Fruit price estimation apparatus, fruit price estimation method, computer program, and fruit price estimation system

Abstract

To provide a price estimation apparatus which can properly estimate a selling price of a fruit.SOLUTION: The present invention is directed, through its embodiment, to an apparatus for estimating a selling price of a fruit. The apparatus has a storage device for storing associated data obtained by associating the selling price with the component, and a control apparatus for executing estimation processing for the selling price by using the associated data. The estimation processing includes first processing for calculating an estimated component as the component during an estimation target period and second processing for extracting, from the associated data, the estimated price as the selling price corresponding to the estimated component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fruit price estimation device, a fruit price estimation method, a computer program, and a fruit price estimation system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a harvest information proposal system that acquires the predicted market selling price of agricultural products in the period near the harvest time and proposes the harvest time and harvest volume of the agricultural products based on the acquired predicted market selling price. Patent Document 2 describes a management system that manages the position information and quality information of agricultural products in association with each other and determines a separation target to be separated from a stock based on the position information of the agricultural products that satisfy the quality conditions required by a customer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, regarding fruits such as grapes whose components at the time of harvest are likely to affect the selling price, it is not assumed to estimate the selling price based on the components of the fruit at the time of harvest. In view of such conventional problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a price estimation device or the like that can appropriately estimate the selling price of fruits.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus for estimating the selling price of fruits, comprising: a storage device that stores correspondence data associating the component with the selling price; and a control device that executes an estimation process of the selling price using the correspondence data. The estimation process includes a first process of obtaining an estimated component that is the component during an estimation target period, and a second process of extracting an estimated price that is the selling price corresponding to the estimated component from the correspondence data.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by an apparatus, a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, or any combination thereof. The nature of the recording medium may be either volatile or non-volatile. The apparatus may be composed of a plurality of individual apparatuses. When composed of a plurality of individual apparatuses, they may be arranged in one housing or separated and arranged in two or more separate housings.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the selling price of fruits can be appropriately estimated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] <Summary of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> Hereinafter, the summary of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) The apparatus according to the present embodiment is an apparatus for estimating the selling price of fruits, and includes a storage device that stores correspondence data associating the components with the selling price, and a control device that executes an estimation process of the selling price using the correspondence data. The estimation process includes a first process of obtaining an estimation component that is the component of the fruit during the estimation target period, and a second process of extracting an estimation price that is the selling price corresponding to the estimation component from the correspondence data.

[0010] According to the fruit price estimation apparatus of the present embodiment, since the control device executes an estimation process including a first process of obtaining an estimation component that is the component of the fruit during the estimation target period and a second process of extracting an estimation price that is the selling price corresponding to the estimation component from the correspondence data, the selling price of the fruit can be appropriately estimated.

[0011] (2) In the fruit price estimation apparatus of the present embodiment, when the storage device further stores variation data representing the temporal change of the components of the fruit, the first process may be a process of calculating the estimation component based on the variation data. In this case, since the first process is executed based on the variation data representing the temporal change of the components of the fruit, the estimation component that is the source data of the second process can be accurately calculated. Therefore, the estimation price can be accurately obtained.

[0012] (3) In the fruit price estimation apparatus of the present embodiment, the correspondence data may be data associating the production area of the fruit with the selling price. In this case, an estimation price corresponding to the production area of the fruit can be obtained.

[0013] (4) Specifically, when the control device acquires the area information specified by the user, it may select the corresponding data used for the second process based on the production area specified from the specified area information.

[0014] (5) In the fruit price estimation device of the present embodiment, the corresponding data may be data in which the variety of the fruit is further associated with the selling price. In this case, an estimated price corresponding to the variety of the fruit can be obtained.

[0015] (6) Specifically, when the control device acquires the variety specified by the user, it may select the corresponding data used for the second process based on the specified variety.

