JP2022148248A - Food loss prevention system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a food loss prevention system capable of eliminating food loss.SOLUTION: In a food loss prevention system, an information processing device 50 includes: a control part 53 including a meal amount measurement part 53a for automatically measuring a meal amount, a classification part 53b for setting meal classification on the basis of measurement data, an association part 53c for associating the measured meal amount with other information related to the meal amount, an analysis part 53d for acquiring a recommended meal amount on the basis of the meal amount, a determination part 53e for identifying a user from user authentication information in meal information, and an output control part 53f; and a storage part 54 for storing the meal information by associating the user authentication information, with the meal amount of the user and with its measurement timing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present disclosure relates to a system for adjusting meal portions to prevent food loss.

Food loss (food loss), in which food and meals that are originally edible are discarded, has become a problem. In food loss, there is a problem that resources and energy are required to dispose of a large amount of waste food, and a large amount of carbon dioxide is emitted when incinerating. Here, one of the causes of food loss is leftover food due to the large amount of food provided.

By the way, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is known as a system related to meals. Patent Document 1 acquires a user's meal history and provides menu information recommended to the user based on the meal history.

In addition to Patent Document 1, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 is also known as a system related to meals. Patent Literature 2 uses an electronic scale that electrically measures the weight of a meal to determine the dietary intake of a person to be managed, and calculates the excess or deficiency of the dietary intake.

JP 2020-181491 A JP-A-11-161728

However, although Patent Literature 1 provides information on meal menus suitable for individual users, it does not at all have the point of view of eliminating meal and food waste and food loss. The inventor of the present invention has developed a technique that can eliminate food loss from the viewpoint of suppressing leftover meals.

Moreover, in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that not only does it take time to put food on an electronic scale in order to determine the amount of food intake, but it is also necessary to secure a space for installing the electronic scale. Furthermore, even in Cited Document 2, there is no viewpoint of eliminating food loss.

The present disclosure has been made in view of this point, and an object thereof is to provide a food loss prevention system capable of eliminating food loss. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a food loss prevention system that can easily measure the amount of meals and eliminates the need to secure a space for measurement.

A food loss prevention system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that automatically measures a meal amount, and an analysis unit that obtains a recommended meal amount based on the meal amount.

A food loss prevention system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires an image, and an analysis unit that obtains a recommended meal amount based on the meal amount obtained from the image.

According to the present disclosure, the meal amount can be automatically acquired and analyzed, and the recommended meal amount can be provided. Therefore, it is possible to prevent food loss by suppressing leftovers while avoiding a feeling of insufficient meal amount. becomes possible. In addition, since the amount of meal is automatically measured via the acquisition unit, the amount of meal can be easily acquired. Furthermore, by measuring the amount of meals by image acquisition, it is possible to eliminate the need to secure a space for measurement as in the case of conventional electronic scales.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows an example of schematic structure of the food-loss prevention system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the measuring device which concerns on embodiment. It is an explanatory view which illustrated the measuring device concerning an embodiment. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams illustrating another measuring device according to the embodiment. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal device according to an embodiment; FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the environment value detection device according to the embodiment; FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an output device according to an embodiment; FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a control unit in the information processing apparatus; It is a figure which shows an example of the meal information processed with the information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of recommended meal amount processing of the system according to the embodiment. 2 is a diagram exemplifying a hardware configuration of an information device for realizing each device that constitutes the food loss prevention system; FIG.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a food loss prevention system according to an embodiment. A system (food loss prevention system) 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a food loss prevention system that can measure and analyze the amount of meals eaten by a user, determine the amount of meals recommended to prevent leftovers, and notify (output) the amount. . First, the configuration of system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

The system 100 includes a measuring device 10 for automatically measuring a meal amount (meal portion), and information such as data, signals, commands, etc. acquired by the measuring device 10 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "information"). and an information processing device 50 for processing. The system 100 may also include a user terminal device (terminal device) 20 carried by the user and an environmental value detection device 30 installed outdoors or indoors. Furthermore, the system 100 preferably has an output device 40 for outputting information processed by the information processing device 50 .

Each device constituting the system 100 is communicably connected via a network 60 . Communication between each device may be performed via another device (not shown). Communication between each device may also take place directly in an ad-hoc communication mode. Here, the communication may be wireless communication or wired communication. Alternatively, a combination of wireless communication and wired communication may be used.

In the system 100 , the information measured by the measuring device 10 is stored and accumulated in the information processing device 50 . Information acquired by the user terminal device 20 and the environment value detection device 30 may be stored and accumulated in the information processing device 50 . The information processing device 50 analyzes the recommended meal amount recommended to the user from the accumulated information and transmits it to the output device 40 . The output device 40 outputs the recommended meal amount transmitted from the information processing device 50 .

The measuring device 10 in FIG. 1 is an example, and is not limited to the illustrated configuration. Also, the number of users is not limited to one, and may be many, and the number of user terminals 20 may be increased accordingly. Furthermore, FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which one environment value detection device 30 and one output device 40 are provided, but a plurality of devices may be installed.

Next, the configuration of system 100 will be described in further detail. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the measuring device according to the embodiment;

[Measuring device 10]
As shown in FIG. 2, the measuring device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires information for automatically measuring the amount of food eaten, and a communication unit 12 that transmits the information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 to the information processing device 50 or the like. , and a control unit 13 that controls each unit of the measuring device 10 .

The acquisition unit 11 measures various masses and weights and acquires information used for such measurements. For example, the acquisition unit 11 measures the mass of a meal as the meal amount. The acquisition unit 11 may be used to acquire meal information including meal amounts.

