KR20210072491A - Dietary simulation system using VR/AR - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dietary life simulation system configured to enable the notification of the intake of nutrients including the amount and calories of food to be consumed when a user eats the food in a virtual environment rather than the real world, and more specifically, to a dietary life simulation system using VR/AR. The system, which is effective in improving a self-management skill of a user, comprises: a storage unit (A) which includes a menu information DB in which information about a content of nutrients per unit amount for each food menu and an image of the menu is stored and a quantity information DB in which information about the quantity of a food menu that can be taken at a time for each predetermined meal tool is stored; a VR/AR device (B) which provides a virtual dining environment including food and dining tools according to an instruction of a control unit to be described later; an input unit (C) which transmits eating information including the number of times of use of the dining tools used for each food menu selected by a user in the virtual environment provided by the VR/AR device to the control unit to be described later; and the control unit (D) which calculates and provides dietary information virtually consumed by a user from the eating information with reference to the storage unit.

Description

Dietary simulation system using VR/AR

The present invention relates to a food simulation experience system that allows to know the amount of food consumed and the amount of nutrient intake including calories when eating in a virtual environment instead of in real life.

As the standard of living has risen and dietary habits have improved, they have been consuming excessive amounts of nutrients and calories, and accordingly, the number of subjects who need dietary therapy such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure is increasing.

Accordingly, many people have an increasing desire to consume only an appropriate amount by calculating the amount of calories or nutrients of food. In particular, education and training on dietary management such as diet type and meal quantity (calorie) control are urgently required for patients with diabetes, hypertension, or those who need weight management.

Taking diabetes patients as an example, through self-management improvement of blood sugar control, acute/chronic complications such as hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and ketoacidosis can be prevented as well as social medical expenses are reduced, so proper dietary management is beneficial not only to the patient but also to society. becomes this

However, it is quite difficult and cumbersome to measure the types of nutrients and calories consumed in each meal, and even if you have been educated and trained on diet management in various ways, you can understand the calories and nutrients of food consumed in daily life without the help of experts. And trying to control it is not easy.

Therefore, various methods and devices have been proposed to easily identify and manage the nutrients and calories of the food you consume.

Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2006-0122111 (Method of Calculating Calories Using Food Images) relates to a technique for checking calories before ingestion of food by taking pictures with a camera before ingestion of food and calculating the type and calories of food. However, when eating food, a process of photographing with a camera installed with a predetermined program is required, and in order to measure the amount of intake, the same action must be taken to measure the amount of food remaining after consumption, as well as the amount consumed by a specific person when several people eat at the same time There is a problem that it is impossible to measure.

Registered Patent 10-1175045 (food model with calorie control function) discloses a tool that allows you to grasp the calories of the (completed) model food by displaying the calories in the model food material or the model food. According to this, all model ingredients and model foods must be produced separately, and it is inevitable to be limited to cooking education, which is separated from the actual dining site, and furthermore, it is impossible to calculate the intake of the actual eater.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2018-0110443 (Apparatus and method for providing calorie information) discloses a method for calculating and providing the type of food and calories through an image of the food. However, in order to calculate the actual calorie intake, the whole food must be photographed with a camera installed with a predetermined program before and after a meal, and in the case of a group meal, there is a limitation in that the intake amount of a specific person cannot be known.

Patent Publication 10-2006-0122111 Registered Patent 10-1175045 Patent Publication 10-2018-0110443

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dietary simulation experience system that can perform diet control training in a virtual environment separated from actual meals for diets of various scenarios optimized for individual users and corresponding meal amounts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dietary simulation experience system for diet control training that does not require a separate action when eating an actual meal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dietary simulation experience system for diet control training capable of estimating the amount of food consumed by an individual user even if several people eat together.