[0016] (7) In the fruit price estimation device of the present embodiment, the component may be at least one of sugar content, acidity, and pH. In this case, an estimated price corresponding to at least one of sugar content, acidity, and pH can be obtained.

[0017] (8) In the fruit price estimation device of the present embodiment, the fruit may be grapes. In this case, an appropriate estimated price for grapes can be obtained.

[0018] (9) In the fruit price estimation device of the present embodiment, the control device may transmit content including the estimated price for each of the estimated components to the user terminal that requests the estimation process. In this way, the obtained estimated price can be accurately notified to the user terminal.

[0019] (10) In the fruit price estimation device of the present embodiment, the content may include a graph of time-series data of the estimated component in which the estimated price is displayed near the estimated component. In this way, the estimated price can be presented to the user in a display mode that is easy for the user to visually confirm.

[0020] (11) In the fruit price estimation device of this embodiment, the content may include the graphs for at least two of the sugar content, the acidity, and the pH. In this way, since graphs of time-series data of multiple types of components are presented simultaneously, there is an advantage that it becomes easier for the user to confirm the influence of each component on the estimated price.

[0021] (12) In the fruit price estimation device of this embodiment, the actual values of the components regarding the fruits harvested in the past in the field managed by the user may be further displayed in the graph. In this way, the user can predict the estimated price in the field managed by himself / herself by analyzing the deviation between the actual values of the past components and the estimated components.

[0022] (13) In the fruit price estimation device of this embodiment, the harvesting period of the fruit may be further displayed in the graph. In this way, the user can determine whether the harvesting period is a suitable time for harvesting by comparing the estimated components of the multiple graphs in the displayed harvesting period.

[0023] (14) The method according to this embodiment is a fruit price estimation method executed by the price estimation device of (1) to (13) above. Therefore, the fruit price estimation method of this embodiment has the same operational effects as the price estimation device of (1) to (13) above.

[0024] (15) The computer program according to this embodiment is a computer program that causes a computer to function as the price estimation device of (1) to (13) above. Therefore, the computer program of this embodiment has the same operational effects as the price estimation device of (1) to (13) above.

[0025] (16) A system according to an aspect of the present embodiment includes the price estimation device of (1) to (13) described above, and the quality measurement device that communicates with the price estimation device. The measurement device is a portable measurement device capable of measuring the quality without contact. In this case, since the quality measurement device is a portable measurement device capable of measuring the quality without contact, the quality of the fruit can be easily collected.

[0026] (17) In the system of the present embodiment, it further includes a collection device for the selling price that communicates with the price estimation device. The collection device may be an information providing server that collects the selling prices of the fruits for each production area from a plurality of portable terminals. In this case, since the collection device for the selling price is the above information providing server, the price estimation device can acquire the selling prices of the fruits collected by the information providing server from a wide area.

[0027] (18) In the system of the present embodiment, it further includes a user terminal that communicates with the price estimation device. The price estimation device may execute the estimation process in response to an estimation request from the user terminal and transmit the estimation result to the user terminal. In this case, the estimation result of the selling price can be appropriately provided to the user terminal that has made the estimation request.

[0028] <Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0029] 〔Overall Configuration of the System〕 FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a work support system 200. The work support system 200 in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, also referred to as the "support system") is a system in which the measurement device 10, the portable terminal 20, the user terminal 30, and the management server 40 cooperate to provide agricultural-related services such as support for agricultural work. Therefore, the support system 200 includes at least the measuring device 10, the mobile terminal 20, the user terminal 30, and the management server 40 as communication nodes for information exchange.

[0030] The measuring device 10 is a device that measures the components of the fruit 3, which is a type of growth target. Specifically, the measuring device 10 is a device that nondestructively measures the components of the fruit 3 by spectroscopic analysis based on the transmitted light or reflected light of the irradiation light with a predetermined wavelength. The measurable components include, for example, at least one of the sugar content, acidity (total organic acid content), and pH of the fruit 3. The measuring device 10 is portable. Therefore, the worker 1 can perform on-site quality measurement of the fruit 3 growing in the field Au.

