and may be provided with only one or two of the RFID reader 81, the camera 82, and the weight sensor 83.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the configuration example described here, the RFID reader 81 is embedded in the upper wall portion of the refrigerator compartment 10. Further, in the illustrated configuration example, the camera 82 is installed on the inner surface of the refrigerator compartment door 7. The camera 82 takes an image of the inside of the storage room (here, the refrigerating room 10) from the side of the refrigerating room door 7, and outputs it as a storage room image. The weight sensor 83 is provided on the bottom surface of the chilled chamber 14. The weight sensor 83 can detect the weight of the food material stored in the lower chilled case 15 of the upper and lower two stages.

The number of the RFID reader 81, the camera 82, and the weight sensor 83 is not limited to one, and may be a plurality. Further, the installation locations of the RFID reader 81, the camera 82, and the weight sensor 83 are not limited to those illustrated above. The RFID reader 81, the camera 82, and the weight sensor 83 may be installed in other storage chambers of the refrigerator 100, such as the freezing compartment 40 and the vegetable compartment 50. Further, the location where the camera 82 and the weight sensor 83 are installed is not limited to the inside of the refrigerator 100, and may be outside the refrigerator 100 as long as it can be selected as a storage location for foodstuffs such as a pantry. The RFID reader 81 may also be installed outside the refrigerator 100 as long as the RFID tag 200 of the food material can be detected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 100 includes a control device 8. The control device 8 is housed in the upper part of the refrigerator 100 on the back side, for example. The control device 8 is provided with a control circuit and the like for performing various controls necessary for the operation of the refrigerator 100.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the refrigerator 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 8 includes, for example, a microcomputer, and includes a processor 8a and a memory 8b. The control device 8 controls the refrigerator 100 by executing a preset process by executing the program stored in the memory 8b by the processor 8a.

The refrigerator 100 includes a refrigeration cycle circuit that cools the air supplied to each storage chamber. The refrigeration cycle circuit is composed of a compressor 2, a condenser, a squeezing device, a cooler, and the like (not shown). The compressor 2 compresses and discharges the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle circuit. The condenser condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2. The squeezing device expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser. The cooler cools the air supplied to each storage chamber by the refrigerant expanded by the throttle device. The compressor 2 is arranged, for example, in the lower part on the back side of the refrigerator 100.

The refrigerator 100 is formed with an air passage (not shown) for supplying air cooled by the refrigeration cycle circuit to each storage chamber. This air passage is mainly arranged on the back side in the refrigerator 100. The cooler of the refrigeration cycle circuit is installed in this air passage. Further, a blower fan 4 for sending the air cooled by the cooler to each storage chamber is also installed in the air passage.

When the blower fan 4 operates, the air (cold air) cooled by the cooler is sent to the freezing chamber 40, the switching chamber 20, the ice making chamber 30, and the refrigerating chamber 10 through the air passage to cool these storage chambers. .. The vegetable compartment 50 is cooled by introducing the return cold air from the refrigerator compartment 10 into the vegetable compartment 50 via the return air passage for the refrigerator compartment. The cold air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 50 is returned to the air passage with the cooler through the return air passage for the vegetable chamber (these return air passages are not shown). Then, it is cooled again by the cooler, and cold air is circulated in the refrigerator 100.

A damper (not shown) is provided in the middle of the passage from the air passage to each storage room. Each damper opens and closes a point leading to each storage chamber of the air passage. By changing the open / closed state of the damper, the amount of cold air supplied to each storage chamber can be adjusted. Further, the temperature of the cold air can be adjusted by controlling the operation of the compressor 2.

The refrigeration cycle circuit including the compressor 2 and the cooler provided as described above, the blower fan 4, the air passage, and the damper constitute a cooling means for cooling the inside of the storage chamber.

The operation panel 6 includes an operation unit 6a, a display unit 6b, and a speaker 6c. The operation unit 6a is an operation switch for setting the cold storage temperature of each storage room and the operation mode (thawing mode, etc.) of the refrigerator 100. The display unit 6b is a liquid crystal display that displays various information such as the temperature of each storage chamber. Further, the operation panel 6 may include a touch panel that also serves as an operation unit 6a and a display unit 6b. The speaker 6c is a sound output device for sounding a sound to a user standing around the refrigerator 100, particularly in front of the refrigerator door 7.

The refrigerator 100 includes a thermistor 61 and a door open / close detection switch 62. The thermistor 61 detects the temperature in each storage chamber. The thermistor 61 is installed in each storage room. The door open / close detection switch 62 is an open / close detection means for detecting the open / close of the door of the storage room. The door open / close detection switch 62 detects, for example, the opening / closing of the refrigerating room door 7 of the refrigerating room 10. The door open / close detection switch 62 is, for example, a general magnet type switch. That is, the door open / close detection switch 62 detects, for example, the proximity of the magnet embedded in the refrigerator compartment door 7 by a reed switch installed on the main body side of the refrigerator 100.

A detection signal of the temperature inside each storage chamber is input from the thermistor 61 to the control device 8. Further, an operation signal from the operation unit 6a of the operation panel 6 is also input to the control device 8. Further, a detection signal from the door open / close detection switch 62 is also input to the control device 8. Based on the input signal, the control device 8 executes a process of controlling the operation of the compressor 2, the blower fan 4, etc. so that the inside of each storage chamber is maintained at a set temperature. That is, the control device 8 controls the cooling means and the like described above to control the operation of the refrigerator 100.

An RFID tag 200 is attached to at least a part of the foodstuffs to be managed by the foodstuff management system according to this embodiment. The RFID tag 200 is attached to, for example, the packaging of foodstuffs. When the food material is a fruit or the like, the RFID tag 200 may be directly attached to the food material with a sticker or the like. The RFID tag 200 is, for example, a passive RFID tag. However, the RFID tag 200 is not limited to the passive type, and may be an active type or a semi-active type.

The RFID tag 200 includes an information recording medium. At least, information on the type of foodstuff to which the RFID tag 200 is attached is recorded in advance on the information recording medium of the RFID tag 200. The RFID reading device 81 is a reading means for reading the information recorded on the information recording medium of the RFID tag 200 via electromagnetic waves. The control device 8 controls the detection operation of the RFID tag 200 by the RFID reader 81. The information read by the RFID reader 81 from the RFID tag 200 is input to the control device 8. The reception intensity of electromagnetic waves when the RFID reader 81 detects the RFID tag 200 is also input from the RFID reader 81 to the control device 8.

The control device 8 also controls the shooting operation of the camera 82. The image data captured by the camera 82 is input to the control device 8. Further, the detection result by the weight sensor 83 is also input to the control device 8.

