TWI397831B - Food calorie calculation device - Google Patents

Description

Food calorie calculation device

The present invention relates to a computing device, and more particularly to a food calorie computing device.

With the improvement of living standards, people's requirements for diet are getting higher and higher, and they have to eat well. Therefore, the refined food culture with high oil and high salt, and the restaurant that is full of food become the mainstream of diet; Coupled with the popularization of vehicles, the opportunities for walking are greatly reduced, and modern people are busy with life and have no time to exercise. In the case of less active eating, obesity is becoming more and more serious. Obesity has been shown to cause a variety of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes, all of which are closely related to obesity. Although exercise can help to burn calories, moderate and healthy eating habits are the only way to maintain good posture.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, the "Food Calorie Display 1" disclosed in the new patent case No. M310329 of the Republic of China, can calculate the caloric value of each food in a meal, and then know the calorie intake of the meal. value. The user displays a main display screen 12 to display the type of food through a control unit 11, and then selects the food category and inputs the weight according to each food contained in the meal, and calculates the calorific value of each food and adds up the total value. Thereafter, the secondary display screen 13 displays the amount of calories taken by the meal. In this way, the user can understand the calorie value of each meal to control the intake of calories.

However, the above method not only needs to weigh each food in advance to obtain the weight, which is quite troublesome. In addition, the calorie value calculated by re-entering the weight of the selected food category is only the calorie of the food itself, and the cooking method is not considered. For example, the cooking method of frying will make the oil adsorb on the food, but when calculating the heat, the heat of the oil cannot be calculated together, so that the calculated caloric value is not accurate enough, which affects the effect of controlling calorie intake.

For the above reasons, there is a "improved article" as disclosed in the new patent case No. M330814 of the Republic of China. A heat measuring device 22 is provided at the front end of each chopstick 21, which is displayed each time the food is picked up. The heat taken. However, the above method can only measure the part directly in contact with the calorie measuring device 22, can not measure the total heat of the clamping, and can not measure the calories of all the foods to be eaten once, which is easy to cause The situation where the user ignores and still consumes too much food.

Therefore, how to solve the above problems and provide a device for conveniently and accurately calculating the calorie of food has become an urgent need of the related industry.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a food calorie computing device that can directly measure the calories of food.

Therefore, the food calorie computing device of the present invention comprises a container for holding food, a power source disposed on an outer surface of the container, a microprocessor disposed on the outer surface of the container and electrically connected to the power source, and a The bottom of the container is electrically connected to the load cell of the microprocessor, a detecting unit disposed on the inner surface of the container, and a display disposed on the outer surface of the container and electrically connected to the microprocessor.

The power source has a switch for opening and closing the power source; the load cell is for measuring the weight of the food, and transmits a weight signal to the microprocessor; the detecting unit includes a plurality of strips disposed in the container The surface is electrically connected to the first electrode coil of the microprocessor, the first electrode coil is directly in contact with the food and measures the resistance of the food, and then transmits a resistance signal to the microprocessor, the microprocessor is It is used to process the input, calculation, storage, and output of the signal, and calculate the heat of the food according to the received weight signal and resistance signal, and display it on the display.

The effect of the present invention is that the first electrode coil is disposed on the inner surface of the container and directly contacts the food contained in the container, thereby measuring the resistance of the food by using the micro current released by the first electrode coil. Calculating the calories of the food with the weight of the food measured by the load cell is not only convenient and rapid, but also effectively improves the accuracy of the measured food calories.

The above and other technical contents, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

Before the present invention is described in detail, it is noted that in the following description, similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Referring to FIG. 3, a first preferred embodiment of the food calorie calculating device 3 of the present invention comprises a container 31 for containing food (not shown), a power source 32 disposed on the outer surface of the container 31, and a a microprocessor 33 on the outer surface of the container 31 and electrically connected to the power source 32, a load unit 34 disposed at the bottom of the container 31 and electrically connected to the microprocessor 33, and a detecting unit disposed on the inner surface of the container 31 35, a display 36 disposed on the outer surface of the container 31 and electrically connected to the microprocessor 33, an input unit 37 disposed on the outer surface of the container 31 and electrically connected to the microprocessor 33, and a The outer surface of the container 31 is electrically connected to the alert unit 38 of the microprocessor 33.

Before introducing the method of using the food calorie calculating device 3 of the present invention, it is first described that the food calorie calculating device 3 uses the bioelectrical resistance method to measure and estimate the amount of heat of the food. The bioelectrical resistance method uses the principle of Ohm's law to measure the composition of the tissue. According to the dichotomy, the composition of the tissue can be divided into adipose tissue and a neat body tissue, wherein the adipose tissue contains almost no water, and the abundance tissue contains a large amount of water, so the current It is easier to conduct in the body tissues, but not easy to pass in the adipose tissue, and the resistance is large. Therefore, the bioelectrical resistance method is to release a small amount of current, and then detect the amount of trace current passing through the tissue to reflect the relative amount of fat in the tissue. The electrical resistance measured by the technique of bioelectrical resistance can be converted into adipose tissue and net. The proportion of body tissue, if further brought into the built-in formula, can be converted to the corresponding heat.

Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the container 31 includes a bottom wall 311 and a surrounding wall 312 extending upward from the bottom wall 311. The power source 32 has a switch 321 for opening and closing the power source 32. The unit 34 is configured to measure the weight of the food and transmit a weight signal to the microprocessor 33. The detecting unit 35 includes a plurality of first strips disposed on the inner surface of the container 31 and electrically connected to the microprocessor 33. The electrode coil 351 is laterally spaced apart from the inner surface of the container 31, and is disposed gradually from the top edge of the surrounding wall 312 toward the bottom wall 311, and the first electrode coil 351 is The food is directly in contact with the food and the resistance of the food is measured, and a resistance signal is transmitted to the microprocessor 33.

The microprocessor 33 includes a user identity database 331 and a diet record database 332, and the microprocessor 33 is configured to process input, operation, storage, and output of signals, and according to the received weight. The signal and the resistance signal calculate the heat of the food and are displayed on the display 36. The input unit 37 includes a plurality of selection keys 371 for selecting different databases 331, 332, and a confirmation button 372 for confirming the selection item; and the warning Unit 38 is alerted based on the amount of food heat calculated by microprocessor 33.

When the food calorie calculating device 3 is used, the food is contained in the container 31 and is in direct contact with the first electrode coil 351, and the switch 321 is pressed to activate the power source 32, so that the first electrode coil 351 emits a small amount of current. Measuring the resistance in the food and transmitting the resistance signal to the microprocessor 33, and the load unit 34 also measures the weight of the food contained therein and transmits the weight signal to the microprocessor 33, the microprocessor 33 calculates the heat of the food according to the received weight signal and the resistance signal, and displays it on the display 36 for the user's reference.

The user can select the user database through the selection button 371 of the input unit 37, and press the confirmation button 372 to enter the user database, and store the height, weight and other data of the user in the user database. In the database, the microprocessor 33 is configured to calculate the basic amount of heat required by the user for the user's reference, and can be stored by a plurality of different users at the same time.

At the same time, the user can also set the calorie value of each meal according to the basic calorie required daily. When the calorie calculated by the microprocessor 33 exceeds the calorie value, the warning unit 38 is alerted to alert user. In the embodiment, the warning unit 38 is in the form of a light-emitting diode, and the user is prompted to flash in a blinking manner, and the warning unit 38 can be a buzzer depending on the actual manufacturing situation. In the embodiment, the sound is emitted to remind the user that the warning can be achieved, and therefore should not be limited to the form disclosed in this embodiment.

In addition, the user can also select the food record database 332 through the selection key 371, and press the confirmation button 372 to enter the food record database 332, and store the heat every time the food is stored. The dietary record database 332 further increases the calorie intake for a full day for the user to use as a basis for controlling caloric intake.

With the above design, the food calorie calculating device 3 of the present invention has the following advantages when actually used:

(1) Quick and convenient:

The user only needs to store the food in the container 31, and emits a small amount of current through the first electrode coil 351 to detect the resistance value of the food, and transmits the resistance signal to the microprocessor 33, so that the microprocessor 33 The heat signal transmitted by the load cell 34 can be used to calculate the calories of the food. It is not necessary to classify the type of food and the weight after weighing, so it is quite quick and convenient to use.

(2) Numerical accuracy:

Since the inner surface of the container 31 is provided with a plurality of first electrode coils 351, the average amount of heat calculated by each of the first electrode coils 351 can be averaged to obtain an average value, thereby effectively reducing the average distribution due to the food being stored. In addition, the first electrode coil 351 is gradually disposed from the top edge of the surrounding wall 312 toward the bottom wall 311, so that the resistance value of the food can be accurately measured when a small amount of food is contained, and the food is effectively improved. The accuracy of calorie calculation.

Referring to FIG. 6, a second preferred embodiment of the food calorie calculating device 3 of the present invention is substantially similar to the first preferred embodiment described above, except that the food calorie calculating device 3 further includes a detachable cover member. The cover body 39 of the container 31 further includes a first guiding portion 353, which is disposed on the top edge of the surrounding wall 312 of the container 31, and is electrically connected to the first electrode coil 351. a second electrode coil 352 disposed on the bottom surface of the cover body 39 for measuring food resistance, and a second guiding portion 354 disposed on a periphery of the bottom surface of the cover body 39 and electrically connected to the second electrode coil 352 When the cover 39 is placed on the container 31, the second guiding portion 354 is electrically connected to the first and second electrode coils 351 and 352 corresponding to the first guiding portion 353.