[0031] As the portable measuring device 10, for example, "Fruit Selector" (trademark: K-BA800) manufactured by Kubota Corporation can be adopted. The measuring device 10 includes a device main body 10A having an arithmetic unit for analysis processing based on a calibration curve, and a measuring head 10B for irradiating and receiving the irradiation light, and these are connected by a dedicated cable. The device main body 10A is connected to the mobile terminal 20 by wired communication using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0032] When the light emitting part of the measuring head 10B is brought close to the fruit 3, the measurement result including the component value is displayed on the display (not shown) of the device main body 10A and transmitted to the mobile terminal 20. The mobile terminal 20 transmits the measurement result to the management server 40. When the measuring device 10 has a wireless communication function with the wireless base station 80, the measurement result may be directly transmitted to the management server 40. The measurement result transmitted to the management server 40 includes the measurement date and time, the type, variety, production area of the fruit 3, and the component value, etc.

[0033] The mobile terminal 20, the user terminal 30, and the management server 40 are connected by a public network 70 including the Internet and the like. However, the mobile terminal 20 is connected to the public network 70 via wireless communication with a wireless base station 80. The mobile terminal 20 is a communication terminal assigned to the worker 1. The mobile terminal 20 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a notebook computer. In the illustrated example, only one worker 1 is drawn, but there may be a plurality of workers.

[0034] The user terminal 30 is a terminal device assigned to the manager (hereinafter referred to as "management user") 2 of the farm F including a plurality of farms Au (u = 1, 2,...). In the illustrated example, one farm F includes nine farms Au, but the number of farms Au is arbitrary and may be one or more. The user terminal 30 is, for example, a desktop computer. The user terminal 30 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a notebook computer.

[0035] The management user 2 is a user of the agricultural-related service provided by the management server 40. The management user 2 is pre-registered as a member with the management server 40. In this embodiment, the fruit 3 to be grown is, for example, grapes that are raw materials for wine, and the plurality of farms Au are vineyards for cultivating the grapes 3. The same variety of grapes 3 or different varieties of grapes 3 may be cultivated in the vineyard Au.

[0036] The agricultural-related services provided by the management server 40 include services that provide estimated results of the selling price of the grapes 3 in the future. Therefore, the management server 40 has a function as a "fruit price estimation device" for the grapes 3. When the user terminal 30 accesses the agricultural-related service of the management server 40, it can transmit an estimation request based on the information specified by the management user 2 to the management server 40. The estimation request includes information necessary for the estimation process such as the target period and the production area and variety of the grapes 3.

[0037] Based on the estimation request RQ2 received from the user terminal 30, the management server 40 executes an estimation process for the selling price (see FIG. 6). Details of the estimation process will be described later. The management server 40 transmits content including the estimation result (estimated price) of the selling price to the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 displays the received content on the display of its own device and also transfers it to the mobile terminal 20. However, the management server 40 may also transmit the content of the estimation result to the mobile terminal 20.

[0038] In addition to the mobile terminal 20 and the user terminal 30, the management server 40 also communicates with external devices such as the information providing server 50. The information provided by the information providing server 50 includes the selling price of grape 3 at the current time. The selling price may adopt, for example, at least one of the shipping price, wholesale price, and retail price of grape 3. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the selling price is the price (shipping price) when the grower of grape 3 ships grape 3 to the wholesaler.

[0039] The information providing server 50 is a server that operates an information platform for collecting the distribution prices of agricultural products. Examples of such an information platform include "bando" (https: / / bando.in) operated by kikitori Co., Ltd. Specifically, participants in the information platform transmit the current price performance including the shipping date, production area, type, variety, and selling price (wholesale price) of agricultural products such as grape 3 to the information providing server 50 by means of a terminal device such as a smartphone.