In the present embodiment, in addition to the meal amount, the meal information includes, for example, the user's recognition information, the identification information of the measuring device 10, the date and time when the meal amount was measured, the meal classification (staple food as a food category, main dish, main dish). vegetables, side dishes, water) can be exemplified. The meal information may include information about the user's physical condition and environment, which will be described later, as well as the user's degree of fullness with respect to meals. The exemplified information included in the meal information may be appropriately associated with each other.

For example, the acquisition unit 11 may use a mass sensor that measures the meal amount (meal mass) as measurement data. Also, the acquisition unit 11 may be, for example, an imaging device. If the acquisition unit 11 is an image capturing device, for example, the amount of food can be measured by capturing a part or all of a meal with the image capturing device and analyzing the image that becomes the measurement data acquired by the image capturing. . The acquisition unit 11 may associate identification information of the measuring device 10 with the acquired measurement data.

When measuring the mass of a meal, the acquisition unit 11 automatically acquires (measures) and outputs the mass without the user performing an action to quantify the mass of the meal, such as placing the meal on a scale for mass measurement. , realization means other than the exemplified means may be used. Further, when acquiring an image for measuring the amount of food eaten, the acquisition unit 11 may be implemented by means other than the exemplified means as long as there is no need to secure a dedicated installation space for image acquisition.

The communication unit 12 is a communication interface and is connected to the network 60 under the control of the control unit 13 to transmit information to the information processing device 50 . The communication unit 12 may enable each device included in the system 100 to transmit and receive information.

The control unit 13 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU) and the like, and controls the entire measurement device 10 through control of each unit. The control unit 13 may control the acquisition start timing of the information by the acquisition unit 11 and the like. In addition, the control unit 13 controls the communication unit 12 so as to appropriately transmit information such as the meal amount and meal information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 to the information processing device 50 .

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the measuring device according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the measuring device 10A may be provided on the bottom of each of the tablewares 201, or may be provided on the bottom of the tray 202 on which the tablewares 201 are arranged. The measuring device 10A can measure the masses of the meals F1 to F4 accommodated (including when placed) in the tableware 201 and the tray 202 with the mass sensor. In other words, the acquisition unit 11 of the measuring device 10A is configured by a mass sensor, and outputs the masses of the meals F1 to F4 as measurement data.

In the measurement device 10A of the tray 202, for example, the acquisition units 11 are distributed at a plurality of locations (three locations in FIG. 3) on the bottom of the tray 202. FIG. Although measuring device 10A is provided in both tableware 201 and tray 202 in FIG. 3, measuring device 10A may be omitted from either one.

Under the control of the control unit 13, the acquisition unit 11 in the measuring device 10A measures the mass of the meals F1 to F4 accommodated in the tableware 201 and the tray 202 before eating. Under the control of the control unit 13, the measuring device 10A may also measure the mass of the meals F1 to F4 remaining on the tableware 201 and the tray 202 after eating. When the masses of the meals F1 to F4 after the meal are measured, the meal amount may be obtained by subtracting the masses before and after the meal.

The measuring device 10A is preferably provided detachably with respect to the tableware 201 and the tray 202, so that maintenance and cleaning of the tableware 201 and the tray 202 can be facilitated. The measuring device 10A may incorporate a battery as a power supply, and may also incorporate a mechanism for generating electricity by piezoelectric element, triboelectrification, or electrostatic induction.

Further, FIG. 3 illustrates the use of an information device such as a smart phone having a photographing function and a communication function as another measuring device 10B. The measuring device 10B is not particularly limited, but is configured by, for example, information equipment such as a personal computer (PC), mobile PC, tablet terminal, smart phone, mobile phone, and digital camera.

In the measurement device 10B, an acquisition unit 11 is configured by a camera (imaging device) having an imaging function. Therefore, the acquisition unit 11 of the measuring device 10B outputs images of the meals F1 to F4 as measurement data. When images of meals F1 to F4 are used as measurement data, the amount of meals may be obtained by analyzing such images with an application executed by the measuring device 10B or the information processing device 50. FIG.

The tray 202 may have markers 203 of predetermined size. By analyzing the images of the meals F1 to F4 photographed together with the markers 203, the sizes of the meals F1 to F4 may be determined by comparison with the markers 203, and the meal amounts of the meals F1 to F4 may be obtained. Both the measuring device 10A and the measuring device 10B in FIG. 3 may be used at the same time, or one of them may be used.

4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams illustrating another measuring device according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4A, the measuring device 10C is installed on the floor at the entrance 211 of the building 210, and may be configured to measure the weight of a user (person) who passes through the entrance 211 to enter and leave the room. In other words, the acquisition unit 11 of the measuring device 10C is configured by a weight sensor, and outputs the weight of the user as measurement data.

The building 210 may be a place to eat, and may be either an indoor facility or an outdoor facility. For example, the building 210 may be a restaurant serving meals, a dining room, a hospital, a nursing home, or a residence.

Under the control of the control unit 13, the acquisition unit 11 in the measuring device 10C acquires both the timing of passing through the entrance 211 before eating and entering the building 210 and the timing of passing through the entrance 211 and leaving the building 210 after eating. to measure the user's weight. Then, the user's meal amount can be obtained by subtracting the body weight before and after the meal.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the measuring device 10D is installed on the seat surface of the chair 220, and the configuration for measuring the weight of the user (person) seated on the seat surface can be exemplified. In other words, the acquisition unit 11 of the measuring device 10D is configured by a weight sensor, and outputs the weight of the user as measurement data.

Under the control of the control unit 13, the acquisition unit 11 in the measuring device 10D measures the body weight at both the timing of sitting on the chair 220 before eating and the timing of standing up from the chair 220 after eating. Then, the user's meal amount can be obtained by subtracting the body weight before and after the meal.

