KR100524572B1 - Meal Scale for diet - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a meal amount measuring device that allows a user to measure and know the amount of meals by weight while eating.

The apparatus of the present invention is a load cell for detecting a load and converting it into a corresponding electrical signal, an amplification and filtering unit for amplifying and filtering the output of the load cell, and an analog-digital converter for digitally converting the output of the amplifying and filtering unit. And a control panel for key input, a display panel for displaying meal amount information, a real time clock for providing time information, a memory for storing data, and a predetermined initialization when the power is turned on through the control panel. After processing the data input from the analog-to-digital converter to calculate the weight of the food and display with the time on the display panel, the weight of the first food is stored in the memory, the current at a fixed time interval after the meal start After measuring the weight of food, subtracted from the weight of the original food to calculate the amount of meal to date And a control unit for controlling to display on the display panel.

Description

Meal Scale for Diet

The present invention relates to a weight measuring device, and more particularly, to a meal amount measuring device that allows a user to measure and know the amount of meals by weight while eating.

Recently, as the food culture has become westernized, obesity and high obesity patients are increasing, and the importance of dietary control is emphasized as a treatment and preventive measure against them.In response to this interest, diet restaurants and restaurants have recently emerged to meet dietary needs. Is helping.

However, in order to control the amount of meal in the past, each food was put in a separate container to measure and record the weight of the food separately, after the end of the meal had to go through a cumbersome process such as measuring and recording the remaining amount As a result, meal quantity measurement is hardly performed.

By the way, adjusting the amount of food is the basis of the diet, especially the modern people who are not easy to exercise lack of obesity must be adjusted to the amount of food must be adjusted. Typically, obesity is determined by how much food you eat and how much activity you consume. Most modern people do not exercise separately because of lack of exercise, a lot of activity is a lot of eating a lot of obesity is often. Also, in modern diets with more calorie foods than in the past, it is easy to become obese without proper dietary control. And in a busy daily life, many people do not eat or eat quickly, which is also a health hazard.

On the other hand, calorie calculation is often used in the conventional diet for diet and health maintenance. In this method, the weight of food is measured according to the type of food, and after the end of the meal, the weight of the remaining food is re-measured by each type to calculate the weight of each food consumed, and then consumed using a calorie conversion table according to each food. It is a way of calculating calories. However, this method has a problem that makes eating very difficult because the method is very difficult to execute, and also has the following problems. In other words, humans consume different calories based on breathing, brain activity, exercise volume, basal metabolic rate according to muscle mass, and life patterns, and it is impossible to measure calories consumed during actual activity. I do not know if it is possible. In addition, for each nutrient, there are nutrients that are used immediately, and there are also nutrients that accumulate in the body and change into calories depending on the degree of digestion. Ignore these matters and simply calculate calories according to the type of food consumed. In order to solve this problem, it is required to adjust the amount of meal by a simple weight to more easily control the amount of meal by replacing the amount of meal adjustment by the difficult calorie calculation, it is necessary to measure the amount of meal.

The present invention has been proposed to meet the above necessity, and an object of the present invention is to provide a meal amount measuring device that enables users to measure and know the amount of meals by weight while eating.

Meal amount measuring device of the present invention to achieve the above object, the load sensing means for detecting the load and converting it into a corresponding electrical signal; An amplification and filtering unit for amplifying and filtering the output of the load sensing means; An analog to digital converter for converting the output of the amplifying and filtering unit into digital; An operation panel for key input; A display panel for displaying meal amount information; A real time clock for providing time information; A memory for storing data; And when the power is turned on through the operation panel, performs a predetermined initialization, processes the data inputted from the analog-digital converter, calculates the weight of the food, displays it with time on the display panel, and also displays the initial food. The controller stores the weight in the memory, measures the weight of the current food at regular time intervals after the start of the meal, subtracts the weight of the first food, calculates the amount of meal to date, and then displays the display panel on the display panel. It is characterized by including.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The meal amount measuring device of the present invention improves the method of measuring the amount of each food in the control of the amount of food for diet and put them separately on a plate to put all the foods on the tray, and is reduced by eating at the first total food weight. After calculating the amount of food to date by subtracting the weight of the food, the user can stop eating when the food is consumed as much as the "target meal amount" previously entered. Using the method of the present invention, there is no need to measure the amount of each food separately, there is an advantage that does not need to put the metered food separately on a plate.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a meal amount measuring device according to the present invention, the meal amount measuring device 100 of the present invention is a load cell is attached to measure the weight and input the user's operation through the operation panel 114 And a lower panel 110 having a display panel 113 displaying various information related to the amount of meals, an upper panel 120 serving as a frame for supporting the tray 10, and a container 12 containing food such as a tray. It consists of a tray 10 for placing.