The present invention for achieving the above object

(A) Each food menu includes a menu information DB in which information on the nutritional content per unit amount and an image of the menu is stored, and a quantity information DB in which information on the amount of food menus that can be taken at one time for each predetermined meal tool is stored. storage unit; (B) a VR/AR device that provides a virtual dining environment including food and dining tools according to the instructions of the controller; (C) an input unit for transmitting eating information including the number of times of use of the eating utensils used for each food menu selected by the user in the virtual environment provided by the VR/AR device to the following control unit; and (D) a control unit that calculates and provides food information that the user virtually consumes from the eating information with reference to the storage unit; characterized in that it is a food simulation experience system using VR/AR comprising a.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the ability to apply the correct diet therapy and self-management in real life by increasing the knowledge and ability of the user, such as a patient, to determine the menu and intake amount by himself/herself according to a scenario.

In addition, according to the present invention, patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. or those who want to manage their weight can learn specific ways to recognize their food intake characteristics and improve them through a virtual experience, so that they can conveniently adjust their diet in reality. .

That is, by utilizing the dietary simulation experience system according to the present invention, the user can develop the knowledge and ability to determine the menu and intake amount by himself, thereby contributing to the application of correct diet therapy in real life and the improvement of self-management ability.

1 is a conceptual block diagram of a system according to the present invention;
2a to 2c are diagrams each showing an example of the structure of the menu information DB and both information DB in the system according to the present invention.
Figure 3a is a table showing an example of the eating information obtained by the input unit in the system according to the present invention.
3b and 3c are diagrams each showing two examples of a method for calculating dietary information in the system according to the present invention and the results thereof.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings are only examples for easily explaining the content and scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and thereby the technical scope of the present invention is not limited or changed. It will be natural for those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention based on these examples. In addition, when reference numerals are included in the components of the claims, this is merely an example for description and is not intended to limit the components to the reference numerals.

In the present invention, the term 'menu' means each food item. For example, the types of rice are white rice, barley rice, gimbap..., the types of snacks are ramen, noodles, and jjambbong..., and the side dishes are kimchi, bean sprouts, stewed mushrooms, braised quail eggs, daikon radish... Steamed ribs, sweet and sour pork, japchae... etc. can be 'menu'. In some cases, they may be further subdivided, and whether or not to be recognized as a 'menu' can be appropriately determined in consideration of social concepts and nutritional commonality.

In the present invention, 'meal tool' refers to a tool or tableware that can take or contain food, and may be, for example, a spoon, chopsticks, fork, spatula, rice bowl, or a front plate. Hereinafter, in the present invention, it is assumed that 'meal utensils' are spoons, chopsticks, and forks.

In the present invention, "taking" food or a menu refers to an action of taking a specific virtual food (menu) to the mouth by using a virtual meal tool to virtually eat, pick up, or take a picture.

Determination of the type and amount of food consumed by the user is made in two ways. In other words, ① a method based on the moment of direct intake by mouth and ② a method based on selecting food and tableware that have been pre-packed with a fixed amount of food can be considered. In the present invention, the former is referred to as a 'direct method' and the latter as a 'buffet method'.

As described above, the present invention relates to a food simulation experience system using VR/AR including a storage unit, a VR/AR device, an input unit, and a control unit. A conceptual diagram of the system according to the present invention is attached to FIG. 1 .

In the present invention, the storage unit includes a menu information DB and both information DB.

The menu information DB stores information on the content of nutrients per unit amount for each of the various food menus and the image of the menu. An example of the menu information DB structure is shown in FIG. 2A. Although only calories (calories) are presented as nutrients in the drawings, information such as protein, carbohydrate, fat content or, for example, vitamin B content may be included in addition to calories.

The quantity information DB stores information on the amount of food menus that can be taken at a time for each predetermined meal tool, and two examples of the structure of the quantity information DB are shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, respectively. On the other hand, the size of the spoon used by each person is different, and even if the size is the same, the amount of food floating at one time may vary depending on the habit. Therefore, it would be desirable for both information DBs according to the direct method to be specific, that is, personalized (customized) for each individual user.

In the present invention, the VR/AR device is a device for virtual reality or augmented reality that provides a virtual dining environment including food and eating utensils according to the instructions of the controller. The VR/AR device applied to the present invention has an output means for displaying a virtual meal environment and a hand motion detection means for recognizing the selection and use of a virtual meal tool.