[User terminal device 20]
5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal device according to an embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 5A, the user terminal device 20 has an acquisition unit 21, a communication unit 22, and a control unit . Further, the user terminal device 20 may be configured to further include a user identification unit 24 and a satiety level input unit 25 . The user terminal device 20 is not particularly limited, but is configured by, for example, an information device such as a mobile PC, a tablet terminal, a smart phone, or a mobile phone, and includes various sensors to be described later.

The acquisition unit 21 of the user terminal device 20 acquires information about the physical condition of the user. Examples of physical condition information include blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, amount of activity (distance traveled), number of steps, and other vital data. Therefore, the acquisition unit 21 can be configured by a blood pressure sensor, a temperature (body temperature) sensor, a heart rate sensor, an acceleration sensor, an inclination sensor, an electrodermal activity sensor, and the like.

The communication unit 22 of the user terminal device 20 is a communication interface. The communication unit 22 connects to the network 60 under the control of the control unit 23 and transmits information to the information processing device 50 . The communication unit 22 may be capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from each device included in the system 100 . The control unit 23 of the user terminal device 20 is composed of a CPU, a programmable device, or the like, and controls the entire user terminal device 20 through control of each unit. The control unit 23 may control the acquisition start timing, acquisition interval, and the like of the information by the acquisition unit 21 . In addition, the control unit 23 controls the communication unit 22 to appropriately transmit information such as blood pressure and body temperature acquired by the acquisition unit 21 to the information processing device 50 .

The user identification unit 24 outputs recognition information for identifying the user who owns the user terminal device 20 . For example, the user identification unit 24 may transmit the recognition information to the information processing device 50 via the communication unit 22 in accordance with the timing according to the measurement by the measurement device 10 or the user's predetermined operation.

The satiety level input unit 25 receives the amount of food eaten and inputs the satiety level after the meal, which is measured by the user who owns the device. The satiety level can be exemplified by a user's evaluation that ranks how large or small the portion of one meal is, or by a user's evaluation as a score or percentage. The satiety level input unit 25 may transmit the satiety level input by the user to the information processing device 50 via the communication unit 22 .

The user terminal device 20 may be included in the same information equipment as the measuring device 10B (see FIG. 3) having a camera to function. Further, in the user terminal device 20, the user identification unit 24 and the satiety level input unit 25 may be separately provided in a configuration, device, or information device different from other functional units. For example, the user identification unit 24 may be a card or a smartphone on which an ID code is displayed, and the ID code is read by a predetermined reading device, and recognition information is transmitted and stored in the information processing device 50. good too.

[Environment value detection device 30]
5B is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the environment value detection device according to the embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B , the environment value detection device 30 has an acquisition unit 31 , a communication unit 32 and a control unit 33 . The acquisition unit 31 acquires information about the environment such as the weather and external factors for the user. Examples of environmental information include temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind volume, rainfall, and other weather data. Therefore, the acquisition unit 31 can be configured by a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a wind sensor, a rainfall sensor, and the like. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 31 may connect to the Internet through the communication unit 32 and the network 60 and acquire information about the environment from a site that provides information about the environment.

The communication unit 32 of the environment value detection device 30 is a communication interface, connects to the network 60 under the control of the control unit 33 , and transmits information to the information processing device 50 . The communication unit 32 may enable each device included in the system 100 to transmit and receive information. The control unit 33 of the environment value detection device 30 is composed of a CPU, a programmable device, or the like, and controls the entire environment value detection device 30 through control of each unit. The control unit 33 may control the acquisition start timing, acquisition interval, and the like of the information by the acquisition unit 31 . Further, the control unit 33 controls the communication unit 32 so as to appropriately transmit the information such as temperature and humidity acquired by the acquisition unit 31 to the information processing device 50 .

[Output device 40]
5C is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an output device according to an embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 5C , the output device 40 has a communication section 42 , an output section 44 and a control section 43 . The output device 40 is a device that outputs and notifies information to the provider (person) of the meal. The output device 40 is, but not limited to, an information device such as a personal computer (PC), mobile PC, tablet terminal, smart phone, or mobile phone.

The communication unit 42 of the output device 40 is a communication interface, connects to the network 60 under the control of the control unit 43 , and receives information from the information processing device 50 . The communication unit 42 may enable each device included in the system 100 to transmit and receive information.

As long as the output unit 44 can output information to the meal provider, the information may be presented visually or audibly. The output unit 44 may be, for example, an AR glass or a display device having a display, and may display information so that the meal provider can grasp the information. The output unit 44 may, for example, print and output on a predetermined sheet via a printer. The output unit 44 may be, for example, an audio output device equipped with a speaker, and may output audio, ringing sound, or the like so that the food provider can grasp the information. When the communication unit 42 receives information such as the recommended meal amount from the information processing device 50, the output unit 44 outputs the information to convey the information to the meal provider.

A control unit 43 of the output device 40 is composed of a CPU, a programmable device, or the like, and controls the entire output device 40 through control of each unit. The control unit 43 preferably controls the output unit 44 to appropriately output the information from the information processing device 50 received via the communication unit 42 . The control unit 43 may control display of information, audio output, etc. by the output unit 44 .

[Information processing device 50]
The information processing device 50 is a device that performs processing for obtaining a recommended meal amount for a user based on meal information. The information processing device 50 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a server computer (tower server, rack-mount server, blade server), personal computer (desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer). good. Further, the information processing device 50 may be other information devices such as a smart phone, a mobile phone, a digital camera, etc., as long as it has sufficient processing power to obtain the recommended meal amount.