Next, the functional configurations of the refrigerator 100 and the RFID tag 200 in the foodstuff management system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 4 in addition to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment has a door open / close detection unit 101, a food material identification unit 102, a food material information acquisition unit 103, a storage location determination unit 104, a stored food material information update unit 105, and a storage location comparison unit. It includes 109, an entry / exit count counting unit 110, a consumption estimation unit 111, a camera control unit 120, and a notification control unit 130. In the configuration example described here, the functions of each of these parts are realized by the processor 8a of the control device 8 executing a preset process. Further, the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment further includes an inventory list storage unit 106, a consumption list storage unit 107, a recommended storage location storage unit 108, and a communication device 140.

The camera control unit 120 controls the operation of the camera 82. For example, the camera control unit 120 causes the camera 82 to take a picture of the inside of the refrigerating room 10 when the refrigerating room door 7 is opened and closed. This is because when the refrigerating room door 7 is opened and closed, the foodstuffs in the refrigerating room 10 may be taken in and out, and the storage state in the refrigerating room 10 may change.

The door open / close detection unit 101 detects the open / close of the refrigerator compartment door 7 based on the signal output from the door open / close detection switch 62. The door open / close detection unit 101 can detect that the closed refrigerating room door 7 has been opened and that the open refrigerating room door 7 has been closed. In this way, the door open / close detection switch 62 and the door open / close detection unit 101 constitute a door open / close detection means for detecting the open / close of the refrigerator compartment door 7. For example, the camera control unit 120 causes the camera 82 to take a picture while the inside of the refrigerator compartment 10 is illuminated after the door open / close detection unit 101 detects that the opened refrigerator compartment door 7 is closed. .. When the refrigerating room door 7 is opened and closed in this way, the camera 82 takes an image of the inside of the refrigerating room 10.

The foodstuff identification unit 102 identifies the type of foodstuff from the image taken by the camera 82. In the process of identifying the type of foodstuff, the foodstuff identification unit 102 first extracts the feature amount of the image taken by the camera 82. Then, the foodstuff identification unit 102 identifies the type of foodstuff from the extracted feature amount. To identify the type of food, the correspondence data between the feature amount of the image of the food and the type of the food is used. The correspondence data is stored in advance in the control device 8.

FIG. 5 shows an example of this correspondence data. Correspondence data is a set of data in which at least one of the shape, size, color, and exterior label of the food material of the type is associated with each food material type. In this sense, the control device 8 stores at least one of the shape, size, color, and exterior label of the food material type in association with each food material type in advance.

The correspondence data stores characteristic attributes that can distinguish the food material type from other food material types for each of the food material types. Here, the characteristic amount of the type of food itself or the container containing the type of food is stored in association with the type of food. Specifically, for each type of food material, information such as shape (contour), size of the linear axis, representative color (RGB value), and label (character) is used as a feature amount.

As the shape for each food type stored in the correspondence data, in addition to the contour given in the example here, for example, a geometric shape closest to the outer shape of the food type (for example, a cylinder, a trapezoid, etc.) may be used. Good. In this case, in the identification by the foodstuff identification unit 102, the shape is collated with the shape stored in the correspondence data by, for example, a method such as pattern matching. As for the color, in addition to the RGB values of the representative colors, other index values such as lightness and saturation may be used.

The foodstuff identification unit 102 collates the feature amount extracted from the image with which foodstuff type feature amount matches in the above-mentioned correspondence data. Then, the type of foodstuff that maximizes the degree of matching with the feature amount in the correspondence data is used as the identification result. At this time, if the maximum value of the matching degree is not equal to or higher than a certain reference value, in other words, if there is no foodstuff type in the correspondence data in which the matching degree of the feature amount is equal to or higher than the reference value, the image of the feature amount is May be indistinguishable from the type of food.

In the correspondence data illustrated in FIG. 5, the type of foodstuff is identified, but other than that, for example, the product name of the foodstuff may be identified. The feature quantity associated with one food ingredient type or product name does not have to be one value for each attribute. For example, a plurality of values may be associated with each attribute, or a certain range of values may be associated with each other.

Further, the foodstuff identification unit 102 may be able to read the information regarding the expiration date of the foodstuff by identifying the characters in the image taken by the camera 82. The information on the expiration date of the food material is the information on the expiration date, the expiration date, or the expiration date of the food material. The foodstuff identification unit 102 identifies, for example, character information regarding the deadline printed on the container containing the foodstuff from the image taken by the camera 82. Then, the information regarding the expiration date of the foodstuff is read from the identified character information.

Further, the identification method used by the foodstuff identification unit 102 is not limited to the pattern matching and the like described above. Alternatively, for example, a method such as a neural network may be used. At this time, appropriate correspondence data is prepared according to the identification method used by the foodstuff identification unit 102.

As shown in FIG. 4, the RFID tag 200 of this embodiment includes a communication antenna 201, a production date / time information storage unit 202, a type information storage unit 203, a store information storage unit 204, a producer information storage unit 205, and a deadline information. A storage unit 206 is provided. The communication antenna 201 is for the RFID tag 200 to perform wireless communication with the RFID reader 81.

The production date / time information storage unit 202, the type information storage unit 203, the store store information storage unit 204, the producer information storage unit 205, and the deadline information storage unit 206 are the above-mentioned information recording media. The type information storage unit 203 stores information regarding the type of the food material to which the RFID tag 200 is attached in advance. As described above, at least the information regarding the type of the food material to which the RFID tag 200 is attached is recorded in advance on the information recording medium of the RFID tag 200. Therefore, the RFID tag 200 includes at least the type information storage unit 203.

Further, the production date / time information storage unit 202 stores in advance information regarding the production date / time of the food material to which the RFID tag 200 is attached. The sales store information storage unit 204 stores in advance information about the sales store of the food material to which the RFID tag 200 is attached. The producer information storage unit 205 stores in advance information about the producer of the food material to which the RFID tag 200 is attached. Then, the deadline information storage unit 206 stores in advance information about the deadline of the foodstuff to which the RFID tag 200 is attached. As described above, the information regarding the expiration date of the food material is the information on the expiration date, the expiration date, or the expiration date of the food material.

The RFID reader 81 is connected to the production date / time information storage unit 202, the type information storage unit 203, the store information storage unit 204, the producer information storage unit 205, and the deadline information storage unit 206 from the RFID tag 200 configured as described above. Various information about the stored foodstuffs is read non-contactly via electromagnetic waves. That is, the RFID reader 81 can acquire information on the foodstuff to which the RFID tag 200 is attached by reading the information recorded on the information recording medium of the RFID tag 200 via electromagnetic waves.

The food material information acquisition unit 103 acquires information on the food material from the detection result of the RFID tag 200 by the RFID reader 81, the identification result by the camera 82 and the food material identification unit 102, and the detection result by the weight sensor 83.

First, the reception intensity of electromagnetic waves when the RFID reader 81 detects the RFID tag 200 changes according to the distance between the RFID reader 81 and the RFID tag 200. Therefore, since the installation location of the RFID reader 81 is known, the position of the RFID tag 200 can be estimated from the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave in the RFID reader 81. Therefore, the food material information acquisition unit 103 acquires the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave in the RFID reader 81 as information regarding the current position of the food material to which the RFID tag 200 is attached. Further, the food material information acquisition unit 103 reads the RFID tag 200's production date / time information storage unit 202, type information storage unit 203, store information storage unit 204, producer information storage unit 205, and deadline information read by the RFID reader 81. Various information about the foodstuffs stored in the storage unit 206 is also acquired.

