JP2013220110A - Eating utensil - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To effectively manage nutrition.
A user uses a meal detection tool that is used for a meal by a user, and a user detection unit that detects the user's body information and food information that is used together with the body information when generating management information for managing the user's meal. A food detection unit for detecting from the food to be ingested. In the eating tool, the interpersonal detection unit may detect physical information from the user. Moreover, in the meal tool, the interpersonal detection unit may detect the alcohol concentration in the user's breath as the physical information.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a meal utensil.

It has been proposed to incorporate a detection unit for detecting a food component into a meal utensil for nutritional management (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-022391

  A person's physical condition changes constantly. For this reason, management based on ingredients of ingested food is not always effective.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a food utensil used by a user for eating, a human detection unit for detecting the user's physical information, and food used together with the physical information when generating management information for managing the user's meal A food utensil is provided that includes a food detection unit that detects information from food taken by a user.

  Moreover, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a system for managing the nutrition of the user, a human detection unit for detecting the user's physical information, and a food detection unit for detecting the food information from the food taken by the user, There is provided a nutrition management system including a notification unit that notifies the user of management information that is generated based on body information and food information and that manages user meals.

  The above summary of the present invention does not enumerate all necessary features of the present invention. A sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

It is typical sectional drawing of the structure of the eating utensil 100. FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of the eating utensil 100. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a meal utensil 101. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of the eating utensil 102. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the eating utensil 103. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the eating utensil 104. It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the eating utensil 105. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the meal management system 99. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the meal management system 98 typically.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a meal utensil 100. The illustrated eating utensil 100 has the form of a pair of chopsticks 10 and 20 and is accommodated in a chopstick box 200. A pair of chopsticks 10 and 20 includes food detection units 11 and 21, control units 12 and 22, storage units 13 and 23, secondary batteries 14 and 24, personal detection units 15 and 25, notification units 16 and 26, and charging. Coils 17 and 27 are provided, respectively.

  In the chopsticks 10 and 20, the food detection units 11 and 21 have a detector that uses the chopsticks 10 and 20 to detect the food that the user ingests. The detector detects food components such as sugar content, food conditions such as temperature, and food appearance such as images. The detectors that can be arranged in the food detection units 11 and 21 are various, and may be electrical sensors such as a sugar meter, an image sensor, and a temperature sensor.

  The probe tips of the food detection units 11 and 21 are extended to the tips of the chopsticks 10 and 20 located at the lower end in the figure. Accordingly, the food detection units 11 and 21 can detect foods that the user takes using the chopsticks 10 and 20 as detection targets.

  In the chopsticks 10 and 20, the interpersonal detection units 15 and 25 include detectors that detect physical information related to the user of the chopsticks 10 and 20, for example. The interpersonal detection units 15 and 25 are arranged at positions away from the lower ends of the chopsticks 10 and 20 in the drawing. Thereby, the interpersonal detection units 15 and 25 can set a user who eats using the chopsticks 10 and 20 as a detection target.

  The interpersonal detection units 15 and 25 detect body fat percentage, body temperature, skin humidity, and the like as body information. Further, the detectors that can be arranged in the interpersonal detection units 15 and 25 are further diverse, and in addition to electrical sensors such as image sensors and gas sensors, chemical sensors that detect chemical components, biosensors, and the like can also be used.

  The storage units 13 and 23 store the detection results detected by the food detection units 11 and 21 and the human detection units 15 and 25 under the control of the control units 12 and 22. The control units 12 and 22 refer to the detection results stored in the storage units 13 and 23 and generate management information to be given to the user's meal management. The generated management information is notified to the user through the notification units 16 and 26.

  Note that the notification units 16 and 26 may include an optical display unit such as an LED, an LCD, a projector, or a pilot lamp. The notification units 16 and 26 may include a member that generates sound or vibration, such as a speaker, a buzzer, and a vibrator. Furthermore, the notification units 16 and 26 may include a transmitter or a communication device, and notify the user of management information through an external device such as a mobile phone.

