Food management system

{
  "publication_number": "US11421929B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Food management system",
  "abstract": "A food management system that manages food items in a refrigerator includes: a pressure-sensitive sensor that acquires information including shapes, weights, and positions of the food items; a comparator that performs comparison of the information acquired at different times; and an identifier that identifies at least one of (i) fluctuations in the number of food items or (ii) presence or absence of the food items.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A food management system that manages food items in a refrigerator, the food management system comprising: a pressure-sensitive sensor that acquires information including shapes, weights, and positions of the food items; and a control circuit configured to function as: a comparator that performs comparison of the information acquired at different times; and an identifier that identifies at least one of (i) fluctuations in a total number of food items or (ii) presence or absence of the food items.",
    "2. The food management system according to claim 1, wherein the identifier functions as a specifier that specifies a new food item, a stored food item, and a food item to be deleted based on a result of the comparison.",
    "3. The food management system according to claim 2, wherein the identifier further functions as a user setting receiver.",
    "4. The food management system according to claim 3, wherein the user setting receiver receives selection of food item.",
    "5. The food management system according to claim 4, further comprising: a display, wherein if the user setting receiver is used by the user, the display displays one of map information illustrating positions and shapes of the new food item and the food item to be deleted; and list information indicating the new food item and the food item to be deleted.",
    "6. The food management system according to claim 5, wherein the display switches between displaying the map information and displaying the list information.",
    "7. The food management system according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit is further configured to function as an updater that updates a placement period of a food item, and if the new food item and the food item to be deleted are identical to each other, the updater updates a placement period of the food item to be deleted to a placement period of the new food item.",
    "8. The food management system according to claim 2, wherein the specifier specifies the new food item, the stored food item, and the food item to be deleted, based on an estimation model generated by machine learning.",
    "9. The food management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a display that displays placement periods of the food items and/or the information on the food items.",
    "10. The food management system according to claim 1, wherein the information includes identification numbers respectively associated with the food items.",
    "11. The food management system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure-sensitive sensor is configured in a form of a sheet having a detection area on a top surface.",
    "12. The food management system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure-sensitive sensor is disposed in a storage structure having an opening/closing door, and acquires the information when the door is closed.",
    "13. A food management system that manages food items in a refrigerator, the food management system comprising: a pressure-sensitive sensor that acquires information including shapes, weights, and positions of the food items; and a controller including a processor and a recording medium storing a program, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to: generate food item information based on the information acquired by the pressure-sensitive sensor; perform comparison of the information acquired at different times; and identify at least one of (i) fluctuations in a total number of food items or (ii) presence or absence of the food items.",
    "14. The food management system according to claim 13, wherein the executed program further causes the controller to specify a new food item, a stored food item, and a food item to be deleted from the food item information based on a result of the comparison.",
    "15. The food management system according to claim 14, further comprising a user interface that receives a user input from a user, wherein the executed program further causes the controller to determine whether the new food item and the food item to be deleted from the food item information are identical based on the user input.",
    "16. The food management system according to claim 15, further comprising: a display, wherein the executed program further causes the controller to cause the display to display one of: map information illustrating positions and shapes of the new food item and the food item to be deleted from the food item information; and list information indicating the new food item and the food item to be deleted from the food item information.",
    "17. The food management system according to claim 14, wherein the executed program further causes the controller to: update a placement period of a food item, and if the new food item and the food item to be deleted from the food item information are identical to each other, update a placement period of the food item to be deleted from the food item information to a placement period of the new food item.",
    "18. The food management system according to claim 14, wherein the executed program further causes the controller to specify the new food item, the stored food item, and the food item to be deleted from the food item information, based on an estimation model generated by machine learning."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a food management system. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, systems for managing food stored in refrigerators have been developed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-085043 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-329597).\n\nIn the related art, however, there is a problem that systems become very big and some kinds of items are difficult to manage. The present disclosure provides a food management system that can manage various kinds of food with a simple configuration. In order to solve the aforementioned problem, a food management system according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a food management system that manages food items in a refrigerator and includes: a pressure-sensitive sensor that acquires information including shapes, weights, and positions of the food items; a comparator that performs comparison of the information acquired at different times; and an identifier that identifies at least one of (i) fluctuations in a total number of food items or (ii) presence or absence of the food items. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to mange various kinds of food items with a simple configuration.\n\nThese and other objects, advantages and features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that illustrate a specific embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG.",
  "cpc": [
    "F25D 29/00",
    "B65G 1/137",
    "F25D 11/00",
    "F25D 2400/36",
    "F25D 2500/06",
    "F25D 2700/06",
    "G06F 13/00",
    "G06N 20/00",
    "G06Q 10/08",
    "G06Q 50/10",
    "G06V 20/00",
    "G06V 20/68"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "F25D 11/00",
    "G06N 20/00",
    "G06V 20/00",
    "G06V 20/68"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "PANASONIC IP MAN CO LTD"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "YAMAHIRA SEIJI",
    "MORIURA YUTA",
    "ODAGAWA AKIHIRO",
    "NIKI KAZUYA",
    "MASUDA SHINOBU",
    "SAWADA Yui",
    "NOINE KEIJI"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2020-01-10",
  "publication_date": "2022-08-23",
  "grant_date": "2022-08-23",
  "priority_date": "2017-07-21",
  "application_number": "US-202016740232-A",
  "family_id": "65015949",
  "citations": [
    "JP2001317860A",
    "JP2003185327A",
    "JP2006329597A",
    "JP2014085043A",
    "JP2017015298A"
  ]
}