Referring to Figure 1, the lower plate 110 is formed of a light plastic or metal rectangular housing is formed with a handle 111 for moving to the left and right, the electronic circuit components including the load cell as described later in the PCB The front panel includes an operation panel 114 that can be operated by a user and a display panel 113 that displays a weighing value, time, and the like.

The upper plate 120 is usually interlocked with the lower plate 110 so that the weight of the tray 10 placed thereon is uniformly applied to the load cell (202 of FIG. 2), and the tray 10 can safely hold a bowl like a tray. Wide grooves are formed so that they can be easily removed. Therefore, in order to prepare a meal for moving only the tray 10 to put the bowls 12 containing the food in the tray 10, and then back to the seat to put the tray 10 on the top 120 Place a meal, and when the meal is finished, take only the tray 10 can be conveniently washed dishes.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the electrical configuration of the meal amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the meal amount measuring device 200 of the present invention is a load cell 202, amplification and filter unit 204, analog-to-digital converter (206: ADC) And a key input unit 208, a microprocessor 210, a memory 212, a real time clock 214, a USB port 216, and an LCD 218.

Referring to FIG. 2, the load cell 202 measures an elastic deformation of the load cell sensing part generated when the load cell is applied to measure the resistance change of the strain gauge attached to the sensing part surface, thereby converting the magnitude of the load (force) into an electrical signal. Detect. The load sensor method used here is a self-oscillating or dynamic transducer using a piezo phenomenon, and a non-magnetic oscillating type such as a strain gauge. The most widely used method is a strain gauge type load cell. The strain gauge load cell consists of four strain gages and forms a bridge circuit, and then applies a voltage to detect and output a change in resistance depending on the load.

The amplifier and filter unit 204 (AMP / Filter) amplifies the minute load signal output from the load cell 202 and removes noise included in the load signal.

An analog-to-digital converter (206) converts the amplified and noise-reduced analog load signal into digital load data and provides the same to the microprocessor 210 (MCU).

The memory 212 stores various data for operation, the RTC 214 provides precise timing information according to the clock, and the USB unit 216 connects the microprocessor 210 and the computer (PC) to the USB protocol. Connect accordingly.

The LCD 218 displays the weight of the food, the current meal amount, the elapsed time, and the like under the control of the microprocessor 210.

The microprocessor 210 (MCU) executes a predetermined program to calculate the weight of the food from the sensed data input from the analog-digital converter 206, sets a target meal amount input by the user, as described below. After calculating the amount of meal to date by subtracting the current weight from the food weight, the amount of meal and the elapsed time of the meal are cumulatively displayed on the display panel 113 through the LCD 218. Then, the stored meal amount information is uploaded to a PC (not shown) through the USB 216 according to a user's request.

Figure 3a is a flow chart of the operation of the meal amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the operation of the present invention is the initialization step 301, the step of measuring the initial weight when the tray is put (302), the user the target meal amount, meal type, meal time Inputting step 303, pressing a meal start button and starting a meal step 304, measuring the current weight at a predetermined time interval 305, subtracting the current weight from the initial weight to obtain a meal amount up to the present; (306), comparing the current meal amount to the target meal amount and displaying the current meal amount and the elapsed time of the meal when the current meal amount is lower than the target meal amount (307 to 309), and comparing the current meal amount to the target meal amount. When the current meal amount is greater than the target meal amount, a buzzer sounds and indicates that the target meal amount is reached 310.

First, the device 100 of the present invention is installed in advance in the dining table of the home or the dining table of the diet restaurant. When the power supply of the apparatus 100 of the present invention is turned on through the operation panel 114, zero adjustment is performed through an initialization process (301). The user takes a bowl containing his food and puts it on the tray 10.

When the tray 10 on which the food bowl 12 is placed is placed on the top plate 120, the load cell 202 senses a load, and the microprocessor 210 reads the sensed data from the analog-to-digital converter 206 to display the first data. After the weight is calculated, the weight is stored in the memory 212 and displayed on the display panel 113 (302). The initial weight is the total weight of food, bowl, and tray before meals, and is then used to calculate the current meal volume. In this case, the weight of the pure food may be displayed by excluding the weight of the container previously set from the initial weight.

Next, the user inputs a target meal amount, a type of meal, a target meal time, etc. (303). Here, the target meal amount is represented by the weight of the food as the amount of food to be eaten at one meal, and the type of meal is predefined and stored in a table as shown in Table 1 so as to be selected. In this case, the target meal amount and the target meal time may be set in advance, or when the target meal amount is input, the meal time may be set to set the time to consume the food. When the approximate type of meal is input, the calories calculated after the meal ( kcal). In this case, when several people use one device, an identification number may be set for each user (by family) to distinguish users.