  Furthermore, the notification units 16 and 26 may include a plurality of types of notification methods as described above. Thereby, the notification method can be switched according to the importance or urgency of the contents of the management information conveyed to the user.

  Charging coils 17 and 27 receive power for charging secondary batteries 14 and 24 from the outside. The electric power stored in the secondary batteries 14 and 24 drives the food detection units 11 and 21, the control units 12 and 22, the storage units 13 and 23, the person detection units 15 and 25, the notification units 16 and 26, and the like.

  In addition, in the chopsticks 10 and 20, the detection targets of the food detection units 11 and 21 may be the same or different from each other. Similarly, in the one chopsticks 10 and 20, the detection targets of the respective person detection units 15 and 25 may be the same or different.

  Further, in the first chopsticks 10 and 20, the notification units 16 and 26 may also use the same notification method, or may use different notification methods such that one uses light and one uses sound. It may be used.

  Further, an element provided on one of the chopsticks 10 and 20 may be omitted on the other of the chopsticks 10 and 20. For example, the detection unit or the like may be disposed on one of the chopsticks 10 and 20, and the other may have a function as a normal chopstick.

  The chopstick box 200 that houses the first chopsticks 10 and 20 includes a charging coil 210, a charging control unit 220, a secondary battery 230, a charging connector 240, and a spacer 250. In the chopstick box 200, the charging coil 210 supplies power to the charging coils 17 and 27 of the chopsticks 10 and 20. The secondary battery 230 supplies charging power to the charging coils 17 and 27 of the chopsticks 10 and 20 through the charging coil 210 under the control of the charging control unit 220.

  The secondary battery 230 is charged by being supplied with electric power from the outside through the charging connector 240. In the illustrated example, the secondary battery 230 is arranged in the vicinity of the end of the chopstick box 200. However, by placing a lithium polymer battery or the like on the bottom of the chopstick box 200, the secondary battery 230 having a larger capacity is placed in the chopstick box. 200 can be equipped.

  The secondary batteries 14 and 24 built in the chopsticks 10 and 20 preferably have a power capacity to be supplied during one meal. By incorporating the secondary batteries 14 and 24, it is possible to prevent the size and weight of the chopsticks 10 and 20 from becoming large.

  The charging connector 240 is used when connecting to a power source that charges the secondary battery 230 of the chopstick box 200. As the power source, a power adapter that converts commercial AC power into DC current can be used. A battery having a larger capacity can also be used as a power source.

  The spacer 250 aligns the length of the portion for storing the chopsticks 10 and 20 in the chopstick box 200 to be substantially the same as the entire length of the chopsticks 10 and 20. Thereby, when the chopsticks 10 and 20 are accommodated in the chopstick box 200, the charging coils 17 and 27 of the chopsticks 10 and 20 and the charging coil 210 of the chopstick box 200 are close to each other. Therefore, the secondary batteries 14 and 24 of the chopsticks 10 and 20 can be efficiently charged by the secondary battery 230 of the chopstick box 200.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the functional structure of the eating utensil 100. The eating utensil 100 includes a personal detection unit 110, a food detection unit 120, a storage unit 130, a control unit 140, and a notification unit 150.

  The interpersonal detection unit 110 uses the physical information of a user who eats using the eating utensil 100 as a detection target. On the other hand, the food detection unit 120 uses the food utensil 100 as a detection target for food that the user ingests. The storage unit 130 stores the detection result of the person detection unit 110 and the detection result of the food detection unit 120 together.

  The control unit 140 generates management information with reference to the detection result value stored in the storage unit 130. The management information includes information that informs the user when the detection result affects the nutrition management of the user. When the management information is generated, the control unit 140 transmits a command to the notification unit 150 to notify the user of the management information. The user who is notified of the management information can execute nutritional management such as suppressing food intake.