Next, the food material information acquisition unit 103 can acquire information on the current position and type of the food material from the identification result by the food material identification unit 102. Since the installation location of the camera 82 and the shooting range of the camera 82 are known, the current position of the food material shown in the image can be estimated from the image taken by the camera 82. Therefore, the food material information acquisition unit 103 can acquire information on the current position of the food material from the identification result by the food material identification unit 102. In addition, the foodstuff identification unit 102 identifies the type of foodstuff from the image taken by the camera 82. Therefore, the identification result by the foodstuff identification unit 102 includes information on the type of foodstuff. In this way, the food material information acquisition unit 103 acquires information on the current position and type of the food material from the image taken by the camera 82.

The weight sensor 83 of this embodiment is provided at a specific storage location where a specific type of food material is stored. The specific type and the specific storage location in this case are predetermined respectively. In the configuration example described here, the weight sensor 83 is provided to detect the weight of the food material stored in the chilled case 15 at the lower stage of the chilled chamber 14. The lower chilled case 15 of the chilled chamber 14 is dedicated to, for example, half-thawed meat. In this case, the meat is the above-mentioned specific type, and the chilled case 15 in the lower part of the chilled chamber 14 is the above-mentioned specific storage place.

If the specific storage location and the specific type are determined, it is easy to determine in advance the range in which the weight can be taken when the specific type of food is correctly stored in the specific storage location. That is, when the weight sensor 83 detects the weight within a predetermined range, it can be estimated that the specific type of foodstuff is correctly stored in the specific storage location. Therefore, when the weight sensor 83 detects the weight within a predetermined range, the food material information acquisition unit 103 acquires the above-mentioned specific storage location and the above-mentioned specific type as information on the current position and type of the food material. ..

The storage location determination unit 104 is a storage location determination means for determining the current storage location where the foodstuff is currently stored, based on the food material information acquired by the food material information acquisition unit 103. For example, when the information regarding the current position of the food material acquired by the food material information acquisition unit 103 is the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave in the RFID reader 81, the storage location determination unit 104 determines the current storage location of the food material as follows. To judge.

That is, as shown as an example in FIG. 6, when the RFID reader 81 is arranged in the upper part of the refrigerator compartment 10, the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag 200 of the onion outside the refrigerator 100 is "very high. weak". On the other hand, the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag 200 of the yogurt in the refrigerator compartment 10 at the upper stage of the refrigerator 100 is "very strong". Further, the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag 200 of the ice cream in the freezing chamber 40 in the middle of the refrigerator 100 is "slightly weak". The reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag 200 of the tomato in the vegetable compartment 50 at the bottom of the refrigerator 100 is "quite weak". Here, the reception intensity is in the order of strong, very strong, slightly weak, fairly weak, and very weak.

In this way, the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag 200 changes depending on the storage location of the food material. Therefore, the storage location determination unit 104 determines the current storage location of the food material from the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave in the RFID reader 81, which is information on the current position of the food material. At this time, the correspondence relationship between the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave and the current storage location of the food material is stored in the control device 8 in advance.

In this way, the storage location determination unit 104 determines the current storage location of the food material when the information regarding the current position of the food material acquired by the food material information acquisition unit 103 is the reception intensity of the electromagnetic wave in the RFID reader 81. it can. As can be seen from the above description, the storage location determination unit 104 can determine the current storage location by distinguishing at least two or more storage chambers for storing the foodstuffs formed in the refrigerator 100. Further, the storage location determination unit 104 of this embodiment can determine a storage location outside the refrigerator 100 as a current storage location.

Further, when the information regarding the current position of the food material is obtained from the image taken by the camera 82, the storage location determination unit 104 may, for example, determine that the storage room, which is the shooting range of the camera 82, is the current food material. It can be determined that it is a storage location. If the information regarding the current position of the food material acquired by the food material information acquisition unit 103 is related to the detection result of the weight sensor 83, the storage location determination unit 104 has the above-mentioned specific storage location, that is, the installation location of the weight sensor 83. It can be determined that the food is currently stored.

The storage location determination unit 104 determines the current storage location of the food material by using a plurality of information derived from each of the RFID reader 81, the camera 82, and the weight sensor 83 for one food material. The accuracy of determining the current storage location can be improved. Further, the storage location determination unit 104 also improves the determination accuracy of the current storage location of the food material by determining the current storage location of the food material by using the position information derived from the plurality of RFID readers 81 together for one food material. it can. Similarly, the storage location determination unit 104 can improve the determination accuracy of the current storage location of the food material by determining the current storage location of the food material by using the position information derived from the plurality of cameras 82 together for one food material. ..

The stored food information updating unit 105 creates the stored food information that is grasped as the food management system. Stored food information is information on the type and amount of food currently stored. Then, the stored food information updating unit 105 updates the stored food information to the latest one. The storage food information updating unit 105 creates and updates the stored food information using the food information acquired by the food information acquisition unit 103. That is, the type of foodstuff currently stored can be obtained from the information on the type of foodstuff acquired by the foodstuff information acquisition unit 103.

In addition, the amount of foodstuffs currently stored can be considered as follows, for example. When the RFID reader 81 reads the information regarding the type of the food material from the RFID tag 200, the number of the food material of the type can be known from the number of detected RFID tags 200 of the type. When the result of identification by the foodstuff identification unit 102 from the image taken by the camera 82 is used as the information regarding the type of foodstuff, the number of foodstuffs of the type can be known from the identification result by the foodstuff identification unit 102 of the image taken by the camera 82. .. Further, when the above-mentioned specific type related to the detection result of the weight sensor 83 is used as the information regarding the type of the food material, the detection result of the weight sensor 83 is the weight of the food material. The stored food information may include the current storage location of each food material determined by the storage location determination unit 104.

The inventory list storage unit 106 is a stored food information storage means for storing stored food information created and updated by the stored food information updating unit 105. That is, the inventory list storage unit 106 stores information on the latest type and amount of currently stored foodstuffs that are grasped by the foodstuff management system.

When the stored food information updating unit 105 of this embodiment updates the stored food information to the latest one, the stored food information after the update and the stored food information before the update stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 To compare. Then, the foodstuffs that existed in the stored foodstuff information before the update but no longer exist in the stored foodstuff information after the update are extracted to create the consumption foodstuff information. The consumable foodstuff information created in this way is a list of the foodstuffs used after being stored once. The consumption list storage unit 107 stores the consumption food information created by the stored food information update unit 105 in this way. The consumption food ingredient information stored in the consumption list storage unit 107 can be used for evaluating the eating habits of the user.