6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, the information processing device 50 includes a communication section 52, a storage section 54, and a control section 53. As shown in FIG.

The communication unit 52 is a communication interface, is connected to the network 60 according to a command from the control unit 53, receives information from the measurement device 10, the user terminal device 20, and the environment value detection device 30, and transmits the information to the output device 40. Send. The communication unit 52 may allow each device included in the system 100 to transmit and receive information.

The storage unit 54 stores the associated meal information (see FIG. 4) transmitted from the measurement device 10, the user terminal device 20, and the environmental value detection device 30, the recommended meal amount obtained by the information processing device 50, and the like. . The storage unit 54 also stores programs for the control unit 53 to perform various calculations and controls, programs for functioning as applications, data, and the like. The storage unit 54 stores information that influences the amount of meals, such as the user's age, height, weight, etc., associated with the user's recognition information.

The control unit 53 is configured by a CPU, a programmable device, or the like, and controls the entire information processing apparatus 50 through control of each unit. Under the control of the control unit 53, the information processing device 50 receives information transmitted from the measuring device 10 or the like via the communication unit 52, analyzes the received information, and performs processing for obtaining a recommended meal amount. conduct. In addition, under the control of the control unit 53, the information processing device 50 stores the obtained recommended meal amount in the storage unit 54, and transmits the recommended meal amount stored in the storage unit 54 to the output device 40 through the communication unit 52. .

[Control unit 53 of information processing device 50]
FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a control unit in the information processing apparatus; As shown in FIG. 6B, the control unit 53 of the information processing device 50 functions as a meal amount measurement unit 53a, a classification unit 53b, an association unit 53c, an analysis unit 53d, a determination unit 53e, and an output control unit 53f. These functional blocks are realized by the control unit 53 executing a program for obtaining the recommended meal amount stored in the storage unit 54 . Note that the control unit 53 shown in FIG. 6B may include other functional blocks in addition to the functional blocks described above.

The meal amount measurement unit 53 a measures the meal amount based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 of the measuring device 10 .

For example, in the case of the measuring device 10A (see FIG. 3) provided in the tableware 201 and the tray 202, the meal amount measurement unit 53a stores the tableware 201 stored in advance from the mass data (measurement data) acquired by the acquisition unit 11 serving as a mass sensor. or the weight of the tray 202 may be subtracted to measure the meal amount. If the acquisition unit 11 can acquire the mass data from which the mass of the tableware 201 and the tray 202 is subtracted, the meal amount measurement unit 53a can use the mass data as the meal amount. Further, for example, when the measuring device 10A provided on the tableware 201 or the tray 202 acquires the mass data before and after a meal, the meal amount is measured by subtracting the post-meal mass data from the pre-meal mass data. At this time, the meal amount measuring unit 53a can measure the mass data after the meal as the meal remaining amount.

Further, for example, when the measuring device 10B (see FIG. 3) having the acquisition unit 11 as a camera is used, the meal amount measurement unit 53a analyzes images (measurement data) of the meals F1 to F4 taken to measure the meal amount. You may Such image analysis can be exemplified by using AI (artificial intelligence). The meal amount measurement unit 53a analyzes the images of the meals F1 to F4 photographed together with the markers 203, determines the sizes of the meals F1 to F4 by comparison with the markers 203, and measures the meal amounts of the meals F1 to F4. may Further, the meal amount measurement unit 53a may analyze the type of meal from the photographed image and multiply the food amount by a different coefficient for each type to measure the meal amount. For example, the meal amount may be corrected according to nutrition (calorie, amount of carbohydrates, amount of fat, etc.) per unit amount. In other words, even if the image analysis shows that "lettuce" and "rice" are the same 100g, they may be multiplied by different coefficients to obtain different meal amounts.

Further, for example, in the case of the measuring device 10C (see FIG. 4A) installed at the entrance 211 of the building 210 and in the case of the measuring device 10D (see FIG. 4A) installed in the chair 220, the meal amount measuring unit 53a , to obtain weight data (measurement data) before and after meals. Then, the meal amount measuring unit 53a subtracts the weight data before the meal from the weight data after the meal to measure the meal amount.

The meal amount measurement unit 53 a may store the measured meal amount in the storage unit 54 and store the ID information included in the measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 in the measurement device 10 as the identification information of the measurement device 10 . In addition, the meal amount measurement unit 53a may acquire the number of times the meal amount is stored in the storage unit 54 for each user as the number of measurements of the meal amount of the user, and may control the storage unit 54 to store it.

The classification unit 53b sets the classification of meals based on the measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 of the measuring device 10. FIG. For example, the classification unit 53b divides the meal amounts into multiple types by adding classification information based on the measurement data obtained by the acquisition unit 11 . Examples of the classification information given by the classification unit 53b include staple food, main dish, side dish, and water (soup), and the set classification is included in the meal information.

The classifying unit 53b may classify the amount of meal according to the food category or the like from the identification information of the measuring device 10 obtained by the acquiring unit 11 . For example, when the measuring device 10 is provided for a tableware dedicated to rice, the classification unit 53b gives the classification information of “staple food” based on the identification information of the measuring device 10 . Further, for example, the image acquired by the acquisition unit 11 may be analyzed by the classification unit 53b and the meal classification information may be added. Such image analysis can be exemplified by using AI (artificial intelligence). For example, if there is an image of rice, the classification information of "staple food" is added.

The association unit 53c associates the meal amount measured by the meal amount measurement unit 53a with other information related to the meal amount. The association unit 53c preferably associates the classification set by the classification unit 53b with the meal amount measured by the meal amount measurement unit 53a. The associating unit 53c may further associate each piece of information constituting the meal information transmitted from the user terminal device 20 and the environmental value detection device 30 with the associated information to generate meal information. .