  Although the chopsticks 10 and 20 have been described as examples, the form of the eating utensil 100 is not limited to the chopsticks 10 and 20. The meal utensil 100 is a tool used when directly handling foods taken by a user, and is often used for meals. Specific examples of eating utensils include chopsticks, forks, spoons and the like. A knife such as a table knife may also be included in the eating utensils. Furthermore, a lotus, tong, dish, etc. are examples of meal utensils.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of the eating utensil 101 as a more specific example. Elements that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  The meal utensil 101 includes a body fat scale 112 in the interpersonal detection unit 110. The body fat scale 112 includes a DC-AC conversion circuit that generates a weak AC potential difference on the surface of the eating utensil and an impedance measurement circuit. Thereby, the interpersonal detection part 110 can detect the body fat rate of the user who took the eating utensil 101 when eating.

  In addition, the meal utensil 101 includes a sugar content meter 122 in the food detection unit 120. The sugar content meter 122 can be formed using, for example, a Brix value measuring device. The Brix value measuring device can detect the concentration of other electrolytic components such as salinity in addition to the sugar content.

  Thereby, the food detection unit 120 can detect the sugar content of the food touched with the eating utensil 101 when the user eats. Thus, the body fat percentage detected by the person detection unit 110 and the sugar content detected by the food detection unit 120 are recorded in the storage unit 130.

  Note that, in the eating utensil 101, the storage unit 130 includes a secondary storage medium 132 that is detachable from the eating utensil 101. As a result, the detection result stored in the meal utensil 101 is moved to another information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a mobile phone, added with advanced information processing, or transferred to another information processing apparatus and accumulated. be able to. In addition, when the free space of the storage unit 130 of the meal utensil 101 is insufficient, the secondary storage medium 132 can be replaced to increase the capacity.

  The control unit 140 refers to the body fat percentage and sugar content stored in the storage unit 130 and causes the notification unit 150 to generate a notification. For example, when the detection result of the interpersonal detection unit 110 indicates that the body fat percentage of the user is higher than a predetermined threshold and the sugar content of the food taken by the user is higher than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 140 Notifies the management information to operate the notifying unit 150 so as to prevent the user from taking sugar. In addition, when the body fat percentage of the user is on the rise based on the transition of the body fat percentage accumulated in the storage section 130, the control unit 140 similarly manages information indicating that the user should refrain from taking sugar. To be notified.

  On the other hand, when it is known from the detection result of the interpersonal detection unit 110 that there is a margin in the body fat percentage of the user, the control unit 140 does not generate management information even if the sugar content of the food consumed by the user is high. Thus, by providing both the personal detection unit 110 and the food detection unit 120, it is possible to prevent unnecessary management information from being generated and the meal from being cut off. Moreover, when the user's body fat percentage is temporarily high, effective management information can be notified.

  In the eating utensil 101, the notification unit 150 includes a transmission unit 152. The transmission unit 152 can transmit the generated management information to another terminal device through Bluetooth (registered trademark), wireless LAN, wireless USB, telephone line, or the like. Thereby, the notification unit 150 can notify the user of detailed management information that cannot be displayed on the display device provided in the eating utensil 101 through another information processing device, a mobile phone, a telephone line, or the like.

  The notification unit 150 may also generate management information using a display unit provided in the meal utensil 101 itself together with an external display device through the transmission unit 152. Furthermore, the alarm notification path may be changed according to the importance of the contents of the management information generated by the control unit 140. For example, since the management information regarding the sugar intake amount notified to the user suffering from diabetes is extremely important, the management information is transferred to the user's mobile phone, the attending doctor, etc. in addition to the notification by the notification unit 150 provided in the eating utensil 101 itself. May be.

  Thereby, for example, the minor management information is limited to a simple notification such as the notification unit 150 of the eating utensil 101 shining, and in the case of important management information, the user is notified by combining light and sound. May prevent management information from being overlooked. As described above, the notification method may be properly used according to the importance of the management information.