[0040] The information providing server 50 accumulates and manages, for example, the price performance collected from participants (information providers) across Japan, and transmits the current price performance of agricultural products to the user's terminal device in response to a provision request from a registered user. Note that the user may also act as a participant. In the example of FIG. 1, the case where the region of the participants in the information platform is Japan is illustrated. However, the region of the participants may include foreign regions where grape 3 for wine can be grown, such as Europe, North America, and Australia.

[0041] The management server 40 is registered as a user in the information providing server 50, and can transmit a provision request including the designation of the shipping date, production area, and variety of grape 3 to the information providing server 50. In this case, the information providing server 50 transmits the price performance of grape 3 with the designated shipping date, production area, and variety to the management server 40. The designated shipping date may be the day of transmission of the information request or a day before the day of transmission. The management server 40 may operate the information platform of the price performance of grape 3 by itself. In this case, the information providing server 50 becomes unnecessary.

[0042] 〔Configuration example of management server〕 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the management server 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the management server 40 is a type of information processing device including a control device 41, a storage device 42, a communication device 43, and a plurality of types of databases (DBs) 44 to 46. The plurality of types of databases 44 to 46 are electronic data constructed in a predetermined data array in the storage device 42. Note that part or all of the databases 44 to 46 may be constructed in an external storage device (not shown) connected to the management server 40.

[0043] The control device 41 is an arithmetic processing device including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control device 41 may include an integrated circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The control device 41 reads the computer program 47 stored in the storage device 42 into the main memory (RAM), and executes information processing according to the read program 47. The information processing includes an estimation process of the selling price of grape 3 and the like.

[0044] The storage device 42 is an auxiliary storage device including a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage device 42 may include a flash ROM (Read Only Memory), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, or an SD memory card. The communication device 43 is a communication interface capable of communicating with an external device via the public network 70.

[0045] The plurality of types of databases 44 to 46 include a primary database 44, a variable database 45, and a correspondence database 46. The primary database 44 stores primary data PD (see FIG. 3). The primary data PD is raw data necessary for the estimation process of the selling price. The management server 40 generates the primary data PD based on the information received from the information providing server 50 and the measurement devices 10 in various locations.

[0046] The variable database 45 stores variable data SDijk (see FIG. 4). The variable data SDijk is, for example, time-series data representing the change over time of the components of grape 3. The variable data SDijk is a type of secondary data processed from the primary data PD. The correspondence database 46 stores correspondence data CDijk (see FIG. 5). The correspondence data is, for example, data associating the selling price and components of grape 3. The variable data SDijk is a type of secondary data processed from the primary data PD.

[0047] The computer program 47 includes a program for causing the control device 41 to execute the following processes. 1) "Primary data generation process" (step S11) 2) "Variable data generation process" (step S12) 3) "Correspondence data generation process" (step S13) 4) "Selling price estimation process" (step S14)

[0048] [Generation Process of Primary Data] The primary data collection process (step S11) is a process of generating primary data PD based on the price performance obtained from the information providing server 50 and the measurement results obtained from the measuring device 10. FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of the data structure of the primary data PD.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, the primary data PD is composed of data in a table format including columns such as "measurement date", "selling price", "variety", "component 1 (brix)", "component 2 (acidity)", "component 3 (pH)", and "production area". "Measurement date" is a column that records the date (measurement date) when the components of grape 3 were measured. "Selling price" is a column that records the shipping price of grape 3 on the measurement date (for example, the price per unit weight).

[0050] "Component 1 (brix)" is a column that records the brix of grape 3 on the measurement date. "Component 2 (acidity)" is a column that records the acidity of grape 3 on the measurement date. "Component 3 (pH)" is a column that records the pH of grape 3 on the measurement date. "Production area" is a column that records the production area of the shipped grape 3.