The association unit 53c can function as a current time acquisition unit, and acquires a time stamp of the current time from a hardware clock such as a CMOS clock of the computer, a radio clock, a GPS (Global Positioning System), or the like. The associating unit 53c preferably associates the time stamp with the amount of food acquired at or near the time of the time stamp and the meal information including the amount of food. Therefore, the association unit 53c can generate meal information in which the amount of meal is associated with the time stamp as the measurement timing of the amount of meal. Then, the associating unit 53c controls the storage unit 54 to store the associated meal information including the time stamp.

The associating unit 53c preferably performs control so as to store in the storage unit 54 the associated meal information including the number of meal amount measurements acquired by the meal amount measuring unit 53a. The association unit 53c preferably controls the storage unit 54 to store the associated meal information including the recognition information for identifying the user output by the user identification unit 24 . The associating unit 53c preferably performs control to store the associated meal information including the satiety degree by the satiety degree input unit 25 in the storage unit 54 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of meal information processed by the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. Information D1 illustrated in FIG. 7 is information stored in the storage unit 54 of the information processing device 50 . The information D1 includes a field F11 for storing user recognition information, a field F12 for storing a time stamp, a field F13 for storing the number of measurements of food intake, a field F14 for storing food intake, and a field F14 for storing body temperature. field F15 for storing the temperature, field F16 for storing the temperature, field F17 for storing the degree of fullness, and field F18 for storing the remaining amount of food. The field F14 for storing the meal amount is classified according to the classification information. It has a field F14d that stores the amount of soup (water) eaten, and a field F14e that stores the total amount of meals of the fields F14a to F14d. The information D1 includes user recognition information, a time stamp, the number of times the meal amount was measured, the meal amount and its classification information, the body temperature, the air temperature, the degree of fullness, and the amount of food remaining, which are associated with each other. Information.

In the example of FIG. 7, in the field F11, some records R11 to R14 whose recognition information is "User001" and one record R21 whose recognition information is "User002" are illustrated. The information D1 is associated with a plurality of records as time-series data for each user, and can be used as meal history information. In the field F15, other information about the user's physical condition may be added or changed, and in the field F16, other information about the environment may be added or changed. Also, as long as the processing for obtaining the recommended meal amount can be performed, part of the information in each record may be omitted, or part of each field may be omitted.

The analysis unit 53d obtains the recommended meal amount based on the meal amount obtained as described above. In addition to the meal amount, the analysis unit 53d preferably obtains the recommended meal amount based on at least one piece of information included in the meal information. The recommended meal amount is set to the amount of the meal that does not leave the user with leftovers or that can be reduced as much as possible to prevent food loss as described above. Also, the recommended meal amount is preferably the amount of meal that does not make the user feel unsatisfied.

Returning to FIG. 6B, the analysis unit 53d employs various analysis, analysis, and processing methods as long as it can analyze the meal information and obtain the recommended meal amount. For example, the analysis unit 53d calculates the average value of the meal amount per meal (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "average value") based on the user's past meal amounts that have already been stored in the storage unit 54. You can also ask for the recommended serving size. At this time, the analysis unit 53d calculates the average value for each meal timing (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.) based on the time stamp associated with the meal amount, and calculates the recommended meal amount for each meal timing. may be asked for. For example, the analysis unit 53d may obtain the recommended meal amount for "dinner" by averaging a plurality of meal amounts measured during a common time period from 17:00 to 22:00 on different dates.

Further, the analysis unit 53d may calculate the recommended meal amount by calculating the average value for each category information based on the category information associated with the meal amount, for example. The analysis unit 53d classifies recommended meal amounts into 200 g for "staple food", 150 g for "main dish", 150 g for "side dish", 400 g for "soup (water)", 900 g for "total amount", and so on. can be exemplified. In addition, the analysis unit 53d may use ranking analysis results instead of weight as the recommended meal amount, such as "large serving", "normal serving", and "light serving".

The analysis unit 53d can function as a physical condition information adjusting unit, and may adjust the recommended meal amount obtained as described above based on the information regarding physical condition. For example, the analysis unit 53d may be based on the blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, amount of activity (movement distance), number of steps, and other vital data acquired by the acquisition unit 21 of the user terminal device 20 and stored in the storage unit 54. adjust to increase or decrease the amount of food recommended. Taking body temperature as an example of physical condition information, the relationship between food intake that increases or decreases according to body temperature is obtained using a map, a relational expression, or the like. Then, the body temperature is input to the relational expression or the like to obtain the increase/decrease in meal amount, coefficient, etc. for adjusting the recommended meal amount, and the recommended meal amount is adjusted by calculation using the increase/decrease amount, coefficient, or the like. It should be noted that the recommended meal amount may be adjusted by changing to other information other than body temperature, such as blood pressure and heart rate, or by adding other information as the information related to the physical condition. Then, the recommended meal amount may be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the meal amount from the average value based on the physical condition.

The analysis unit 53d can function as an environment information adjustment unit, and may adjust the recommended meal amount obtained as described above based on information regarding the environment (including the weather). For example, the analysis unit 53d calculates the recommended meal amount based on the temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind volume, amount of precipitation, and other weather data acquired by the acquisition unit 31 of the environmental value detection device 30 and stored in the storage unit 54. Adjust to increase or decrease. Taking temperature as an example of environmental information, the relationship between food intake that increases or decreases according to temperature is obtained using a map, a relational expression, or the like. Then, by inputting the temperature into such a relational expression, etc., the increase/decrease in meal amount, coefficient, etc. for adjusting the recommended meal amount may be obtained, and the recommended meal amount may be adjusted by calculation using the increase/decrease amount, coefficient, or the like. It should be noted that the recommended meal amount may be adjusted by changing to other information other than the temperature, such as humidity and atmospheric pressure, or by adding other information as the environment-related information.