  In the eating utensil 101, at least one of the body fat scale 112 and the saccharimeter 122 may be changed to another measuring device. Further, at least one of the secondary storage medium 132 and the transmission unit 152 may be omitted from the eating utensil 101.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of the meal utensil 102 as another example. The meal utensil 102 has the same structure as the meal utensil 101 shown in FIG. Therefore, in the description regarding the meal utensil 102, the same reference number is attached | subjected to the element which is common in FIG. 3, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The meal utensil 102 has a thermometer 114 in the interpersonal detection unit 110. The thermometer 114 measures the body temperature of the user who takes the eating utensil 102. The detected food temperature is recorded in the storage unit 130. Thereby, the control part 140 can detect a user's physical condition based on the value of body temperature, and the change of body temperature.

  In addition, the meal utensil 102 includes a thermometer 124 in the food detection unit 120. The thermometer 124 detects the temperature of the food taken up by the user with the eating utensil 102 and ingested. The detected food temperature is recorded in the storage unit 130. Thereby, the control part 140 can detect whether a user's ingestion state is appropriate based on the temperature of the food to ingest.

  The control unit 140 refers to the body temperature and the food temperature stored in the storage unit 130 and, for example, transmits a command to the notification unit 150 when the user's body temperature significantly decreases in response to the intake of cold food. The management information is notified to the user. Thus, the user can take measures such as adjusting the rate of ingestion and prevent indigestion caused by ingesting cold food.

  Note that the management information notified here may be information using the notification unit 150 mounted on the eating utensil 102 itself, such as blinking of a warning lamp. In addition, when characters can be displayed at the transmission destination of the notification unit 150 or the transmission unit 152, for example, an indication that the intake amount or the intake rate should be suppressed may be displayed as the content of the management information.

  Moreover, in the eating utensil 102, the thermometer 114 and the thermometer 124 may be further added to the body fat scale 112 and the sugar meter 122 shown in FIG. Thereby, the notification unit 150 may notify both of the management information based on the body fat percentage and the sugar content and the management information based on the body temperature and the food temperature.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of the meal utensil 103 as another example. The meal utensil 103 has the same structure as the meal utensil 102 shown in FIG. Therefore, in the description regarding the meal utensil 103, the same reference number is attached | subjected to the same element as FIG. 4, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The interpersonal detection unit 110 of the eating utensil 103 includes a heart rate meter 116. The heart rate meter 116 periodically detects the user's heart rate based on a change in blood flow in the finger of the user who holds the eating utensil 103. The heart rate detected by the heart rate meter 116 is accumulated in the storage unit 130. Thereby, the control part 140 can detect the magnitude | size and its change of a burden concerning a user with a strong spice, a large amount of salinity, etc. with reference to the recorded heart rate, for example.

  In addition, the meal utensil 103 includes a weighing scale 126 in the food detection unit 120. The weight scale 126 detects the weight of food picked up by the user using the eating utensil 102. The detected food weight is stored in the storage unit 130. Thereby, the control part 140 can detect whether a user's food intake is appropriate based on the weight of the ingested food. Further, by multiplying the average nutritional calorie per unit weight of the food by the detected weight, the nutritional calorie consumed by the user can be estimated. In addition, the control unit 140 may accumulate the nutritional calorie within a certain period, and compare the accumulated value with a predetermined threshold value. Further, the control unit 140 may cause the notification unit 150 to notify when the accumulated value exceeds the threshold value.

  As described above, in the eating utensil 103, the control unit 140 estimates the burden on the user's body with reference to the heart rate and the intake amount stored in the storage unit 130, and the user's burden is estimated to be large. Transmits a command to the notification unit 150 to notify the user of management information. The management information notified here may be, for example, a warning for overeating or excessive intake of spices. Thereby, the user can take measures such as taking a break and suppressing the intake, and can prevent indigestion, overeating, and the like.

  In the eating utensil 103, the heart rate meter 116 and the weight meter 126 may be further added to the thermometer 114 and the thermometer 124 shown in FIG. Thereby, the notification part 150 may notify two types of management information, management information based on body temperature and food temperature, and management information based on body load and food intake. Furthermore, the body fat meter 112 and the sugar content meter 122 may be provided in the meal utensil 103, and management information based on the body fat percentage and the sugar content may also be notified.