The present invention does not relate to a VR/AR device itself, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted because various conventionally known and known VR/AR devices can be selected in the future.

In the present invention, the input unit transmits eating information including the number of times of use of the dining tools used for each food menu selected (taken) by the user in the virtual dining environment provided by the VR/AR device to the following control unit. do. In this case, the dining utensils may be any one or a plurality of dishes selected from the group consisting of various standard dishes, ladles, spoons, chopsticks, forks, or fingers. Also, in the case of tableware, ladle, or spoon, it is also good to indicate the capacity. For example, in the case of tableware, a scale according to capacity may be displayed. The input unit recognizes the type of the menu and the type of eating utensils whenever the user takes (opens or picks up) food (menu) (in the case of direct method), or when selecting dishes containing food, the type of the menu and Recognize the amount of food (in the case of buffet style). More specifically, the input unit recognizes that the dining tool (or hand) touches a specific menu (or tableware containing the menu) in the image of the VR/AR device output means, or when the dining tool approaches the specific menu, it enters the menu. When a predetermined mark appears and the user moves a hand in a predetermined manner, the hand motion detecting means may operate in a manner that recognizes it. In this case, the input unit may be physically integrated with the VR/AR device.

The 'eating information' acquired by the input unit includes the type of each menu the user takes and the number of times the user takes each menu. The number of times taken may be a value transmitted to the control unit after being summed, or may be a value transmitted to the control unit for each event. An example of eating information is shown in FIG. 3A. Although the drawing shows the menu and the number of times taken at a specific point in time, it may be in the form of an event order, for example, [rice-beef gravy-rice-mung bean bindae-tteok-beef gravy-rice ~~~~].

In the present invention, the control unit , with reference to the storage unit, calculates the food information that the user virtually ingested from the eating information, and provides it to the user or the like.

Dietary information calculation is performed differently according to the above direct method or buffet method. It will be described in turn below.

① In the case of direct method: It is a method that calculates based on the actual act of bringing food to the user's mouth. An example of a method of calculating the dietary information in this way and an example of the result are shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C. The formula for each menu is [g per meal × number of meal items × calories per g], and the total is the amount of nutrients consumed so far (calories consumed in the drawing, kcal). In the case of the exemplified user, it can be seen that the calorie intake (finally) until now is nearly 1400 kcal.

As described above, when the eating information is in the event sequence format, real-time dietary information is possible. For example, if the event is [rice-beef soup-rice-mung bean bean-cake-beef soup-rice~~~~], a (continuous) real-time value as shown in FIG. 3c can be obtained. The event step-by-step calculation formula is [calories per g × g per menu meal tool], whereby the user can learn a real-time sense of "If you eat in this way, calories rise like this".

② In the case of buffet method: It is a method of calculating based on the user's pre-selection of food to be consumed. For example, the user puts rice in a rice bowl with a spatula, or selects rice bowls of various sizes containing rice. In the same way for soup or side dishes, choose the tableware that is placed in or placed in the tableware.

Referring to FIG. 2c, assuming that the user selects and consumes all of them as shown in the table, a total of 425 kcal is obtained. At this time, if the user returns, for example, an apple to control the caloric intake, 385 kcal is consumed. In this way, the user can train the appropriate food menu and intake by changing the type or amount of food.

In the presented example, dietary information is calories consumed, but information such as protein, carbohydrate, fat, and vitamin B intake, as well as total food or food intake for each menu, may also be included.

On the other hand, in the system according to the present invention, when the food is randomly and arbitrarily presented in the virtual dining environment provided by the VR/AR device, it does not match the user's taste, so it may take a lot of time to find the menu the user wants. .

In order to prevent this, it is preferable that the control unit presents various menus to the VR/AR device in a predetermined manner with reference to the storage unit so that the user selects the presented menu. For example, the upper category (for example, Korean food, Western food, Chinese food, Japanese food, etc.) is presented and selected at first, and the lower category (for example, soup, side dish, side menu, etc., or vegetables, meat, etc.) is presented and selected. By doing so, it is possible to provide a dining environment for the diet that the user enjoys, so that a simulated experience embodied in the individual can be made. A method of selecting a specific menu or menu group may be presented in various ways. In the case of this method, the input unit receives one or more selections from the menus presented in the VR/AR device in the same manner as the above-described method.

