KR20180007026A - A system of searching with ingredient information and a method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for searching a product by using ingredient information. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and a method for searching a product by using ingredient information which recognize, as a letter, an ingredient table described in a product such as a chemical product or a medicine, foods, and so on, so as to obtain ingredient information, and search information of a product having the same or a similar ingredient so as to provide the information to a user. According to the present invention, the user can easily search a product including the same or a similar ingredient with an ingredient included in a product that the user wants to buy, and can search and buy a cheaper product which has the same effect.

Description

Field of the Invention < RTI ID = 0.0 > [0001] < / RTI &

The present invention relates to a product retrieval system and a product retrieval method using component information. More particularly, the present invention relates to a product retrieval system and a product retrieval method, The present invention relates to a product retrieval system and a product retrieval method,

In recent years, damages caused by humidifier disinfectants have become a social issue, and damage from industrial products containing various chemical substances is spreading.

With the development of science and technology, new materials are constantly being produced and sold, and due to the inevitable adverse effects resulting therefrom, damages that are not known in the future can occur, which is a serious social problem.

In order to confirm the danger or safety of a product containing a chemical substance, a technique of attaching an RFID tag, a bar code, a QR code, etc. to a container or a package of a product, and confirming using a reader by a consumer is disclosed.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a QR code-based component comparison and analysis service providing system according to the related art, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a QR code-based component comparison and analysis service providing method according to the related art.

As shown in FIG. 1, a method for providing a service for comparing and analyzing components of medicines and cosmetics based on a QR code 10 using a smart device 100 according to the related art is a method for providing a QR code 10 printed on a package of a product, It can be realized by recognizing it as the device 100.

The QR code 10 is a code in a two-dimensional matrix form of a lattice pattern, and can store information in the form of letters or numbers similar to existing one-dimensional bar codes. The QR code 10 is conveniently provided by consumers only if the smart device 100 is present.

The component information of the product can be provided using the QR code 10 printed on the product package. At this time, the product may include medicines and cosmetics which can cause various rejection reactions, hypersensitivity reactions, and the like to directly affect the human body.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, a method of providing a component comparison and analysis service of a pharmaceutical and a cosmetic based on QR code 10 using the smart device 100 includes the steps of registering the risk component information in a database (S10) (S30) of recognizing the QR code 10 printed on the package and extracting the product component information (S30), comparing the product component information and the hazard component information (S40), and outputting the comparison result to the output unit And storing the risk level according to the hazard component information (S20).

In addition to the allergic or rejection reactions, information on the hazard components registered in the database also includes information on ingredients that can cause adverse reactions such as side effects or hypersensitivity reactions when the user is ingesting or applying the skin.

In step S30, the smart device 100 recognizes the QR code 10 provided in the package of the product including the medicines and cosmetics, and extracts the product component information. A QR code (10) may be provided on the package of the product, and the QR code (10) may include product component information contained in the product. In step S30, the QR code 10 can be recognized using the camera module provided in the smart device 100 and the product component information stored in the QR code 10 can be extracted.

However, in the conventional technology of this type, it is inconvenient to convert the information about the components included in each product into a separate QR code and print it on the product package. If the product does not have a QR code or RF tag, it is difficult for consumers to check the harmfulness or sensitivity of the ingredient.

KR 10-2014-0113759 A KR 10-2012-0065988 A

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method comprising the steps of: photographing a component table printed on a container or package of a product, making a database of the component table using OCR technology, And to provide a product retrieval system and a product retrieval method using component information for providing information to a user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a product retrieval system and a product retrieval method using component information that enables a user to retrieve a component included in a product photographed and provide information such as a price or a manufacturer.

The present invention conceived to solve the above problems is a product search system for recognizing a component table (21) described in a product (20) and searching for information on related products and providing selected product information, wherein the component table A user terminal 210 for converting component information described in the component table 21 into data through OCR and transmitting the data; A component information providing system for storing and analyzing component information transmitted from the user terminal 210 and searching for information on another product 20 containing the same or similar component and transmitting the information to the user terminal 210 220), wherein the user terminal (210) comprises: a camera (211) for photographing the component table (21); And a character recognition module 212 for converting the component information described in the component table 21 into data using an OCR (Optical Character Reader). The component information providing system 220 includes the user terminal 210, A product retrieval unit 222 for retrieving a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information transmitted by the product retrieval unit 222; And a product comparison unit (223) for generating information on a comparison target product that is determined by the product search unit (222) to be in conformity with the user's request, among the similar goods searched by the product search unit (222) And the content and the content of the component contained in the component (B).