  In addition, the meal utensil 103 may further include a clock 160. As a result, the control unit 140 detects the physical load and food intake of the user together with the time, and detects the physical load per unit time in addition to the total physical load and the total food intake. Load and food intake can also be detected. Therefore, the control part 140 can detect the load concerning a user more accurately.

  In the eating utensil 103, the control unit 140 may also refer to the time from the clock 160. Thereby, for example, when the time for ingesting food is late at night, the notification unit 150 may notify the management information that the ingestion of food itself should be suppressed. In addition, the control unit 140 may cause the notification unit 150 to notify the management information when the time interval at which the user takes food is short or when the amount of intake per unit time is large. As described above, the clock 160 can also be used as a part of the interpersonal detection unit 110.

  Furthermore, in the eating utensil 103, the control unit 140 may reset the detection value accumulated in the storage unit 130 by a predetermined period, for example, every day, by referring to the time from the clock 160. Thereby, nutrition management can be performed continuously, using the storage unit 130 having a limited capacity. Thus, effective nutrition management can be performed by detecting information from both the human body and food in the eating utensils 101, 102, 103.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of the meal utensil 104 as another example. The meal utensil 104 has the same structure as the meal utensil 103 shown in FIG. Therefore, in the description regarding the meal utensil 104, the same reference number is attached | subjected to the same element as FIG. 5, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The meal utensil 104 has a camera 170 that the interpersonal detection unit 110 and the antifood detection unit 120 commonly refer to. The camera 170 has an imaging unit with a large angle of view that can image both the user who uses the eating utensil 104 and the food taken by the user.

  Therefore, in the eating utensil 104, the interpersonal detection unit 110 can detect the state of the user, for example, the user's facial expression, skin condition, sweating, and the like from the user's video included in the captured image of the camera 170. Moreover, the control part 140 which referred the detection result can reflect the satisfaction of a user who takes in food, a preference, etc. in the management information notified to a user. Further, additional advice such as the user's makeup state (paste) may be notified to the user as management information.

  In the eating utensil 104, the food detection unit 120 can detect the type, bulk, and the like of the food from the food image included in the captured image of the camera 170. Furthermore, the camera 170 as a part of the food detection unit 120 can detect the type of food, the material used, the type of spice used, and the like based on the food image included in the captured image, as well as the food temperature and the food freshness. It can also be used as a sensor for detecting the like. Moreover, when a user ingests a plurality of types of food, the order of ingestion can also be detected.

  Based on these detection results, the control unit 140 can generate management information including advice for improving the user's eating behavior. Specifically, for example, if the policy is to take dietary fiber first in the diet and take in the fat content later than dietary fiber, the user took meat and fried food first. In this case, a warning is generated as management information. As described above, the eating utensil 104 includes the camera 170 that can be used as a general-purpose detector, so that various nutritional management can be performed according to the processing content in the control unit 140.

  Furthermore, the camera 170 can also be used as a reading device for barcodes, QR codes (registered trademark), characters, and the like. Therefore, information regarding food may be detected in more detail from a container, food, a bar code, a QR code (registered trademark), a character, or the like written on a menu or the like that contains a food taken by the user.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of a meal utensil 105 as another example. The meal utensil 105 has the same structure as the meal utensil 104 shown in FIG. Therefore, in the description regarding the meal utensil 105, the same reference number is attached | subjected to the same element as FIG. 6, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The interpersonal detection unit 110 of the eating utensil 105 includes an accelerometer 118. The accelerometer 118 detects acceleration generated in the eating utensil 105 when operated by the user. The detected acceleration is stored in the storage unit 130. Thereby, the control unit 140 estimates the user's food intake behavior based on the displacement of the eating utensil 105.

  Thereby, for example, at least one of the start and end of food intake by the user can be automatically and accurately detected. Even if the eating utensil 105 comes into contact with the food or picks up the food, if the amount of movement of the eating utensil 105 is small, it is detected that the user has not ingested the picked-up food, and nutritional management is performed. Accuracy can be improved. Further, when the user is not eating based on the acceleration, the mode may be shifted to the sleep mode, and the sleep mode may be canceled when the user starts eating.