[0051] The control device 41 of the management server 40 generates the primary data PD using, for example, the measurement date, production area, and variety as "composite keys". Specifically, the control device 41 generates the primary data PD according to the following procedure, for example. Here, the identifier of the measurement result is set as "m" (m = 1, 2...). Procedure P11: Every time one measurement result is received from the measuring devices 10 in various places, a record (row) m of the measurement result is generated.

[0052] Procedure P12: Enter the date corresponding to the measurement date and time, the measured variety, the measured value of component 1 (am), the measured value of component 2 (bm), the measured value of component 3 (cm), and the production location information (e.g., address) into the columns of the measurement date, variety, component 1, component 2, component 3, and production location of record m. Procedure P13: For example, adopt the date of the measurement date of record m as the "shipment date", and send a provision request including the designation of the shipment date, production location, and variety to the information providing server 50.

[0053] Procedure P14: Enter the price performance value received from the information providing server 50 into the column of the selling price of record m. Procedure P15: Repeat the processes from Procedure 11 to Procedure 14 until at least the records m for a predetermined period (e.g., one year) are obtained. Note that the data structure of the primary data PD is not limited to the table format shown in FIG. 3, and may be a text-based data format such as CSV (Comma Separated Values) or XML (Extensible Markup Language).

[0054] 〔Generation Process of Fluctuation Data〕 The generation process of the fluctuation data (step S12) is a process of generating the fluctuation data SDijk based on the primary data PD stored in the primary database 44. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the fluctuation data SDijk.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the fluctuation data SDijk is time-series data representing the component values of grape 3 for each measurement date (shipment date) tm (m = 1, 2...), and is composed of, for example, data in a graph format in orthogonal coordinates with the measurement date tm on the horizontal axis and the component value on the vertical axis. Here, the identifier of the production location is "i", the identifier of the variety is "j", and the identifier of the "component type" is "k". The control device 41 of the management server 40 generates the fluctuation data SDijk, for example, according to the following procedure.

[0056] Procedure P21: Extract a plurality of records m in which the production place i, variety j, and component type k are common from the primary data PD stored in the primary database 44, and plot the measurement date (shipment date) tm of the extracted records m on the horizontal axis of the orthogonal coordinates. Procedure P22: Plot the component values am, bm, cm corresponding to the extracted records m on the vertical axis of the orthogonal coordinates, and generate a time series graph connecting the plotted points.

[0057] Note that the time series graph of the variation data SDijk may be in a representation form other than a line graph, such as a bar graph or a graph in which dots are arranged discretely. Also, in FIG. 4, the variation data SDijk in graph form is illustrated, but the data structure of the variation data SDijk may be a data structure other than a graph, such as a table form.

[0058] 〔Corresponding Data Generation Process〕 The corresponding data generation process (step S13) is a process of generating the corresponding data CDijk based on the primary data PD stored in the primary database 44. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the corresponding data CDijk.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 5, the corresponding data CDijk is data that defines the correspondence between the component values of grape 3 and the selling price, and is composed of, for example, data in graph form in orthogonal coordinates with the horizontal axis as the component value and the vertical axis as the price. Here too, the identifier of the production place is "i", the identifier of the variety is "j", and the identifier of the "component type" is "k". The control device 41 of the management server 40 generates the corresponding data CDijk by, for example, the following procedure.

[0060] Procedure P31: Extract a plurality of records m in which the production place i, variety j, and component type k are common from the primary data PD stored in the primary database 44, and plot the component values am, bm, cm of the extracted records m on the horizontal axis of the orthogonal coordinates. Procedure P32: Plot the selling prices corresponding to the component values am, bm, and cm on the vertical axis, and generate a graph connecting the plotted points. The graph may be a line graph, but it is preferably a continuous graph as shown in FIG. 4 by a predetermined interpolation process such as Lagrange interpolation.

[0061] [Grape Price Estimation Service] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the grape 3 price estimation service provided by the management server 40. As shown in FIG. 6, the price estimation service starts upon the transmission of a service request RQ1 by the user terminal 30 (step ST11). The management server 40 that has received the service request RQ1 generates an operation screen for prompting an input operation to the management user 2 (step ST12), and transmits a service response AQ1 including the operation screen to the user terminal 30 (step ST13).