It should be noted that some foodstuffs are not lost once but are finally consumed after being used multiple times. Within a preset fixed time (for example, within 30 minutes) after the information about the same type of food as the food contained in the latest stored food information is not acquired by the food information acquisition unit 103, the type of food is of the same type. When the food material information is acquired again by the food material information acquisition unit 103, it is considered that the food material of the type is only used and returned to the storage place. Therefore, in such a case, the stored food material information updating unit 105 may not add the food material of the type to the consumption food material information.

The recommended storage location storage unit 108 stores in advance recommended storage locations suitable for each type of foodstuff. The storage location comparison unit 109 compares the current storage location of the foodstuff determined by the storage location determination unit 104 with the recommended storage location suitable for the type of the foodstuff stored in the recommended storage location storage unit 108. Then, when the current storage location of the food material and the recommended storage location suitable for the type of the food material are different from each other, the control device 8 causes the display unit 6b of the operation panel 6 to display to that effect. At this time, it is advisable to display the current storage location and the recommended storage location of the foodstuff together. In this case, the display unit 6b of the operation panel 6 is a notification means for notifying when the current storage location and the recommended storage location compared by the storage location comparison unit 109 are different.

The entry / exit count counting unit 110 counts the number of times the stored food has been used. Here, the number of times the food is taken in and out of the storage location is regarded as the number of times the food is used. The number of times of entry / exit counting unit 110 counts the number of times of entry / exit of the same type of food to / from the current storage location determined by the storage location determination unit 104. The number of times of entry and exit is counted by the number of times of entry and exit counting unit 110 by using the information of the foodstuff acquired by the foodstuff information acquisition unit 103. For example, the entry / exit count counting unit 110 does not obtain information about the same type of food as the food contained in the latest stored food information by the food information acquisition unit 103, but within the above-mentioned fixed time, the type of food is of the same type. When the food material information is acquired again by the food material information acquisition unit 103, the number of times of entering and exiting the food material of the type is counted once.

At this time, the current storage location determined by the storage location determination unit 104 may also be included in the counting determination condition. That is, when the same type of foodstuff is taken in and out of the same current storage location as the previous time within the above-mentioned fixed time, the entry / exit count counting unit 110 counts the number of times of entry / exit of the type of foodstuff once. The user of the refrigerator 100 often determines a storage location for each type of foodstuff, and the same foodstuff is often taken in and out of the same storage location. Therefore, by including the current storage location determined by the storage location determination unit 104 in the counting determination condition, if an ingredient different from the served ingredient is put in, there is a possibility that this is mistaken for the same ingredient in and out. Can be reduced.

The consumption amount estimation unit 111 estimates the consumption amount of the foodstuff of the same type based on the number of times of the foodstuffs of the same type counted by the number of times of entry / exit counting unit 110. As described above, the number of times of entering and leaving the food material counted by the number of times of entering and leaving counting unit 110 can be regarded as the number of times the food material is used. By obtaining the ratio of the number of times the food has been used so far to the number of times the food has been used until it is finally consumed, the consumption amount of the food can be estimated as the consumption ratio. For example, the control device 8 stores the number of times of use until the foodstuff is finally consumed for each type of foodstuff. This may be set by the user by operating the operation panel 6, or may be learned from the past usage situation. Learning the number of times of use until the food is finally consumed is, for example, the number of times of entering and exiting until the food contained in the stored food information of the inventory list storage unit 106 is transferred to the food food information of the consumption list storage unit 107. Can be done by counting.

Then, the control device 8 may display the consumption amount of the food material estimated by the consumption amount estimation unit 111 on the display unit 6b of the operation panel 6. By doing so, the user can grasp not only the type of the currently stored foodstuff but also the consumption amount and the remaining amount of the stored foodstuff.

In addition, information on the consumption amount of the foodstuff estimated by the consumption amount estimation means may be transmitted to the outside of the foodstuff management system. The communication device 140 may transmit information on the consumption amount of the foodstuff estimated by the consumption amount estimation unit 111 to the outside of the foodstuff management system, for example, a foodstuff retailer, a producer, or the like. When transmitting information to a third party such as a retailer or a producer, it is desirable to anonymize the information. By collecting information on the consumption amount of foodstuffs for a large number of users, retailers, producers, etc. can utilize it for determining the purchase time, purchase amount, production time, production amount, etc. of the foodstuffs. In this case, the communication device 140 is a consumption amount information transmitting means for transmitting information on the consumption amount of the food material estimated by the consumption amount estimation unit 111 to the outside.

As described above, the food material information acquisition unit 103 of this embodiment can acquire information on the deadline of the food material. Therefore, in the foodstuff management system according to this embodiment, the notification may be performed based on the information regarding the deadline of the foodstuff acquired by the foodstuff information acquisition unit 103. The notification control unit 130 controls the notification operation by the display unit 6b and the speaker 6c of the operation panel 6. Then, for example, the notification control unit 130 notifies the foodstuffs included in the stored foodstuff information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 by the display unit 6b and the speaker 6c when the expiration date of the foodstuffs has passed. Let me. In addition, for example, the notification control unit 130 notifies the foodstuffs included in the stored foodstuff information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 by the display unit 6b and the speaker 6c when the expiration date of the foodstuff is approaching. You may let me. In this case, the display unit 6b, the speaker 6c, and the notification control unit 130 of the operation panel 6 are notification means for performing notification based on the information regarding the deadline of the food material acquired by the food material information acquisition unit 103. Further, the notification means may perform notification using a terminal device such as a smartphone outside the refrigerator 100.

FIG. 7 shows an example of notification based on information on the deadline of such foodstuffs. When the door open / close detection unit 101 detects that the refrigerating room door 7 has been opened, the notification control unit 130 expires if there is a food material whose expiry date is approaching in the refrigerating room 10 at the current storage location. The speaker 6c notifies such a thing by voice. In addition, information on ingredients whose expiration date is about to expire is displayed on the terminal display unit 310 of the terminal device 300 such as a smartphone. In the illustrated example, the inventory list in the refrigerator 100 is displayed on the terminal display unit 310 of the terminal device 300. The inventory list in the refrigerator 100 relates to the foodstuffs stored in the storage chamber of the refrigerator 100 among the stored foodstuff information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106. Then, on the terminal display unit 310, a message informing that the expiry date is approaching is displayed in a balloon format among the ingredients in the inventory list in the refrigerator 100.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, an example of a main operation of the refrigerator 100 to which the food material management system configured as described above is applied will be described. First, FIG. 8 shows an example of the inventory management operation of the refrigerator 100 to which the food material management system is applied.