The analysis unit 53d can function as a satiety degree adjustment unit, and may obtain the recommended meal amount obtained as described above by adjusting it based on the satiety degree input by the user according to the meal. For example, the analysis unit 53d adjusts the recommended meal amount based on the satiety level input by the satiety level input unit 25 so as to increase or decrease. The relationship between the meal amount that increases or decreases according to the degree of satiety is obtained from a map, a relational expression, or the like, and the analysis unit 53d inputs the degree of satiety into the relational expression, etc., and determines the increase or decrease in meals for adjusting the recommended meal amount. It is preferable to obtain the amount, coefficient, etc., and adjust the recommended meal amount by calculation using the increase/decrease amount, coefficient, etc.

The analysis unit 53d may obtain the recommended meal amount by multivariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, multiple regression analysis is performed using the recommended meal amount as the objective variable and the meal amount in the meal information as well as body temperature, temperature, and satiety as explanatory variables. An estimation formula (multiple regression formula) for the recommended amount of food is created by the multiple regression analysis, and the analysis unit 53d inputs the food amount, body temperature, temperature, and satiety level into the estimation formula to obtain the recommended food amount. Good. As long as the explanatory variable is an influencing factor that influences the amount of food consumed, it may include other dietary information in the information on the physical condition and the information on the environment, or the influencing factors other than the amount of food consumed may be omitted.

Even when obtaining the recommended meal amount by multivariate analysis, the analysis unit 53d can adjust the recommended meal amount based on the information on the physical condition of the user, the information on the environment, and the user's satiety level according to the meal.

The determination unit 53e refers to the self-data of the user (first user) and determines whether or not to refer to the meal information of the user. The determination unit 53e may compare the number of measurements of the meal amount for each user acquired by the meal amount measurement unit 53a with a predetermined threshold as self data. The threshold may be, for example, the number of measurements of the minimum amount of meals required to obtain the recommended amount of meals, and may be the number of measurements of the amount of meals in the most recent period, for example. That is, 90 times may be set as the threshold for the number of measurements of food intake for the most recent month.

The determination unit 53e identifies the user from the user's recognition information in the meal information stored in the storage unit 54, for example. If the determination unit 53e determines that the number of measurements of the user's meal amount is greater than the threshold value, the determination unit 53e controls the analysis unit 53d to obtain the recommended meal amount based on the user's meal information. On the other hand, when the determination unit 53e determines that the number of measurements of the user's meal amount is equal to or less than the threshold, the analysis unit 53d is controlled to obtain the recommended meal amount based on the meal information of a user (second user) different from the user. .

For example, in FIG. 7, in the case of the user with the recognition information "User001", the number of times of measurement is "5" after acquiring the record R11. Therefore, when the threshold value in the determination unit 53e is set to "90", it is determined that the number of times of measurement is equal to or less than the threshold value. Therefore, the determination unit 53e identifies other users having information similar to the user of the recognition information “User001” based on the information (weight, age, etc.) that affects the amount of meals of the user accumulated in the storage unit 54. do. Then, when the user with the recognition information "User002" has information similar to the user with the recognition information "User001", the determining unit 53e determines that the number of times of measurement "123" is greater than the threshold "90" in the record R21. After such determination, the determination unit 53e controls the analysis unit 53d to obtain the recommended meal amount based on the user's meal information of the recognition information "User002". The information that affects the amount of food consumed by the user may be height, weight, body fat percentage, sex, age, frequency of meals, place of residence, climate of the place of residence, and the like.

The output control unit 53f controls transmission of recommended meal amounts to the output device 40. FIG. The output control unit 53f enables the data for outputting the recommended meal amount to be displayed according to the type of device of the output device 40 by downloading or via the network 60 via the communication unit 52. FIG. For example, when a reservation is made to a restaurant or the like through a reservation site, the output control unit 53f may control the output device 40 to output the recommended meal amount together with the reservation details to the restaurant.

Next, an example of the flow of obtaining and outputting the recommended meal amount according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the recommended meal amount processing of the system in the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the acquiring unit 11 of the measuring device 10 acquires measurement data in order to measure the meal amount (step (hereinafter referred to as "S") 101). The meal amount measurement unit 53a measures the meal amount based on the measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (S102). The meal amount is automatically measured by performing S101 and S102.

The meal amount measured in S102 is stored in the storage section 54 in association with other meal information in the associating section 53c (S103). For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the information associated with the meal amount includes user recognition information, a time stamp, the number of measurements of the meal amount, classification information for classifying the meal amount, body temperature (information related to physical condition), temperature (environmental information) and satiety level.

Self-data reference for determination unit 53e to determine whether or not to refer to the meal information of the user himself/herself (first user) by identifying the user from the recognition information of the user in the meal information for the meal information associated in S103. A step is performed (S104). If the self-data referred to in the determination of S104 is the number of measurements of the meal amount in the meal information of the user himself/herself, the number of measurements is compared (referenced) with the threshold value stored in the storage unit 54 . As for the threshold value, it is assumed that the number of times of measurement necessary for obtaining the recommended meal amount is stored in advance in the storage unit 54 . The self-data (reference) used for the determination in S104 may be the weight of the user in the past, the place of residence, the climate of the place of residence, and the number of measurements for each season. In this case, the determination unit 53e determines whether the user's weight change from the past, the place of residence, and the climate of the place of residence match those at the time of past measurements, and whether the number of measurements for each season is a certain number or more. do it.