The present invention provides a product search method for providing product information using a product search system, wherein a camera (211) included in a user terminal (210) captures a component table (21) described in a product (20) ; The character recognition module 212 included in the user terminal 210 converts the component information described in the component table 21 into data using the OCR and transmits the component information to the component information providing system 220 A second step; A third step of the product retrieving unit 222 included in the component information providing system 220 to retrieve a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information; A fourth step of generating information on a comparison target product that is determined by the product comparison unit 223 included in the component information providing system 220 to meet the user's demand among the similar products; And a fifth step of the user terminal 210 receiving and displaying the information on the comparison target product from the component information providing system 220.

The present invention according to another embodiment is a product retrieval system for recognizing a component table (21) described in a product (20) and retrieving information of a related product and providing selected product information, A camera 310; A character recognition module 320 for converting the component information described in the component table 21 into data using an OCR (Optical Character Reader); A product search unit 330 for searching for a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information; And a product comparison unit (340) for generating information on a comparison target product that is determined by the product search unit (330) to be in conformity with a user request, from among the similar products searched by the product search unit (330) And the content and the content of the component contained in the component (B).

The present invention provides a product search method for providing product information using a product search system, the product search method comprising: a first step of a camera (310) photographing a component table (21) described in a product (20) and generating image data; A second step of the character recognition module 320 converting the component information described in the component table 21 into data using OCR; A third step of the product retrieving unit 330 retrieving a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information; A fourth step in which the product comparing unit 340 generates information on a comparison target product that is determined to match the user's demand among the similar products; And a fifth step of displaying information on the comparison target product.

According to the present invention, a user can easily search for a product having the same or similar components as those contained in a product he / she wants to purchase, and can search for and purchase a less expensive product having the same effect.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a QR code-based component comparison and analysis service providing system according to the related art;
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention [0001]
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a connection relationship of a goods retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a block diagram showing components of a goods search system;
5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a product retrieval method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram illustrating components of a goods retrieval system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, "a product retrieval system and a product retrieval method using component information" according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a connection relationship of a goods search system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a goods search system.

(Hereinafter referred to as a " product search system ") of the present invention includes a user terminal 210 for photographing a component table 21 printed on the surface of a product 20 and converting the component table 21 into text data And a component information providing system 220 for searching for other related goods using the component information transmitted from the user terminal 210 and providing information. The user terminal 210 and the component information providing system 220 exchange information with each other to provide information on various goods 20 suitable for a user.

Typically, the user terminal 210 refers to a device having functions such as a photographing function, text conversion (OCR), data transmission / reception, video output, etc. A smart phone or a tablet PC is the most representative, but a dedicated terminal Lt; / RTI >

The component information providing system 220 acquires information on similar products or replaceable products based on the component information transmitted from the user terminal 210 and provides the information to the user.

In general, information on various components contained in the product is indicated on the outside in chemical products, pharmaceuticals, foods, and industrial products. The name and content of the ingredient, the country of origin, and the uniqueness are indicated by letters in a package, a container, a manual of the product (20), and the buyer can confirm the content of the ingredient and confirm that the product is suitable for his / her use.

The user terminal 210 reads the component information described in the component table 21 attached to the surface of the container or package of the product 20 and converts the component information into data usable in a computer or an electronic terminal. In the present invention, an OCR (Optical Character Reader) is used to convert the component information represented by characters into data.

OCR is translated into an optical character reading device, which refers to a device that reads characters engraved in a document using light. It is often the case that characters typed in a particular type of font are often read. Practically, the characters that are the target are usually the numbers typed with the type type of the specific type, the Korean alphabet, the English alphabet, etc. In some cases, the handwritten characters are also read. In principle, one character is divided into dozens of grids, and characters are read according to the characteristics of the monochrome or character shape of a particular grid.

OCR is widely used to convert text into computer data, and various programs can be installed and used on a camera-equipped terminal. Since the OCR applied to the present invention is also implemented using various programs that have been disclosed in the prior art, detailed description will be omitted.

Typically, characters printed in a uniform font are written in the composition table 21, so that data can be easily converted using OCR technology.