Selection Large division Subdivision Target meal amount (g) Average calories per gram (g / cal) 11 snack bar Ramen yyy xxx 12 Kimbab yyy xxx 21 Korean Kimchi stew yyy xxx 22 Alum yyy xxx 31 Lunch Noodles yyy xxx 32 Champon yyy xxx 41 Japanese Fish sushi yyy xxx 42 Udon yyy xxx 51 form pork cutlet yyy xxx 52 Beef steak yyy xxx

Referring to Table 1, the selection number according to the type of meal is defined, the target meal amount in the case of the meal can be set in advance, the average calories per unit weight of the meal is stored in the memory 212 in the form of a table It is. For example, when eating jjajangmyeon, the selection number of the meal type is set to "31". In this case, the target meal amount is "yyy" g, and the average calorie per unit weight is "xxx" g. Therefore, after calculating the actual amount of meal can be converted into calories through the calculation.

When the "start meal" button on the operation panel is pressed in this state, the meal time is counted and the current weight is measured at regular time intervals (304,305). Subsequently, the current weight is subtracted from the initial weight to determine the amount of meals thus far, and the current amount of meals and the target amount of meals are compared (306,307).

As a result of the comparison, when the amount of meals to date is less than the target amount of meals, the amount of meals so far is displayed on the display panel and the elapsed time of meals is displayed (308, 309). As a result of the comparison, when the current meal amount reaches the target meal amount, the buzzer sounds, the display panel 113 indicates that the target meal amount has been reached, and the user's meal amount information is stored in the memory.

Figure 3b is a view showing for explaining the daily meal amount adding function of the meal amount measuring device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3B, when it is necessary to manage the total daily meal amount as needed, the daily meal amount summing function is selected (311). When the daily meal amount sum function is selected, if there is an identification number for each user, the identification number is input (312).

As such, when the daily meal amount adding function is selected, the meal amount measuring device according to the present invention reads the previous meal amount of the corresponding identification number, adds it with the current meal amount, calculates the daily total meal amount, and accumulates the total meal amount of the day together with the current meal amount. Display (313 to 315). Therefore, the user can manage not only the amount of meals but also the total amount of meals per day.

4 is an example of a screen displayed on the display panel of the meal amount measuring device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the display screen includes a time screen displaying time information such as a current time, meal time, and meal time setting, a screen displaying a target meal amount, a meal speed, and the like, and an hourglass displaying a degree of reaching a target meal amount. It consists of a screen, a screen that displays the amount of the target meal amount, and a screen that displays the amount of meal or the current weight so far. Such a screen configuration is just one example, and the meal amount information according to the technical spirit of the present invention may be displayed in a wide variety of ways depending on the manner in which the display panel is implemented (eg, an on-demand LCD or a graphic LCD).

5A to 5G show examples of a display screen according to the progress of a meal when eating using the device of the present invention.

FIG. 5A shows a screen after turning on the power, and it can be seen that the current time and the current weight are displayed. In FIG. 5A, since the tray is not placed yet, it can be seen that the current weight is "0" g. In this state, when the bowl containing the food is placed on the tray 10, and the tray 10 is placed on the top plate 120, as shown in Figure 5b, the current weight before the start of the meal is stored and displayed as the initial weight . It can be seen from FIG. 5B that the current weight is "1275" g. In this case, the weight of the container containing the food may be subtracted and only the weight of the pure food may be displayed.

5C is an example of a screen for inputting a target meal amount. When the user inputs the target meal amount through the operation panel 114, the target meal amount is displayed as shown in FIG. 5C. If the target meal amount is not entered or not set in advance, only the meal amount is displayed. In Fig. 5C, the target meal amount is indicated as "650" g.

5D is an example of a screen for inputting a meal time. When the user inputs the desired meal time through the operation panel 114, the setting value is displayed on the meal time setting screen. After the meal time setting is completed, the meal start button is pressed on the operation panel 114, and the meal is started.

5E shows an example of a display screen after a meal start, in which a lapse of a meal time after a meal start is displayed on a meal time screen, a target meal amount is displayed and a meal amount up to now is displayed. In the case of Fig. 5E, 1 minute 41 seconds has elapsed since the start of the meal, and it can be seen that the amount of meal thus far is "55" g and the target amount of meal is "650g".

5F is an example of a display screen after meal start, and an example of a screen displaying meal speed. During the meal, the target amount display screen is switched at regular intervals and the meal speed is displayed. According to FIG. 5F, the meal time is 6 minutes and 25 seconds, the meal amount is “155” g, and the meal speed is 45 g / min per minute. At this time, the graphic hourglass displays the degree to which the current meal amount reaches the target meal amount graphically.