When the refrigerator 100 to which the food material management system is applied starts the inventory management operation, first, in step S11, did the stored food material information updating unit 105 detect that the refrigerating room door 7 was closed by the door opening / closing detection unit 101? Check if it is not. If the door open / close detection unit 101 does not detect that the refrigerator compartment door 7 has been closed, the process of step S11 is repeated while waiting. Then, when the door open / close detection unit 101 detects that the refrigerator compartment door 7 has been closed, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, the stored food information updating unit 105 determines whether or not the RFID reader 81 has detected the RFID tag 200 of the food. The fact that the RFID reader 81 here detects the RFID tag 200 of the food material is an example of the acquisition of information about the food material by the food material information acquisition unit 103. Therefore, it may be determined whether or not the foodstuff identification unit 102 has identified the foodstuff from the image taken by the camera 82. When the RFID reader 81 detects the RFID tag 200 of the food material, that is, when the food material information acquisition unit 103 acquires the information about the food material, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the stored food information updating unit 105 updates the stored food information to the latest one based on the information about the food acquired by the food information acquisition unit 103 in step S12. Next, the stored food information updating unit 105 compares the stored food information after the update with the stored food information before the update stored in the inventory list storage unit 106. Then, the foodstuffs that existed in the stored foodstuff information before the update but no longer exist in the stored foodstuff information after the update are extracted, and the consumed foodstuff information is updated. The updated consumption food material information is stored in the consumption list storage unit 107. After step S13, the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S14, the inventory list storage unit 106 stores the latest stored food information updated by the stored food information updating unit 105 in step S13. In the following step S15, the storage location determination unit 104 determines the current storage location in which each food material is currently stored, based on the information regarding the food material acquired by the food material information acquisition unit 103 in step S12. Information about the current storage location of each food material determined by the storage location determination unit 104 is added to the stored food material information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106. When the process of step S15 is completed, the series of operations is completed.

On the other hand, if the food material information acquisition unit 103 does not acquire the information about the food material in step S12, the process proceeds to step S16. In this case, all the foodstuffs included in the stored foodstuff information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 are no longer stored. Therefore, the stored food material information updating unit 105 adds the food material included in the stored food material information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 to the consumed food material information. Then, in the following step S17, from the stored food material information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106, the food material for which the information was not acquired by the food material information acquisition unit 103 in step S12 is deleted. When the process of step S17 is completed, the series of operations is completed.

Next, FIG. 9 shows an example of the deadline notification operation of the refrigerator 100 to which the food material management system is applied. When the refrigerator 100 to which the food material management system is applied starts the deadline notification operation, first, in step S21, the notification control unit 130 determines whether or not a preset fixed time has elapsed since the previous deadline notification operation was performed. To judge. If a predetermined fixed time has not elapsed since the deadline notification operation was performed last time, the process of step S21 is repeated while waiting. Then, when a predetermined fixed time has elapsed since the deadline notification operation was performed last time, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the notification control unit 130 sets the food material N to be notified of the deadline from the foodstuffs included in the stored food material information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106. In the following step S23, the notification control unit 130 determines whether or not the expiration date of the food material N is earlier than the current date and time. If the expiry date of the food material N is earlier than the current date and time, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the notification control unit 130 notifies the display unit 6b, the speaker 6c, the terminal device, and the like that the consumption period of the food material N has expired. After step S24, the process proceeds to step S30.

On the other hand, if the expiration date of the food material N is not before the current date and time in step S23, the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, the notification control unit 130 confirms a general expiration date for the same type of food as the food N. Information on the general expiration date for each type of food material is stored in, for example, in the control device 8 in advance. If there is no general expiration date information for the same type of food as food N, the process proceeds to step S30. On the other hand, if the general expiration date of the same type of food as the food N is less than one week, the process proceeds to step S26. If the general expiration date of the same type of food as the food N is one week or more and less than one month, the process proceeds to step S27. Then, when the general expiration date of the foodstuff of the same type as the foodstuff N is one month or more, the process proceeds to step S28.

In step S26, the notification control unit 130 determines whether or not the current date and time is 3 days or more before the expiration date of the food material N. If the current date and time is 3 days or more before the expiration date of the food material N, the process proceeds to step S30. On the other hand, if the current date and time is not 3 days or more before the expiration date of the food material N, the process proceeds to step S29.

In step S27, the notification control unit 130 determines whether or not the current date and time is one week or more before the expiration date of the food material N. If the current date and time is one week or more before the expiration date of the food material N, the process proceeds to step S30. On the other hand, if the current date and time is not one week or more before the expiration date of the food material N, the process proceeds to step S29.

In step S28, the notification control unit 130 determines whether or not the current date and time is one month or more before the expiration date of the food material N. If the current date and time is one month or more before the expiration date of the food material N, the process proceeds to step S30. On the other hand, if the current date and time is not one month or more before the expiration date of the food material N, the process proceeds to step S29.

In step S29, the notification control unit 130 notifies the display unit 6b, the speaker 6c, the terminal device, and the like that the expiration date of the food material N is approaching. After step S29, the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, after the notification control unit 130 sets the next food material to be notified of the deadline, the process returns to step S22. In this way, when the processes from step S22 to step S30 are repeated and the processes for all the foodstuffs to be notified of the deadline are completed, the series of operations is completed.

According to the foodstuff management system configured as described above, when the refrigerator 100 has two or more storage chambers, it is possible to easily grasp which storage chamber the foodstuffs are stored in. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required for the user to search for the desired foodstuff. Further, even if the food material is stored in a place different from the storage place suitable for the type of food material, the user can easily notice it.

Embodiment 2.
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 15. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the foodstuff management system. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of recipe information of the foodstuff management system. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of recipe policy options of the food management system. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of recipe proposal setting items of the food material management system. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a recipe proposal operation of the food material management system. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the foodstuff ordering operation of the foodstuff management system.

In the second embodiment described here, the recipe is proposed by utilizing the inventory list managed by the foodstuff management system in the configuration of the first embodiment described above. Hereinafter, the foodstuff management system according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. The configuration in which the description is omitted is basically the same as that in the first embodiment. In the following description, the same or corresponding configurations as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment in principle.

As shown in FIG. 10, the foodstuff management system according to this embodiment includes a refrigerator 100, a server device 400, and a terminal device 300. The refrigerator 100, the server device 400, and the terminal device 300 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via the communication network 500. The server device 400 is, for example, a computer installed in the user's house. The server device 400 may be installed outside the user's home. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. In addition, for example, the terminal device 300 may be a personal computer (personal computer) installed in the user's house.

The number of refrigerators 100 communicably connected to the communication network 500 is not limited to one, and may be plural. Similarly, the number of terminal devices 300 communicably connected to the communication network 500 is not limited to one, and may be plural. Further, the server device 400 may be a cloud server including a plurality of servers (server groups).

As described in the first embodiment, the refrigerator 100 includes a communication device 140. Further, the terminal device 300 includes a terminal communication unit 301. The server device 400 includes a server communication unit 401. The communication device 140 is for bidirectionally communicating data between the refrigerator 100 and the terminal device 300, and between the refrigerator 100 and the server device 400, respectively. Further, the terminal communication unit 301 is for bidirectionally communicating data between the refrigerator 100 and the terminal device 300, and between the terminal device 300 and the server device 400, respectively. The server communication unit 401 is for bidirectionally communicating data between the server device 400 and the refrigerator 100 and between the server device 400 and the terminal device 300, respectively.