On the other hand, since carbohydrates are a major factor in determining postprandial blood sugar in patients with diabetes, it is known that calculating carbohydrate intake and reducing fluctuations in carbohydrate intake are important for blood sugar control (Korean Diabetes Association website).

Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to simplify the system for only foods with a high carbohydrate content so that diabetic patients can easily simulate eating habits. For this purpose, the calculated information is limited to carbohydrates and foods made from grains with high sugar content, as well as carbohydrates from fruits, sweet potatoes and potatoes.

In this case, the use of the dietary simulation experience system using VR/AR according to the present invention is simplified, and thus it is useful to preferably select and maintain the eating habits of diabetic patients.

The food simulation experience system using VR/AR according to the present invention as described above can be utilized as follows.

First, the user is asked to wear a VR/AR device and select a menu consisting of a menu that suits their taste. The control unit presents the dining environment according to the selected diet to the display means of the VR/AR device, and causes the user to eat (=take food) in the virtual dining environment or to put food on the front plate. The control unit calculates the menu and the amount that the user virtually ingested or selected from the menu and meal tool information taken whenever the user takes an action to take food. Then, the control unit refers to the storage unit to continuously or finally calculate the intake/selected meal amount, calories, nutrients, and the like, and provide them to the user.

According to the food simulation experience system using VR/AR of the present invention, there is a disadvantage that the sense of reality is somewhat lowered because it is not an actual meal, but the conventional eating-related auxiliary devices require a special device or some kind of action when actually eating. no discomfort

Utilizing the system according to the present invention, the user usually learns the dietary management method through simulation virtual training several times. The system according to the present invention may be utilized by an individual, or in a hospital or health-related educational institution.

In particular, the system according to the present invention can provide a lot of help to patients such as diabetes and hypertension, where diet management is very important. In the past, dietary education was one-time and uniform, and accessibility was not good due to lack of awareness and inadequate educational conditions. However, according to the present invention, repeated training is possible easily and funly in conditions similar to real life (virtual environment), so that the understanding of the patient can be improved and active participation in the training can be induced. will also be possible.

In particular, in the case of diabetic patients, as described above, training (experience) is simplified, which makes it useful for establishing and maintaining proper eating habits.

Claims (7)

(A) Each food menu includes a menu information DB in which information on the nutritional content per unit amount and an image of the menu is stored, and a quantity information DB in which information on the amount of food menus that can be taken at once for each predetermined meal tool storage unit to ;
(B) a VR/AR device that provides a virtual dining environment including food and eating utensils according to the instructions of the controller;
(C) an input unit for transmitting eating information including the number of times of use of the dining tools used for each food menu taken by the user in the virtual dining environment provided by the VR/AR device to the following control unit; and
(D) a control unit that calculates and provides food information that the user virtually ingested from the eating information with reference to the storage unit;
A food simulation experience system using VR/AR that includes
The method according to claim 1,
The eating utensils are
A food simulation experience system using VR/AR, characterized in that there are one or more selected from the group consisting of various standard tableware, ladles, spoons, chopsticks, forks, or fingers.
The method according to claim 1,
The VR / AR device,
A food simulation experience system using VR/AR, characterized in that it includes an output means for visually displaying a virtual dining environment and a hand motion detection means for recognizing the use of virtual dining tools.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The dietary information is a food simulation experience system using VR / AR, characterized in that it is provided continuously or finally.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The control unit presents various menus to the VR/AR device in a predetermined manner with reference to the storage unit,
The input unit receives a selection of one or a plurality of menus presented in the VR/AR device,
The control unit, VR/AR-using food simulation experience system, characterized in that it further has a function to provide only the menu selected to the VR/AR device as a dining environment.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Food simulation experience system using VR / AR, characterized in that the sheep information DB is personalized (customized).
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The control unit is
A food simulation experience system using VR/AR that calculates carbohydrate information for grain-based foods, fruits, sweet potatoes and potatoes.

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