If the number of measurements is greater than the threshold in S104 (S104: Yes), the analysis unit 53d obtains the recommended meal amount based on the user's meal information corresponding to the recognition information (S105), and proceeds to S107. On the other hand, when the number of times of measurement is equal to or less than the threshold in S104 (S104: No), the process proceeds to S106.

In carrying out S105, the analysis unit 53d may also use meal information of a different user (second user) having self-data similar to the self-data of the user himself/herself to correct the recommended meal amount. As an example, it is assumed that the user himself/herself started using the system in July and obtains the recommended meal amount around October when the weather becomes colder. In this situation, the user's own data for the last 90 days exceeds the threshold (90 days), but there is no data for October, so the user's recommended meal amount is calculated using other users' October data. may be asked for.

By performing S106, the analysis unit 53d searches for information about a user (second user) other than the user corresponding to the recognition information, and searches for similar users when obtaining recommended meal amounts from various information such as body weight. Identify. Then, based on the meal information of a user similar to the user himself/herself, a recommended meal amount is obtained, and the process proceeds to S107. After performing S105 or S106, the output control unit 53f transmits the recommended meal amount to the output device 40 via the communication unit 52, and controls the output unit 44 to output the recommended meal amount (S107). The output timing of the recommended meal amount by the output control unit 53f is appropriately adjusted according to the schedule of the meal provider (restaurant, etc.). The meal provider who obtains the recommended meal amount output from the output unit 44 can adjust and provide the portion of the meal according to the recommended meal amount.

It is preferable that both the measurement of the meal amount and the provision of the meal corresponding to the recommended meal amount be performed for meals for each user. It may be omitted. If the measurement of the meal amount is omitted, the steps of S101 to S103 are omitted, and if the provision of meals corresponding to the recommended meal amount is omitted, the flow in which the steps of S104 to S107 are omitted is performed.

With the above configuration, the system 100 of the present embodiment can acquire and measure the meal amount and output the recommended meal amount, so meals can be prepared according to the recommended meal amount. By ingesting such a meal, it is possible to prevent food loss by suppressing leftovers while avoiding a feeling of lack of food. Moreover, in a restaurant or the like, by setting the portion of the meal according to the recommended meal amount, the price can be set according to the portion. For example, if the recommended meal amount is small, the price can be set at half price. As a result, the user, who is the customer, can curb wasteful spending, and the restaurant side can obtain profits by utilizing the material costs without waste. Therefore, both the customer and the restaurant can benefit, and the prevention of food loss can be further promoted.

Furthermore, by providing the measuring device 10 on tableware or the like, the amount of meal can be automatically measured by the acquisition unit 11, and the user or the food provider can eliminate the trouble of placing the tableware or the like on a scale. As a result, it is possible to promote simple and continuous measurement of the meal amount, increase the amount of meal information to be stored, and improve the analysis accuracy of the recommended meal amount.

In addition, by using an imaging device or the like as the acquisition unit 11, it is possible to analyze not only the meal amount but also the classification information from the image acquired by the acquisition unit 11, so that the meal amount can be easily classified. becomes. For example, in addition to the above-described classification such as "staple food", classification such as "lettuce" and "rice" can be performed.

Furthermore, by including the user's recognition information and the time stamp in the meal information analyzed by the analysis unit 53d, it is possible to obtain the recommended meal amounts separately for each meal time period.
As a result, the recommended meal amount can be obtained from meal information for only breakfast, only lunch, or only dinner, and the accuracy of the recommended meal amount can be improved.

In addition, by determining the number of times of measurement by the determining unit 53e, even if the number of times of measurement is small in the initial stage of measuring the amount of food and analyzing the recommended amount of food, it is possible to use the meal information of other users with similar conditions. can be used to obtain good dietary recommendations.

Furthermore, the analysis unit 53d can analyze the information about the satiety level, the physical condition, and the information about the environment input by the user, and obtain the recommended meal amount. Therefore, the accuracy of the recommended meal amount can be further improved. can be done. In this way, by improving the accuracy of the recommended meal amount, it is possible to better prevent food loss.

FIG. 9 is a diagram exemplifying the hardware configuration of an information device for realizing each device that constitutes the food loss prevention system. The information equipment of each device in the system 100 of the above embodiment can be configured by the information equipment 80 shown in FIG. The hardware configuration of the information equipment 80 shown in FIG. 9 includes, for example, a processor 81, a memory 82, a storage device 83, a reading device 84, a communication interface 86, and an input/output interface 87. The processor 81, memory 82, storage device 83, reader 84, communication interface 86, and input/output interface 87 are connected to each other via a bus 88, for example.

The processor 81 may be, for example, a single processor, a multiprocessor, or a multicore. The processor 81 provides some or all of the functions of the control units 23, 43, and 53 described above by executing, for example, a program describing all or part of the procedure of the operation flow described above using the memory 82. The processor 81 reads and executes a program stored in the storage device 83, thereby operating as each functional block of the control units 23, 43, and 53, for example.

The memory 82 is, for example, a semiconductor memory and may include a RAM area and a ROM area. The storage device 83 is, for example, a hard disk, a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, or an external storage device.

The reader 84 accesses the removable storage medium 85 according to instructions from the processor 81, for example. The removable storage medium 85 is implemented by, for example, a semiconductor device, a medium for inputting/outputting information by magnetic action, a medium for inputting/outputting information by optical action, or the like. The semiconductor device is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. A medium for inputting and outputting information by magnetic action is, for example, a magnetic disk. Media for inputting and outputting information by optical action include, for example, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), Blu-ray Disc, etc. (Blu-ray is a registered trademark).