The terminal device 300 includes an inventory list display control unit 302, a consumption list display control unit 303, a terminal display unit 310, and a terminal operation unit 311. The terminal display unit 310 of the terminal device 300 is a display device capable of displaying screens of various contents. The terminal display unit 310 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like. The terminal operation unit 311 is an input interface that receives an input of an operation performed by the user on the terminal device 300. The terminal operation unit 311 includes, for example, buttons, switches, and the like. The terminal display unit 310 and the terminal operation unit 311 may be integrally provided by using a touch panel.

When the user performs an inventory list display operation on the terminal operation unit 311, the inventory list display control unit 302 causes the terminal communication unit 301 to transmit an inventory list transmission request to the refrigerator 100. The communication device 140 of the refrigerator 100 transmits the stored food information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 to the terminal device 300 in response to a request from the terminal device 300. The terminal communication unit 301 of the terminal device 300 receives the stored food information transmitted from the refrigerator 100. The inventory list display control unit 302 causes the terminal display unit 310 to display the stored food information received by the terminal communication unit 301.

Further, when the user performs a consumption list display operation on the terminal operation unit 311, the consumption list display control unit 303 causes the terminal communication unit 301 to transmit a consumption list transmission request to the refrigerator 100. The communication device 140 of the refrigerator 100 transmits the stored food information stored in the consumption list storage unit 107 to the terminal device 300 in response to a request from the terminal device 300. The terminal communication unit 301 of the terminal device 300 receives the stored food information transmitted from the refrigerator 100. The consumption list display control unit 303 causes the terminal display unit 310 to display the stored food information received by the terminal communication unit 301.

The server device 400 includes a recipe proposal unit 402. The recipe proposal unit 402 proposes a recipe with reference to the stored food information stored by the inventory list storage unit 106. That is, first, the server communication unit 401 transmits an inventory list transmission request to the refrigerator 100. The communication device 140 of the refrigerator 100 transmits the stored food information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 to the server device 400 in response to a request from the server device 400. The server communication unit 401 of the server device 400 receives the stored food information transmitted from the refrigerator 100.

Then, the recipe proposal unit 402 proposes a recipe with reference to the stored food information received by the server communication unit 401. A database of recipes is stored in advance in the server device 400 for the recipe proposal by the recipe proposal unit 402. The recipe proposal unit 402 refers to the stored food material information and searches the recipe database for a recipe that matches the desired conditions in consideration of the type, amount, and the like of the food material currently stored. Then, if a recipe having a certain degree of matching with the conditions is obtained as a result of the search, the recipe proposal unit 402 determines the recipe obtained as the search result as the proposed recipe. The information of the proposed recipe determined by the recipe proposal unit 402 is transmitted to the terminal device 300 by the server communication unit 401.

The terminal device 300 of this embodiment further includes a recipe display control unit 304. The terminal communication unit 301 of the terminal device 300 receives the information of the proposed recipe transmitted from the server device 400. The recipe display control unit 304 causes the terminal display unit 310 to display the information of the proposed recipe received by the terminal communication unit 301. In this way, the user can confirm the information of the proposed recipe on the terminal device 300.

FIG. 11 shows an example of displaying the proposed recipe information on the terminal display unit 310. In this display example, along with the recipe information, an "inventory" display indicating whether or not the recipe information can be cooked only with the currently stored ingredients is displayed. This "inventory" display can be performed with reference to the stored food material information transmitted from the refrigerator 100. Further, as described below, in the foodstuff management system according to this embodiment, the evaluation of the recipe can be fed back. In the display example shown in the figure, the evaluation of the displayed recipe by a person other than the user is also displayed. Such recipe evaluation by another person can be obtained, for example, via a communication network 500 including the Internet.

In this embodiment, the user's evaluation of the recipe displayed on the terminal display unit 310 can be fed back. Therefore, the terminal device 300 further includes a recipe evaluation unit 305. The recipe evaluation unit 305 causes the terminal display unit 310 to display an operation screen for the user to input an evaluation for the recipe displayed on the terminal display unit 310. When the user performs a recipe evaluation operation on the terminal operation unit 311, the recipe evaluation unit 305 causes the terminal communication unit 301 to transmit the input recipe evaluation information to the server device 400. The server communication unit 401 of the server device 400 receives the recipe evaluation information information transmitted from the terminal device 300. Then, the server device 400 reflects the recipe evaluation information received by the server communication unit 401 in the recipe database.

In the foodstuff management system of this embodiment, it is possible to propose a recipe according to the recipe policy desired by the user. Therefore, the terminal device 300 further includes a recipe policy selection unit 306. The recipe policy selection unit 306 causes the terminal display unit 310 to display a policy selection screen for the user to select a recipe policy. On this policy selection screen, a plurality of preset recipe policies are presented as options. FIG. 12 shows an example of a recipe policy presented as an option. In this way, as recipe policies, for example, "in-stock item-based recipe", "seasonal ingredient-based recipe", "usually consumed ingredient-based recipe", "usually not purchased ingredient-based recipe", and "evaluation" delicious " Options such as "many recipes" and "many evaluation" made "recipe" can be considered.

When the user performs a desired recipe policy selection operation from the presented options to the terminal operation unit 311, the recipe policy selection unit 306 transfers the selected recipe policy information to the server by the terminal communication unit 301. It is transmitted to the device 400. The recipe policy selection unit 306 configured as described above is a recipe policy selection means that can be selected by the user from a plurality of preset recipe policies.

The server communication unit 401 of the server device 400 receives the recipe policy information transmitted from the terminal device 300. Then, the recipe proposal unit 402 proposes a recipe according to the recipe policy information received by the server communication unit 401. That is, the recipe proposal unit 402 proposes a recipe according to the recipe policy selected by the recipe policy selection means described above. The recipe proposal unit 402 performs a search by setting the search conditions of the recipe database according to the selected recipe policy.

In the foodstuff management system of this embodiment, it is possible to change the type and amount of foodstuffs used in the proposed recipe according to the family composition and taste of the user. Therefore, the terminal device 300 further includes a recipe proposal setting unit 307. The recipe proposal setting unit 307 causes the terminal display unit 310 to display a setting screen for the user to set various items related to the recipe proposal. On this setting screen, various setting items related to preset recipe proposals are displayed. The various setting items related to this recipe proposal include at least one or both of the user's family structure and preferences.