  In addition, the meal utensil 105 includes a weighing scale 126 in the food detection unit 120. The weight scale 126 detects the weight of food picked up by the user using the eating utensil 102. Therefore, by detecting the type of food detected by the camera 170 and the weight of the food detected by the weighing scale 126, the control unit 140 can accurately detect the amount of nutritional heat consumed by the user. .

  As described above, in the eating utensil 105, the accuracy of nutrition management or the like can be improved by using the camera 170 and another detector in combination. Further, by providing a detector suitable for the detection target, it is possible to reduce the load on the control unit 140 that processes the image captured by the camera 170.

  In addition, when the eating utensil 105 is used as a restaurant fixture, the accelerometer 118 can also detect the falling of the eating utensil 105, for example. In such a case, the control unit 140 transmits a command to the notification unit 150 to notify the backyard that the eating utensil 105 has dropped. Thereby, the alternative meal utensil 105 can be rapidly provided to a user. In this way, the accelerometer 118 can also be used to improve restaurant services.

  Of course, the detector added to the person detection unit 110 is not limited to the accelerometer 118. Instead of the accelerometer 118 or in addition to the accelerometer 118, other detectors including various detectors already illustrated may be added to the interpersonal detection unit 110.

  Similarly, it goes without saying that the detector added to the food detection unit 120 is not limited to the weighing scale 126. Instead of the weight scale 126 or in addition to the weight scale 126, other detectors including various detectors already exemplified may be added to the food detection unit 120.

  Furthermore, a detector including other sensors not yet exemplified can be applied. For example, a gas sensor can be provided in the person detection unit 110 to detect the alcohol concentration contained in the user's breath. Thereby, the control part 140 can detect the user's heel state and can notify management information that alcohol intake should be suppressed. In addition, it is possible to notify management information indicating that the intake of alcohol should suppress the amount of nutritional heat consumed from food.

  As another example, a biosensor may be provided in the person detection unit 110, and for example, the concentration of biological components may be detected by analyzing the composition of the user's saliva. Thereby, the control part 140 detects a user's nutritional state, a stress state, etc., and notifies the user of the advice regarding the kind of food which should be actively ingested, sleep time, etc. as management information. In this way, the eating utensil 106 can be used not only for nutrition management but also for general health management.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the meal management system 99 including the meal utensil 106. The meal management system 99 includes a meal utensil 106 and a server 300. The meal utensil 106 and the server 300 are connected to each other via a general-purpose communication network 400 so that they can communicate with each other.

  The meal utensil 106 in the meal management system 99 has the same structure as the meal utensil 104 shown in FIG. Therefore, in the description relating to the eating utensil 106, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements as those in FIG.

  The meal utensil 106 includes a communication unit 180 instead of the transmission unit 152 of the notification unit 150. The communication unit 180 can be individually accessed from each of the personal detection unit 110, the food detection unit 120, the storage unit 130, the control unit 140, and the notification unit 150, and transmits or receives detection information, storage information, control signals, and management information. it can. Therefore, the personal detection unit 110, the food detection unit 120, the storage unit 130, the control unit 140, and the notification unit 150 in the meal utensil 106 are transmitted to other servers such as the server 300 through the communication network 400 outside the meal utensil 106, for example, the Internet. Data can be sent to and received from the device.

  The server 300 in the meal management system 99 includes a communication unit 310, an information processing unit 320, and a large capacity storage unit 330. The communication unit 310 communicates with the communication unit 180 of the eating utensil 106 via the communication network 400. Thus, the server 300 can individually communicate with the personal detection unit 110, the food detection unit 120, the storage unit 130, the control unit 140, and the notification unit 150 of the eating utensil 106.

  The large capacity storage unit 330 has a larger capacity than the storage unit 130 of the meal utensil 106 and includes a food database 332. The food database 332 stores information useful as management information, such as nutritional heat per unit amount of food, precautions regarding ingredients, allergies, and the like in association with characteristic images of various foods.