The storage unit 54 described above may include, for example, a memory 82 , a storage device 83 , and a removable storage medium 85 . Communication interface 86 communicates with other devices, for example, according to instructions from processor 81 . For example, the information device 80 may collect measurement results from the acquisition unit 11 via the communication interface 86 . The communication interface 86 is an example of the communication units 22, 42, 52 described above.

The input/output interface 87 is, for example, an interface between an input device and an output device. The input device is, for example, a device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel that receives instructions from the user. The output device is, for example, a display device such as a display and an audio device such as a speaker.

Each program according to the embodiment is provided to the information device 80 in the following form, for example.
(1) Pre-installed in the storage device 83 .
(2) provided by a removable storage medium 85;
(3) provided by a server such as a program server;

Note that the hardware configuration of the information device 80 for realizing each device constituting the food loss prevention system described with reference to FIG. 9 is an example, and the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, some of the configurations described above may be deleted, and new configurations may be added. In another embodiment, for example, some or all of the functions of the control units 23, 43, and 53 described above are FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), SoC (System-on-a-Chip), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and PLD (Programmable Logic Device) may be implemented as hardware.

Several embodiments are described above. However, it should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the above-described embodiments, but encompass various variations and alternatives of the above-described embodiments. For example, it will be appreciated that various embodiments can be embodied with changes in elements without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Also, it will be understood that various embodiments can be implemented by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments described above. Furthermore, various embodiments are implemented by deleting some components from all the components shown in the embodiments or by adding some components to the components shown in the embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art to obtain

For example, the meal information analyzed by the analysis unit 53d may include at least the meal amount acquired via the acquisition unit 11, and other information may be omitted or added as appropriate.

3 and 4, the measuring device 10 may be realized means other than the exemplified means as long as the meal amount can be measured. Furthermore, the measuring device 10 may use only one type of measuring device 10 or multiple types of measuring devices 10 to measure the amount of food consumed by the user over a predetermined period.

Also, the configuration of each device included in the system 100 may be replaced or changed between those devices. For example, the output unit 44 of the output device 40 may be included in the user terminal device 20 or the information processing device 50, and the storage unit 54 may be included in the measurement device 10, the user terminal device 20, or the information processing device 50. good. Furthermore, each functional unit constituting the control unit 53 of the information processing device 50 may function in a control unit of another device constituting the system 100. For example, the meal amount measurement unit 53a and the classification unit 53b The function may be exhibited by the control unit 13 of the measuring device 10 .

Further, the classification information by the classification unit 53b is not limited to the classification described above, and may be classified into a plurality of types according to, for example, meals, dishes, specific gravity of food, and the like.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a system capable of preventing food loss by measuring and analyzing the amount of meals to obtain a recommended amount of meals.

Furthermore, the adjustment of the recommended meal amount by the analysis unit 53d may be performed by adjustments other than the above examples. time), etc., may be adjusted. In addition, the analysis unit 53d may adjust the recommended meal amount based on the remaining meal amount (see field F18 in FIG. 7), which is the leftover amount of the meal. You may adjust to reduce the recommended amount of food. Furthermore, the analysis unit 53d may determine the recommended meal amounts by classifying the meal types and types, and in this case, may perform adjustments such as multiplying different coefficients according to the classes and types. For example, even if “lettuce” and “rice” have the same recommended meal amount of 100 g, they may be multiplied by different coefficients to obtain different recommended meal amounts.

11 acquisition unit 44 output unit 53b classification unit 53d analysis unit 53e determination unit 54 storage unit 100 system (gas detection map generation system)

Claims (11)

an acquisition unit that automatically measures the amount of meals;
a food loss prevention system, comprising: an analysis unit that calculates a recommended meal amount based on the meal amount. a storage unit that associates user recognition information with the meal amount of the user and measurement timing of the meal amount and stores them as meal information;
2. The food loss prevention system according to claim 1, wherein said analysis unit obtains said recommended meal amount based on said user's past meal amount. The storage unit associates the meal information with the number of measurements of the meal amount of the user, and stores the meal information of a second user different from the user,
Further comprising a determination unit that compares the number of measurements with a predetermined threshold,
3. The food loss prevention system according to claim 2, wherein, when said determination unit determines that said number of times of measurement is equal to or less than said threshold, said analysis unit obtains said recommended meal amount based on said second user's meal information. 4. The food loss prevention system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an output unit that outputs said recommended meal amount. Further comprising a classification unit for classifying the meal amount into a plurality of types by adding classification information based on the measurement data obtained by the acquisition unit;
5. The food loss prevention system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said analysis unit obtains said recommended meal amounts separately for each of said classification information. 6. The food loss prevention system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said analysis unit obtains said recommended meal amount based on a satiety level input by said user according to the provided meal. 7. The food loss prevention system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said analysis unit adjusts said recommended meal amount based on information regarding said user's physical condition. 8. The food loss prevention system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said analysis unit adjusts said recommended meal amount based on information about the environment including weather. The acquisition unit further has a function of acquiring an image and obtaining the meal amount from the image,
9. The food loss prevention system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said analysis unit obtains said recommended meal amount based on information including said meal amount obtained from said image. an acquisition unit that acquires an image;
a food loss prevention system, comprising: an analysis unit that calculates a recommended meal amount based on the meal amount obtained from the image. further comprising a classification unit for classifying the meal amount into a plurality of types by adding classification information based on the image acquired by the acquisition unit;
11. The food loss prevention system according to claim 10, wherein said analysis unit obtains said recommended meal amounts separately for each of said classification information.

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