FIG. 13 shows an example of setting items related to the recipe proposal. In this way, as the setting items related to the recipe proposal, for example, the recipe proposal frequency, the proposed meals on weekdays and holidays, that is, the meals to be proposed, the number of proposed meals, the desired amount, the number of people, the food ordering policy, and the favorite Ingredients, disliked ingredients, cooking time, etc. can be mentioned. For the recipe proposal frequency, for example, one is selected from the daily / weekly / monthly options. For the proposed meals on weekdays and holidays, for example, a plurality of proposed meals are selected from the options of breakfast / lunch / supper / evening meal / snack. For the suggested number of meals, select one from the options such as 1 meal / 2 meals / 3 meals. For the preferred amount, for example, one is selected from a large / normal / small option. For the number of people, for example, enter the number of adults and children as numbers. For the food material ordering policy, for example, one is selected from the options of automatic ordering / permitted ordering / no ordering. For the favorite food and the disliked food, for example, input the food type for each. For the cooking time, select one from the options of 5 minutes or less / 10 minutes or less / 20 minutes or less / 30 minutes or less / 30 minutes or more. The cooking time can be set for each proposed meal.

When the user inputs various setting items related to the recipe proposal to the terminal operation unit 311, the recipe proposal setting unit 307 transmits the input setting content information to the server device 400 by the terminal communication unit 301. To send. The recipe proposal setting unit 307 configured as described above is a user information input means capable of inputting one or both of the user's family structure and preference.

The server communication unit 401 of the server device 400 receives the information of the setting contents transmitted from the terminal device 300. Then, the recipe proposal unit 402 proposes a recipe according to the setting content information received by the server communication unit 401. In particular, the setting content information includes one or both of the user's family structure and preferences. The recipe proposal unit 402 changes one or both of the type and amount of ingredients used in the recipe to propose one or both of the user's family composition and taste input as a setting.

Here, the setting items related to the recipe proposal described above include the foodstuff ordering policy. In this regard, the server device 400 of this embodiment includes a shortage food ordering unit 403. The deficient food ordering unit 403 is for ordering the deficient food from an external retailer or the like when the food currently stored is deficient in the food required for the proposed recipe.

The deficient food ordering unit 403 first specifies the type and amount of food used in the recipe proposed by the recipe proposal unit 402. Next, the shortage food ordering unit 403 specifies the type and amount of the food currently stored from the stored food information stored by the inventory list storage unit 106. As the stored food information stored by the inventory list storage unit 106, as described above, the information transmitted from the refrigerator 100 to the server device 400 can be used. Then, the deficient food ordering unit 403 obtains the type and amount of the food material that is insufficient for the type and amount of the food material currently stored with respect to the type and amount of the food material used in the proposed recipe. Then, the shortage food ordering unit 403 creates ordering information including information on the type and quantity of the shortage foodstuff, and causes the server communication unit 401 to transmit the created ordering information to an external retailer or the like.

At this time, when "automatic ordering" is set as the foodstuff ordering policy, the shortage foodstuff ordering unit 403 automatically places an order with a retailer or the like without confirmation by the user. Further, when "no ordering" is set as the foodstuff ordering policy, the shortage foodstuff ordering unit 403 does not perform the ordering process itself. When "permitted ordering" is set as the foodstuff ordering policy, the shortage foodstuff ordering unit 403 causes the terminal device 300 to display an ordering permission confirmation screen. Then, if the user performs an operation of permitting the order in the terminal device 300, the shortage food ordering unit 403 places an order with a retailer or the like. If the user does not permit the order in the terminal device 300, or if the user does not permit the order in the terminal device 300, the shortage food ordering unit 403 sends the shortage food ordering unit 403 to the retailer or the like. Do not place an order.

In the foodstuff management system of this embodiment, the replenishment time for each type of foodstuff is estimated, and the type and amount of the foodstuff used in the proposed recipe are changed according to the replenishment time for each type of estimated foodstuff. Is possible. Therefore, the server device 400 further includes a replenishment time estimation unit 404.

The replenishment time estimation unit 404 estimates the replenishment time for each type of food material based on the update time and the update content of the stored food material information by the stored food material information update unit 105 of the refrigerator 100. The replenishment time estimation unit 404 periodically acquires the latest stored food information stored in the inventory list storage unit 106 from the refrigerator 100. The replenishment time estimation unit 404 identifies the time when the stored food information has changed and the content changed at that time by comparing the acquired latest stored food information with the previously acquired stored food information. Next, the replenishment time estimation unit 404 obtains the update time and the update content of the stored food information by the stored food information update unit 105 from the time when the stored food information changes and the content changed at that time. Then, the replenishment time estimation unit 404 estimates the replenishment time for each type of food material from the update time and the update content of the stored food material information.

The replenishment time for each type of foodstuff is, for example, the interval from the previous replenishment to the next replenishment. In addition, for example, in the case of foodstuffs that are regularly replenished on a fixed day of the week or a fixed day of each month, the replenishment time of the foodstuff is that day or day. Then, the recipe proposal unit 402 changes one or both of the types and amounts of the ingredients used in the proposed recipe according to the replenishment time for each type of foodstuff estimated by the replenishment time estimation unit 404.

For example, among the ingredients used in the proposed recipe, for ingredients with a long period until the replenishment time estimated by the replenishment time estimation unit 404, the amount of the ingredients is reduced so that the ingredients are not insufficient by the time of replenishment. Or, change the type of ingredient used in the recipe to another type of ingredient that replaces the ingredient. On the contrary, among the ingredients used in the proposed recipe, for the ingredients with a short period until the replenishment time estimated by the replenishment time estimation unit 404, the amount of the ingredients is increased or the amount of the ingredients is increased so that the ingredients are not left over. , Change the type of ingredient so that the ingredient is used in place of the other type of ingredient in a recipe that uses the other type of ingredient.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, examples of main operations of the server device 400 and the terminal device 300 included in the foodstuff management system configured as described above will be described. First, FIG. 14 shows an example of the recipe proposal operation of the foodstuff management system.

When the food management system starts the recipe proposal operation, first, in step S31, the recipe proposal unit 402 confirms whether or not the condition for making the recipe proposal is satisfied. The conditions for making this recipe proposal are mainly temporal conditions. Specifically, for example, it is assumed that the condition for making a recipe proposal is satisfied when it is time to cook the "proposal meal" of the setting item related to the recipe proposal described above. Alternatively, the time zone in which the user cooks in advance may be input from the terminal device 300 or the like. If the condition for proposing the recipe is not satisfied, the process of step S31 is repeated while waiting. Then, when the condition for proposing the recipe is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S32.

In step S32, the recipe proposal unit 402 determines the type of ingredients to be used according to the recipe policy selected by the recipe policy selection unit 306. In the following step S33, the recipe proposal unit 402 searches the database under the search condition that the ingredients determined in step S32 are used. After step S33, the process proceeds to step S34.

In step S34, the recipe proposal unit 402 sets the amount of cooking, that is, the type and amount of ingredients to be used, according to the contents such as the number of people and preferences set in the recipe proposal setting unit 307 in the recipe obtained by the search in step S33. To complete the proposed recipe. In the following step S35, the proposed recipe finally completed in step S34 is transmitted from the server device 400 to the terminal device 300, and the recipe display control unit 304 causes the terminal display unit 310 to display the information of the proposed recipe. When the process of step S35 is completed, the series of operations is completed.