4, a user terminal 210 including a smart phone, a tablet PC, and a dedicated terminal is provided with a camera 211, a character recognition module 212, and a communication module 213.

The camera 211 photographs the component table 21 attached to the product 20 and generates image data.

The character recognition module 212 is provided with a program capable of executing OCR technology and optically analyzes the image data generated by the camera 211 to convert the contents of the component table 21 into data. The character recognition module 212 converts various component names, content, origin, uniqueness, and the like described in the component table 21 into digital data that can be used in a computer system. In the present invention, such information is defined as component information.

The communication module 213 transmits the generated digital text data to the component information providing system 220 and receives the product search information transmitted from the component information providing system 220.

The component information providing system 220 is provided with a communication server 221 and exchanges data with the communication module 213 of the user terminal 210. The communication server 221 also performs a data transmission / reception function with the manufacturer 30, the distribution company 40, the public entity 50, and the like.

The goods searching unit 222 searches for similar goods using the component information transmitted from the user terminal 210. The retrieved product information is transmitted to the user terminal 210.

The product comparing unit 223 compares the characteristics of the goods retrieved by the product retrieving unit 222, and generates and delivers information matching the user's request.

The component information DB 224 stores component information of the specific product 20 transmitted from the user terminal 210.

The goods information DB 225 stores information on various goods 20. The information stored in the product information DB 225 includes a product name, a manufacturer, a price, a sales place, and the like.

The manufacturer 30 is a management system of a company that produces and sells the goods 20 and the distribution company 40 is a management system of the company that is responsible for the distribution and sale of the produced goods 20. [ The public entity 50 also means a governmental management system that regulates the production, sale, and management of a product 20 in a particular field.

The component information providing system 220 periodically requests information on various products from the manufacturer 30, the distribution company 40, and the public entity 50, and stores the transmitted information.

A method of providing detailed information of a commodity 20 including a specific component jointly by using the commodity search system 200 having the above-described configuration will be described.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of searching for a product according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the user uses the camera 211 of the user terminal 210 to photograph the component table 21 displayed on the surface of the product 20. (S102)

Generally, when a user purchases a chemical-containing product (20) at a store, he or she selects one of the various types of products having the same use or the same component. In some cases, it is possible to distinguish products made from the same or extremely similar components among various products, and in some cases, products with low prices or other advantages may be finally purchased. Especially, in the case of a product in which a specific chemical component plays an important role, there are many cases in which a product that contains the most important chemical component is selected according to the user's taste.

The user can search for and purchase various products using the present invention while searching for products containing specific chemical components in the store.

The camera 211 photographs the contents of the component table 21 to generate image data, and stores the generated image data in a storage device (not shown) of the user terminal 210.

The character recognition module 212 acquires the component information for the product 20 by converting the image data generated by the camera 211 into data using the OCR technology (S104). The user terminal 210 generates the component information To the component information providing system 220.

Is stored in the component information DB 224 transmitted to the component information providing system 220. The product retrieval unit 222 retrieves the similar product using the stored component information (S106). Refers to another product that contains chemical components that are the same or similar to those contained in the product 20 that the user is purchasing.

If each component name contained in the component information that is dataized using the OCR technology is different from a conventionally used name, an accurate search is not performed. If the name of the photographed component does not completely match the name of the registered component, the product search unit 222 searches for the most similar component through the similarity matching algorithm. In some cases, the similarity degree of the name of the component may be numerically expressed to search for the most similar name with a certain standard or more.

The information on the similar goods searched by the goods searching unit 222 is transmitted to the goods comparing unit 223, and the goods comparing unit 223 selects the goods to be compared among them. (S108) A product is a product that is expected to be highly likely to be purchased by a user, which means that the product is used at a similar price to that of the product 20 photographed by the user, and is cheap or easily purchased.

In general, the buyer chooses the cheapest of the plurality of goods 20 that can be used for the same purpose because they contain similar chemical components. Therefore, the commodity comparing unit 223 preferentially selects the least expensive commodity. In addition, the commodity comparing unit 223 can set the commodity to be selected according to another criterion.

The communication server 221 transmits information on the product selected by the product comparison unit 223 to the user terminal 210 (S110)

The user terminal 210 displays the transmitted goods information on the display (not shown) to provide the selected goods to the user (S112). Preferably, a plurality of similar goods are selected and provided to the user, Along with the sorted information.