  The information processing unit 320 refers to the information acquired from the meal utensil 106 through the communication unit 310 and the information stored in the large-capacity storage unit 330, and plays at least part of the generation of management information. For example, the information processing unit 320 specifies the type of food consumed by the user through a matching process between the food image detected by the food detection unit 120 in the eating utensil 106 and the food image stored in the food database 332. To do. Thereby, while being able to reduce the load of the control part 140 of the eating utensil 106, the precision which pinpoints the kind of foodstuff can be improved.

  Further, the information processing unit 320 stores and accumulates information acquired from the meal utensil 106 in the large-capacity storage unit 330. Thereby, even if it is a case where the storage part 130 of the eating utensil 106 is reset, the detected information can be preserve | saved. Therefore, continuous nutrition management can be performed over a long period of time.

  Thereby, the processing burden of the control part 140 in the eating utensil 106 is reduced. Further, since the information processing unit 320 of the server 300 has a higher processing capability than the control unit 140 of the eating utensil 106, more advanced information processing can be executed at a higher speed than when the control unit 140 executes. Therefore, the meal management system 99 can execute more advanced nutrition management.

  In the meal management system 99, a single server 300 may support a plurality of meal tools 106. The meal management system 99 may be formed by a combination of one server 300 and one meal utensil 106. In any case, the user who uses each meal utensil 106 and the administrator of the server 300 may be the same, or may exist individually. Further, a nutrition manager other than the user may manage the nutrition of the user using a terminal different from the eating utensil 106.

  The meal management system 99 may be constructed inside a service facility that involves eating and drinking. In this case, the eating utensil 106 is used as a utensil such as a canteen, a restaurant, a nursing facility, a hospital, or a dormitory. Thereby, for example, by detecting foods consumed by the food detection unit 120 of the dining utensil 106 used in the kitchen and the table, the meal management system 99 is used to assist the food inventory management together with the nutrition management. be able to.

  In addition, the meal management system 99 can be assisted with services to customers of restaurants by grasping the usage state of the meal utensil 106 detected by the interpersonal detection unit 110 by the information processing unit 320 of the server 300. Further, in the self-service business mode, the meal management system 99 can assist the accounting process by causing the food detection unit 120 of the meal utensil 106 to detect the food ingested by the customer.

  On the contrary, in the meal management system 99, the meal utensil 106 may be carried by the user for each meal as a property of the individual user. By using the Internet, a telephone line network, or the like as the communication network 400, the user can grasp all food intake behavior by the server 300 and execute comprehensive and continuous nutrition management.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the meal management system 98 including the meal utensil 106. The meal management system 98 includes a meal tool 107 and a server 300. The meal utensil 107 and the server 300 are connected to each other via a general-purpose communication network 400 so that they can communicate with each other. Regarding the meal utensil 107 and the server 300 in the meal management system 98, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements as those in the meal management system 99 shown in FIG.

  Compared to the meal utensil 106, the meal utensil 107 omits the storage unit 130, the control unit 140, and the notification unit 150. For this reason, in the eating utensil 107, the body information detected by the person detection unit 110 and the food information detected by the food detection unit 120 are transferred from the communication unit 180 to the server 300 through the general-purpose communication network 400. . Also in this form, the user who uses each meal utensil 107 and the administrator of the server 300 may be the same, or may exist individually.

  Thus, the functions of the storage unit 130 and the control unit 140 of the meal utensil 106 in the meal management system 99 can be delegated to the information processing unit 320 of the server 300 in the meal management system 98. Therefore, the eating utensil 107 can be easily reduced in size and weight, and the power consumption can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the meal management system 98, the information processing unit 320 of the server 300 generates management information for managing the user's meal based on the acquired body information and food information. The generated management information is transmitted through the communication unit 310 and the general-purpose communication network 400 to the mobile communication device 109 possessed by the user such as a mobile phone, a PDA, or a tablet. Thereby, the user or other nutrition managers can acquire management information generated based on the user's physical information and food information.