Next, FIG. 15 shows an example of an ordering operation of insufficient foodstuffs in the server device 400 of the foodstuff management system. First, in step S41, the deficient food ordering unit 403 determines whether or not there is a deficient food in the currently stored food with respect to the food used in the proposed recipe. If there are no missing ingredients, the series of operations ends. If there is a shortage of food, the process proceeds to step S42.

In step S42, the shortage food ordering unit 403 determines whether or not the ordering of the foodstuff is permitted. The shortage food ordering unit 403 determines that the ordering of foodstuffs is permitted if "automatic ordering" is set as the foodstuff ordering policy. Further, the shortage food ordering unit 403 determines that the ordering of foodstuffs is not permitted if "no ordering" is set as the foodstuff ordering policy. Then, when "permitted ordering" is set as the foodstuff ordering policy, if the user performs an operation of permitting the ordering, the insufficient foodstuff ordering unit 403 determines that the ordering of the foodstuff is permitted.

If the ordering of ingredients is not permitted in step S42, the series of operations ends. On the other hand, if the ordering of the food material is permitted, the process proceeds to step S43, and the shortage food material ordering unit 403 places an order with the retailer or the like. When the process of step S43 is completed, the series of operations is completed.

Even in the food material management system configured as described above, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, it is possible to propose a recipe according to the current storage status of the foodstuff grasped by the foodstuff management system, and it is possible to effectively support the cooking activity of the user.

1 Insulated box 2 Compressor 4 Blower fan 6 Operation panel 6a Operation unit 6b Display unit 6c Speaker 7 Refrigerator room door 7a Right door 7b Left door 8 Control device 8a Processor 8b Memory 10 Refrigerator room 11 Refrigerator room shelf board 12 Shelf board support Part 13 Door pocket 14 Chilled room 15 Chilled case 20 Switching room 30 Ice making room 40 Freezing room 50 Vegetable room 61 Thermista 62 Door open / close detection switch 81 RFID reader 82 Camera 83 Weight sensor 100 Refrigerator 101 Door open / close detection unit 102 Food identification unit 103 Food information acquisition unit 104 Storage location determination unit 105 Storage food information update unit 106 Inventory list storage unit 107 Consumption list storage unit 108 Recommended storage location storage unit 109 Storage location comparison unit 110 Number of entry / exit counting unit 111 Consumption amount estimation unit 120 Camera control unit 130 Notification control unit 140 Communication device 200 RFID tag 201 Communication antenna 202 Production date and time information storage unit 203 Type information storage unit 204 Store information storage unit 205 Producer information storage unit 206 Deadline information storage unit 300 Terminal device 301 Terminal communication unit 302 Stock List display control unit 303 Consumption list display control unit 304 Recipe display control unit 305 Recipe evaluation unit 306 Recipe policy selection unit 307 Recipe proposal setting unit 310 Terminal display unit 311 Terminal operation unit 400 Server device 401 Server communication unit 402 Recipe proposal unit 403 Insufficient Food ordering department 404 Replenishment time estimation department 500 Communication network

Claims (14)

Ingredient information acquisition means for acquiring information on the current position and type of ingredients,
A storage location determination means for determining the current storage location where the foodstuff is currently stored based on the food material information acquired by the food ingredient information acquisition means is provided.
The storage location determination means is a foodstuff management system capable of determining the current storage location by distinguishing at least two or more storage chambers for storing the foodstuffs formed in the refrigerator. The food material information acquisition means has a reading means for reading information recorded on an information recording medium attached to the food material and recording information about the type of the food material in advance via an electromagnetic wave, and the reading means receives the electromagnetic wave. The foodstuff management system according to claim 1, wherein the strength is acquired as information on the current position of the foodstuff. The foodstuff according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the foodstuff information acquisition means has a camera that captures an image of the storage room, and acquires information on the current position and type of the foodstuff from the image taken by the camera. Management system. The foodstuff information acquisition means further obtains information on the deadline of the foodstuff, and
The foodstuff management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a notification means for notifying based on information on the deadline of the foodstuff acquired by the foodstuff information acquisition means. The food material information acquisition means has a weight sensor provided in a predetermined specific storage location where a predetermined specific type of food material is stored, and the weight sensor detects a weight within a predetermined range. The food material management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the specific storage location and the specific type are acquired as information on the current position and type of the food material. The foodstuff management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the storage location determination means can determine a storage location outside the refrigerator as a current storage location. Recommended storage location storage means that stores recommended storage locations suitable for each type of food in advance,
A storage location comparison means for comparing the current storage location of the food material determined by the storage location determining means with the recommended storage location suitable for the type of the food material stored in the recommended storage location storage means.
The foodstuff management according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a notification means for notifying when the current storage location and the recommended storage location compared by the storage location comparison means are different. system. Based on the information on the foodstuffs acquired by the foodstuff information acquisition means, the foodstuffs of the same type are counted in and out of the current storage place determined by the storage place determination means.
Any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a consumption estimation means for estimating the consumption amount of the foodstuff of the same type based on the number of times of the foodstuffs of the same type counted by the number of times of entry / exit counting means. Ingredient management system described in item 1. The foodstuff management system according to claim 8, further comprising a consumption amount information transmitting means for transmitting information on the consumption amount of the foodstuff estimated by the consumption amount estimating means to the outside. Based on the food material information acquired by the food material information acquisition means, the stored food information updating means for updating the stored food information regarding the type and amount of the food currently stored, and the stored food information updating means.
The stored food information storage means for storing the stored food information updated by the stored food information updating means, and the stored food information storage means.
The foodstuff management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a recipe proposing means for proposing a recipe with reference to the stored food material information stored by the stored food material information storage means. Further equipped with a recipe policy selection means that can be selected by the user from a plurality of preset recipe policies,
The foodstuff management system according to claim 10, wherein the recipe proposal means proposes a recipe according to a recipe policy selected by the recipe policy selection means. Further provided with a user information input means capable of inputting one or both of the user's family structure and preference,
The recipe proposing means changes one or both of the types and amounts of ingredients used in the proposed recipe according to one or both of the user's family composition and preferences input by the user information input means. Item 10. The foodstuff management system according to claim 11. Further provided with a replenishment time estimation means for estimating the replenishment time for each type of food material based on the update time and the update content of the stored food material information by the stored food material information updating means.
The recipe proposing means changes one or both of the type and amount of the food material used in the proposed recipe according to the replenishment time for each type of food material estimated by the replenishment time estimating means. The foodstuff management system according to any one of 12. The type and amount of the currently stored food material specified from the stored food material information stored by the stored food material information storage means is insufficient for the type and amount of the food material used in the recipe proposed by the recipe proposing means. The foodstuff management system according to any one of claims 10 to 13, further comprising a means for transmitting information on insufficient foodstuffs, which obtains the type and amount of foodstuffs to be used and transmits information on the insufficient foodstuffs to the outside.

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