[0062] Next, the user terminal 30 displays the operation screen included in the service response AQ2 on the display of its own device (step ST14), and starts accepting designation information that can be selected by the management user 2 (step ST15).

[0063] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation screen 100 for accepting designation information, which is displayed on the display of the user terminal 30. As shown in FIG. 7, the operation screen 100 includes a plurality of selection fields 101 to 104, a reset button 105, and a confirmation button 106 based on a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

[0064] Among the plurality of selection fields 101 to 104, the first selection field 101 is a field for designating a region including the production area of the grape 3. The first selection field 101 is constituted by, for example, a pull-down menu including menu items hierarchized from a wide range to a narrow range. The order of menu items selectable in the first selection column 101 is, for example, country, region, prefecture, and municipality, etc., and the narrowest range is, for example, the vineyard Au that includes a winery (the vineyard with the name "Winery W" in the illustration).

[0065] The second selection column 102 is a column for specifying the variety of grape 3. The second selection column 102 is constituted by a pull-down menu including menu items hierarchically arranged, for example, in the order of wine type and the variety of grape 3 suitable for the type. The menu items selectable in the second selection column 102 include, for example, wine type (red wine / white wine) and the variety of grape 3 suitable for the wine type.

[0066] The third selection column 103 is a column for specifying the component type of grape 3. The third selection column 103 is constituted by a pull-down menu including menu items regarding the component types that can be specified. The component types selectable in the third selection column 103 include, for example, sugar content, acidity, and pH. In the third selection column 103, a plurality of component types (for example, both sugar content and acidity, etc.) can be selected.

[0067] The fourth selection column 104 is a column for specifying the period (hereinafter referred to as "estimation target period") that the management user 2 desires to estimate. The fourth selection column 104 includes input fields for the start date and end date of the estimation target period. Each input field is constituted by a pull-down menu including menu items of the year, month, and day that can be specified. Note that the input fields for the start date and end date may also be interfaces where the user directly inputs numerical values of the year, month, and day using a keyboard or the like.

[0068] The reset button 105 is an operation button for resetting all the specified information. The confirmation button 106 is an operation button for prompting the management user 2 to confirm the selected content. When the confirmation button 106 is operated, a confirmation screen (not shown) including the specified information selected in each selection field 101 to 104 is displayed. The confirmation screen includes a send button. When the management user 2 clicks the send button, an estimation request RQ2 including the specified information input in each selection field 101 to 104 is generated.

[0069] Returning to FIG. 6, the user terminal 30 transmits the generated estimation request RQ2 to the management server 40 (step ST16). Next, the management server 40 executes an estimation process for the selling price of grape 3 based on the specified information (the specified information input in each selection field 101 to 104) included in the received estimation request RQ2 (step ST17).

[0070] The estimation process for the selling price of grape 3 includes the following first process and second process. (First process) The first process is a process of extracting the variation data SDijk to be applied based on the production area i, variety j, and component type k included in the specified information, and calculating the components of grape 3 (hereinafter referred to as "estimated components") during the estimation target period Te based on the extracted variation data SDijk.

[0071] Here, for example, assume that the production area i specified by the management user 2 is "winery W", the specified variety j is "Merlot", and the specified component type j is "brix". Also, assume that the year, month, and day values of the start date and end date specified by the management user 2 are "ts" and "te", respectively. Therefore, the estimation target period Te is the period from the start date ts to the end date te.

[0072] In this case, the control device 41 of the management server 40 extracts the variation data SD in which the production area i is winery W, the variety j is Merlot, and the component type k is brix from the variation database 45 of the storage device 42. Next, the control device 41 obtains an estimated component (here, the sugar content) corresponding to the target date tp included in the estimation target period Te by using the extracted fluctuation data SD. For example, in the illustrated example, the sugar content corresponding to the target date tp is "22".