With the above design, if the height of the food contained exceeds the top edge of the surrounding wall 312 of the container 31, the cover 39 can still cover the food and be spaced apart from the second electrode of the bottom surface of the cover 39. The coil 352 can also measure the resistance of the food together with the first electrode coil 351, and communicate with each other through the first and second guiding portions 353 and 354 to turn on the first and second electrode coils 351 and 352. The resistance signal is transmitted to the microprocessor 33, and the microprocessor 33 calculates the heat of the food, which is displayed on the display 36, in conjunction with the weight signal transmitted by the load unit 34.

In summary, the food calorie calculating device 3 of the present invention uses the first and second electrode coils 351 and 352 of the detecting unit 35 to directly measure the resistance of the food, and then compares the weight of the food with the load unit 34. The resistance signal and the weight signal are respectively transmitted to the microprocessor 33 to calculate the heat of the food, which is quite fast and convenient, and a relatively accurate value can be calculated, so that the object of the present invention can be achieved.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto, that is, the simple equivalent changes and modifications made by the scope of the invention and the description of the invention are All remain within the scope of the invention patent.

3‧‧‧Food calorie calculation device

31‧‧‧ Container

311‧‧‧ bottom wall

312‧‧‧ Around the wall

32‧‧‧Power supply

321‧‧‧ switch

33‧‧‧Microprocessor

331‧‧‧ User Identity Database

332‧‧‧Diet Record Database

34‧‧‧Load unit

35‧‧‧Detection unit

351‧‧‧First electrode coil

352‧‧‧Second electrode coil

353‧‧‧First Guide

354‧‧‧Second Guide

36‧‧‧ display

37‧‧‧Input unit

371‧‧‧Selection button

372‧‧‧Confirmation button

38‧‧‧Warning unit

39‧‧‧ Cover

Figure 1 is a side view showing the "heat display of food" disclosed in the new patent case No. M310329 of the Republic of China;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the "improved supplies" disclosed in the new patent case No. M330814 of the Republic of China;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view showing the first preferred embodiment of the food calorie calculating device of the present invention;

4 is a top view, which assists in explaining the manner in which the first electrode coil is disposed in the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a system architecture diagram for explaining the connection relationship of each component in the first preferred embodiment; and

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a second preferred embodiment of the food calorie calculating device of the present invention.

3. . . Food calorie calculation device

31. . . container

311. . . Bottom wall

312. . . Around the wall

32. . . power supply

321. . . switch

33. . . microprocessor

34. . . Load cell

35. . . Detection unit

351. . . First electrode coil

36. . . monitor

37. . . Input unit

371. . . Selection button

372. . . Enter

38. . . Warning unit

Claims (7)

A food calorie computing device comprising: a container for holding food, the container comprising a bottom wall, and a surrounding wall extending upward from the bottom wall; a power source disposed on the outer surface of the container and having a a switch for closing the power source; a microprocessor disposed on an outer surface of the container and electrically connected to the power source, the microprocessor is configured to process input, operation, storage, and output of the signal; a load cell is disposed at the The bottom of the container is electrically connected to the microprocessor, the load unit is for measuring the weight of the food, and transmits a weight signal to the microprocessor; a detecting unit comprising a plurality of laterally spaced apart surfaces on the inner surface of the container And electrically connected to the first electrode coil of the microprocessor, and the first electrode coil is gradually disposed from the top edge of the surrounding wall of the container toward the bottom wall, the first electrode coil is directly in contact with food And measuring the resistance of the food, and then transmitting a resistance signal to the microprocessor, the microprocessor is calculated according to the weight signal transmitted by the load cell and the resistance signal transmitted by the detecting unit Heat thereof; and a display, disposed on the outer surface of the container and electrically connected to the microprocessor, the microprocessor so that the heat can be calculated in the display monitor. The food calorie calculating device according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor comprises a user identity database, and a diet Recording the database, the food calorie computing device further comprises an input unit disposed on the outer surface of the container and electrically connected to the microprocessor, the input unit comprising a plurality of selection keys for selecting different databases, and a confirmation selection item Enter. The food calorie calculating device according to claim 2, further comprising a cover detachably attached to the container. The food calorie calculating device according to claim 3, wherein the detecting unit further comprises a first guiding wire disposed on a top edge of the surrounding wall of the container and electrically connected to the first electrode coil. a second electrode coil disposed on the bottom surface of the cover and measuring the resistance of the food, and a second guiding portion disposed on the periphery of the bottom surface of the cover and electrically connected to the second electrode coil. The second guiding portion electrically connects the first and second electrode coils corresponding to the first guiding portion. The food calorie calculating device according to claim 2 or 4, further comprising a warning unit disposed on the outer surface of the container and electrically connected to the microprocessor, the warning unit is according to the microprocessor The calculated food heat is issued and a warning is issued. The food calorie calculating device according to claim 5, wherein the warning unit is a light emitting diode. The food calorie calculating device according to claim 5, wherein the warning unit is a buzzer.