5G illustrates an example of a case in which the meal amount exceeds the target meal amount, when a meal amount up to the target meal amount exceeds the target meal amount, a melody or a buzzer sounds, and the display panel 113 includes the text “The target meal amount has been reached” and the target meal amount. , Meal amount, meal time, etc. are displayed, and the meal ends. In the case of Figure 5g, the meal time is 25 minutes 12 seconds, the target meal amount is "650" g, it can be seen that the actual meal amount is "670" g.

As such, the present invention can measure the total weight of the food, including the bowl currently in the tray, can measure the weight of the food intake. In addition, the average calorie database according to the type of meal such as alum, ramen, snack, Japanese, steak, etc. may be built in, and then the approximate calorie value (kcal) may be converted from the current meal amount, and the target meal amount may be set. In addition, the meal amount display function can be used without inputting the target meal amount, and information on the meal speed may be provided so as not to eat too quickly or slowly by setting the meal time, and the progress of the meal time may be displayed as a bar graph. That is, the average food intake per unit time is calculated to control the speed of the meal during the meal.

Furthermore, the device of the present invention is suitable for use in Korean dishes (or dining table) by placing a bowl on a tray, and since the tray is separated from the main body, it is easy to clean and may use another tray of a suitable size. In particular, the amount of food is measured relative to the original food weight minus the current weight, so it is possible to use the food without taking the food separately. Recognition numbers can be assigned to each device, and a meal time or a target meal amount can be preset and stored for each meal type. After storing the record of the meal (target meal amount, meal time, intake amount, average meal speed, meal type, etc.) in the nonvolatile memory 212, the stored data can be connected to a PC and managed by making a database in a computer. .

As described above, in the present invention, the weight of each food is not known, but the amount of meals can be conveniently measured, and moreover, the amount of meals can be more accurately adjusted by inputting the type of meal. It also adds the ability to control your mealtime so you can digest the food you've eaten without straining your stomach, so you can develop the right eating habits.

Furthermore, the device of the present invention can effectively prevent obesity, high obesity patients, pediatric obesity by effectively adjusting the amount of meals and cultivating proper eating habits, and the meal metering device of the present invention is a personal tray concept as a general home, diet specialty restaurant. It can be widely used in the back.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a meal amount measuring device according to the present invention;

2 is a block diagram of a meal amount measuring device according to the present invention;

3a is an operation flowchart of a meal amount measuring device according to the present invention;

3b is a view illustrating a daily meal amount adding function of the meal amount measuring device according to the present invention;

4 is an example of a display screen of a meal amount measuring device according to the present invention;

5A to 5G are examples of display screens as a meal progresses.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10 tray 12 bowl

100,200: Meal quantity measuring device 110: Lower plate

120: top plate 114: operation panel

113: display panel 200: meal quantity measuring circuit

202: load cell 204: amplification and filter unit

206: analog-to-digital converter 210: microprocessor

212: memory 214: real time clock

216: USB port 218: display

Claims (7)

Load sensing means for detecting a load and converting the load into a corresponding electrical signal; An amplification and filtering unit for amplifying and filtering the output of the load sensing means; An analog to digital converter for converting the output of the amplifying and filtering unit into digital; An operation panel for key input; A display panel for displaying meal amount information; A real time clock for providing time information; A memory for storing data; And When the power is turned on through the operation panel, a predetermined initialization is performed, the weight of the food is calculated by processing the data input from the analog-digital converter, and then displayed with time on the display panel. And storing the memory in the memory, measuring the weight of the current food at regular time intervals after the start of the meal, subtracting the weight of the first food, calculating the amount of meal to date, and controlling the display to be displayed on the display panel. Meal amount measuring device, characterized in that. According to claim 1, wherein the meal amount measuring device And a lower housing configured to expose the operation panel and the display panel to the outside, the handles being formed at both sides thereof, and the PCB housing mounted therein. According to claim 2, wherein the meal amount measuring device Meal amount measuring device further comprises a top plate that is a mechanical frame for uniformly dispersing the weight on the lower housing. According to claim 3, wherein the meal amount measuring device Meal amount measuring device, characterized in that the tray can be separated and moved like a tray, the food bowl can be placed, and can be placed on the top plate. According to claim 1, wherein the meal amount measuring device Meal quantity measuring device further comprises a communication means for communicating with a computer. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit A meal amount measuring device, which can set a target meal amount and a meal time, and informs by sound or display when the meal amount thus far reaches the target meal amount. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory is The target amount of meal or unit calorie value is stored in advance in the table, And the control unit controls the amount of meals to be converted into calories and displayed on the display panel according to the type of meal selected by the user through the operation panel.