[0073] (Second process) The second process is a process of extracting an estimated price YP corresponding to the estimated component (sugar content) obtained in the first process based on the corresponding data CD. Specifically, the control device 41 of the management server 40 extracts the corresponding data CD in which the production area i is the winery W, the variety j is Merlot, and the component type k is the sugar content from the corresponding database 46 of the storage device 42.

[0074] For example, when the estimated component (sugar content) of the target date tp is "22", the control device 41 sets the price value at which the sugar content is 22 in the corresponding data CD as the estimated price YP. When there are a plurality of target dates tp included in the estimation target period Te, the control device 41 of the management server 40 executes the above first process and second process for each target date tp. Therefore, the estimated price YP for each target date tp included in the estimation target period Te is calculated.

[0075] Also, when the management user 2 designates a plurality of component types k (for example, both sugar content and acidity), the control device 41 of the management server 40 executes the above first process and second process for each of the designated plurality of component types k. Therefore, for each of the plurality of component types k, the estimated price YP for each target date tp included in the estimation target period Te is calculated.

[0076] Next, the management server 40 performs an output process of the estimation result (step ST18). The output process of the estimation result is a process of generating an estimation response AQ2 including the estimated price YP for each target date tp included in the estimation target period Te. The management server 40 transmits the generated estimation response AQ2 to the user terminal 30 (step ST19).

[0077] The user terminal 30 that has received the estimated response AQ2 displays the estimation result included in the estimated response AQ2 (step ST20). This display process is, for example, a process of displaying the estimated price YP for each target date tp included in the estimation target period Te on the display of the own device.

[0078] 〔Example of Display Content of Estimation Result〕 FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content 110 of the estimation result displayed on the display of the user terminal 30. As shown in FIG. 8, the content 110 of the estimation result includes a graph of time-series data with the horizontal axis representing the time including the estimation target period Te and the harvesting period Th of the next scheduled grape 3, and the vertical axis representing the value of the component type specified by the management user 2.

[0079] Here, as an example, assume that the component types specified by the user are two types, "brix" and "acidity", and the estimation target period Te specified by the user is from August 30, 2022 to October 11 of the same year. Also, assume that the harvesting period Th of the grape 3 specified by the user is from August 30, 2022 to September 20 of the same year. The harvesting period Th is displayed visibly together with the graph of the time-series data. The display mode of the harvesting period Th may be a mode in which the start date and the end date are represented by broken lines in the vertical axis direction, or a mode in which the period from the start date to the end date is colored.

[0080] In the graph of the time-series data in FIG. 8, the solid line part represents the past actual value of the component, and the broken line part represents the future estimated value of the component (the predicted value of the component in the estimation target period Te). Also, the triangular mark represents the brix of each target date, and the round mark represents the acidity of each target date. As shown in FIG. 8, in the content 110 of the estimation result, the estimated price YP corresponding to the predicted value is described in the vicinity of the target date included in the broken line part (predicted value of the component) of the graph. Therefore, the management user 2 can easily determine the estimated price YP for each target date.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 8, in the content 110 of the estimation result, the harvesting period Th of grape 3 scheduled for the next time is displayed. Therefore, the management user 2 can determine whether the scheduled harvesting time Th is suitable for harvesting by comparing the estimated components of each graph of the sugar content and the acidity during the harvesting period Th. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, since the sugar content starts to increase and the acidity starts to decrease from August 30, it can be determined that it is appropriate as the start date of the harvesting time Th.

[0082] Also, as shown in FIG. 8, in the content 110 of the estimation result, if there are actual values of the components of grape 3 harvested in the vineyard Au managed by the management user 2, the actual values are also displayed. The actual values are also displayed for the target days included in the estimation target period Te. Therefore, the management user 2 can appropriately evaluate the estimated price of grape 3 harvested in the vineyard Au managed by himself / herself based on the deviation between the actual values and the predicted values (future estimated values) of the past components.