Contents selected and displayed by the product comparison unit 223 may be configured as shown in Table 1 below.

The user can confirm the information of various products using the displayed product information, and can make a reasonable purchase of goods.

Meanwhile, FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating components of a goods search system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the user terminal 210 having the OCR function and the image photographing function photographs the component table 21 to generate data, and the component information providing system 220, which receives the generated data, And provided to the user terminal 210 again. In another embodiment, a single apparatus (product search system) is configured to perform all functions such as photographing the component table 21, OCR technology, collecting product information, searching and comparing similar products, and the like.

In the product search system 300, a camera 310 and a character recognition module 320 are installed. The camera 310 photographs the component table 21 to generate image data, and the character recognition module 330 converts the contents described in the component table 21 into data using OCR technology.

The product search unit 330 searches for products having the same or similar components, and the product comparison unit 340 compares and selects the most relevant similar products.

The communication module 350 transmits and receives data from the manufacturer 30, the distribution company 40, and the public entity 50.

The information stored in the component information DB 360 and the product information DB 370 is the same as in the above embodiment.

In the case of a smartphone or a tablet PC, which is frequently used by individuals, it is possible to implement functions of capturing images, characterizing data by OCR, and exchanging data with a system of an external institution. Therefore, both the acquisition of the text data and the search for similar goods can be performed by using one apparatus, so that the component information search and comparison service can be used more conveniently.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, As will be understood by those skilled in the art. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, It is intended that all changes and modifications derived from the equivalent concept be included within the scope of the present invention.

10: QR Code 20: Commodity
21: Ingredients Table 30: Manufacturers
40: Distribution company 50: Public institution
100: Smart device 200, 300: Product search system
210: user terminal 211, 310: camera
212, 320: character recognition module 213, 350: communication module
220: Component information providing system 221: Communication server
222, 330: product search unit 223, 340: product comparison unit
224, 360: component information DB 225, 370: product information DB

Claims (4)

A product retrieval system for recognizing a component table (21) described in a product (20) to retrieve information of an associated product, and to provide selected product information,
A user terminal 210 for photographing the component table 21 and converting the component information described in the component table 21 through OCR into data and transmitting the data;
A component information providing system for storing and analyzing component information transmitted from the user terminal 210 and searching for information on another product 20 containing the same or similar component and transmitting the information to the user terminal 210 220,
The user terminal 210
A camera 211 for photographing the component table 21;
And a character recognition module (212) for converting the component information described in the component table (21) into data using an OCR (Optical Character Reader)
The component information providing system 220 includes:
A product retrieval unit 222 for retrieving a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information transmitted by the user terminal 210;
And a merchandise comparison unit 223 for generating information on the comparison target merchandise that is determined by the merchandise search unit 222 to match the user's request,
Wherein the component information includes a component name and a content of components included in the product (20). A product search method for providing product information using the product search system according to claim 1,
A first step of the camera 211 included in the user terminal 210 photographing the component table 21 described in the product 20 and generating image data;
The character recognition module 212 included in the user terminal 210 converts the component information described in the component table 21 into data using the OCR and transmits the component information to the component information providing system 220 A second step;
A third step of the product retrieving unit 222 included in the component information providing system 220 to retrieve a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information;
A fourth step of generating information on a comparison target product that is determined by the product comparison unit 223 included in the component information providing system 220 to meet the user's demand among the similar products;
And a fifth step of the user terminal (210) receiving and displaying information on the comparison object from the component information providing system (220). A product retrieval system for recognizing a component table (21) described in a product (20) to retrieve information of an associated product, and to provide selected product information,
A camera 310 for photographing the component table 21;
A character recognition module 320 for converting the component information described in the component table 21 into data using an OCR (Optical Character Reader);
A product search unit 330 for searching for a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information;
And a product comparison unit (340) for generating information on a comparison object, which is determined by the product search unit (330)
Wherein the component information includes a component name and a content of components included in the product (20). A product search method for providing product information using the product search system according to claim 3,
A first step of the camera (310) photographing the component table (21) described in the product (20) and generating image data;
A second step of the character recognition module 320 converting the component information described in the component table 21 into data using OCR;
A third step of the product retrieving unit 330 retrieving a similar product including the same or similar components using the component information;
A fourth step in which the product comparing unit 340 generates information on a comparison target product that is determined to match the user's demand among the similar products;
And a fifth step of displaying information on the comparison target product.

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