  Thus, the function of the notification unit 150 of the meal utensil 106 in the meal management system 99 can be delegated to the information processing unit 320 of the server 300 and the mobile communication device 109 possessed by the user in the meal management system 98. Therefore, the meal utensil 107 itself can be further reduced in size and weight, and power consumption can be suppressed.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

10, 20 Chopsticks 11, 21, 120 Anti-food detection unit 12, 22, 140 Control unit 13, 23, 130 Storage unit 14, 24, 230 Secondary battery 15, 25, 110 Inter-person detection unit 16, , 26, 150 Notification unit, 17, 27, 210 Charging coil, 98, 99 Meal management system, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 Meal utensil, 109 Mobile communication device, 112 Body fat scale 114 thermometer 116 heart rate meter 118 accelerometer 122 sugar meter 124 thermometer 126 weight meter 132 secondary storage medium 152 transmission unit 160 clock 170 camera 180 180 communication unit 200 chopstick box 220 Charging control unit, 240 charging connector, 250 spacer, 300 server, 320 information processing unit, 330 large capacity Pay section, 332 food database, 400 communication network

Claims (28)

A meal tool used by a user for a meal,
A human detection unit for detecting the physical information of the user;
A food utensil comprising: a food detection unit that detects food information used together with the physical information from food taken by the user when generating management information for managing the user's meal.   The eating tool according to claim 1, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects the physical information from the user.   The eating tool according to claim 1, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects an alcohol concentration in a user's breath as the physical information.   The meal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects a concentration of a biological component contained in a user's saliva as the physical information.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the interpersonal detection unit includes a interpersonal image capturing unit that captures an image of a user who ingests food.   The eating tool according to claim 5, wherein the interpersonal imaging unit images a face of a user who takes food.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects a body fat percentage of the user as the body information.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the interpersonal detection unit includes an accelerometer that detects an acceleration generated in the eating tool.   The eating tool according to claim 8, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects at least one of start and end of food intake by the user as the physical information based on the acceleration detected by the accelerometer.   The eating tool according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects that the user is not ingesting food as the physical information based on the acceleration detected by the accelerometer.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects, as the physical information, an order in which the user has ingested food when the user has ingested multiple types of food. .   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the food detection unit includes a food imaging unit that images food taken by a user.   The meal tool according to claim 12, wherein the food detection unit detects a type of the food based on a food image captured by the food imaging unit.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the food detection unit includes a weight detecting unit that detects a weight of food lifted by the user with the eating tool.   The food utensil according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the food detection unit includes a calorie detection unit that detects a nutritional calorie of food taken by a user.   The eating tool according to claim 15, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the user of management information when the cumulative value of the nutritional heat quantity of the food ingested by the user exceeds a predetermined threshold.   The food utensil according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the food detection unit includes a chemical sensor that detects a predetermined component in food taken by a user.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the food detection unit includes a reading unit that reads information described about a food taken by a user.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the user of the management information by at least one of vibration and light.   The meal tool according to any one of claims 1 to 19, further comprising a clock.   The meal tool according to claim 20, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects an intake amount of food per unit time by a user.   The eating tool according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the interpersonal detection unit detects a time when the user ingests the food.   The eating tool according to claim 22, further comprising a notification unit that notifies management information indicating that the intake should be suppressed when the user takes the food during a predetermined time period.   The eating tool according to any one of claims 20 to 23, further comprising a storage unit that accumulates the management information and is initialized at predetermined intervals.   The said eating utensil further has a communication part which transmits so that the detection result of at least one of the said person detection part and the said food detection part may be stored in an external storage apparatus. Meal utensils described in.   The said eating utensil further has a communication part which communicates with the information processing apparatus which produces | generates management information from the detection result of at least one of the said person detection part and the said food detection part. The meal tool as described in a term.   The meal tool according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the meal tool includes a transmission unit that transmits the management information to a mobile communication device carried by a user. A nutrition management system for managing user nutrition,
A human detection unit for detecting the physical information of the user;
A food detection unit for detecting food information from the food ingested by the user;
A nutrition management system comprising: a notification unit for notifying the user of management information for managing the user's meal generated based on the physical information and the food information.

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