[0083] 〔Other Modification Examples〕 The embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes all modifications within the scope equivalent to the configurations described in the claims.

[0084] In the above-described embodiments, at least one of the start date ts and the end date te that define the estimation target period Te may be a past date before the input date of the specified information. In this case, the control device 41 of the management server 40 calculates not only the estimated price of grape 3 in the future as seen from the input date but also the estimated price of grape 3 in the past as seen from the input date.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0085] 1 Worker 2 Management User 3 Fruit (Grape) 10 Measuring Device 10A Device Main Body 10B Measurement Head 20 Mobile Terminal 30 User Terminal 40 Management Server (Fruit Price Estimation Device) 41 Control Device 42 Storage Device 43 Communication Device 44 Primary Database 45 Fluctuation Database 46 Correspondence Database 47 Computer Program 50 Information Providing Server 70 Public Network 80 Wireless Base Station 100 Operation Screen 101 First Selection Column 102 Second Selection Column 103 Third Selection Column 104 Fourth Selection Column 105 Reset Button 106 Confirmation Button 110 Content 200 Work Support Stem YP Estimated Price Te Estimation Target Period te Start Date ts End Date tp Target Date

Claims

1. An apparatus for estimating the selling price of fruits, comprising: a storage device that stores correspondence data associating the components with the selling price; a control device that executes an estimation process of the selling price using the correspondence data, wherein the estimation process includes a first process of obtaining an estimated component that is the component during an estimation target period, and a second process of extracting, from the correspondence data, an estimated price that is the selling price corresponding to the estimated component.

2. The storage device further stores fluctuation data representing the change over time of the components of the fruits, and the first process is a process of calculating the estimated component based on the fluctuation data.

3. The correspondence data is data in which the production area of the fruits is further associated with the selling price.

4. When the control device obtains regional information specified by a user, it selects the correspondence data used in the second process based on the production area specified from the specified regional information.

5. The correspondence data is data in which the variety of the fruits is further associated with the selling price.

6. When the control device obtains the variety specified by a user, it selects the correspondence data used in the second process based on the specified variety.

7. The component is at least one of sugar content, acidity, and pH.

8. The fruit is grapes.

9. The control device transmits, to a user terminal that requests the estimation process, content including the estimated price for each of the estimated components.

10. The content includes a graph of time-series data of the estimated component, in which the estimated price is displayed near the estimated component.

11. The content includes the graph for at least two of the sugar content, the acidity, and the pH.

12. In the graph, ​ ​ The fruit price estimation device according to claim 10, wherein an actual value of the component regarding the fruit harvested in the past in the farm managed by the user is further displayed.

13. In the graph, The fruit price estimation device according to claim 11, wherein a harvesting period of the fruit is further displayed.

14. A price estimation method executed by a device for estimating a selling price of a fruit, comprising: storing correspondence data associating the component with the selling price; executing an estimation process of the selling price using the correspondence data, The estimation process includes: a first process of obtaining an estimation component which is the component in an estimation target period; a second process of extracting an estimated price which is the selling price corresponding to the estimation component from the correspondence data.

15. A computer program for causing a computer to function as a device for estimating a selling price of a fruit, The device includes: a storage device for storing correspondence data associating the component with the selling price; a control device for executing an estimation process of the selling price using the correspondence data, The estimation process includes: a first process of obtaining an estimation component which is the component in an estimation target period; a second process of extracting an estimated price which is the selling price corresponding to the estimation component from the correspondence data.

16. A price estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a quality measurement device communicating with the price estimation device, The measurement device is: A portable measurement device capable of measuring the quality non - contact.

17. further comprising a selling price collection device communicating with the price estimation device, The collection device is: An information providing server that collects the selling price for each production area of the fruit from a plurality of portable terminals.

18. further comprising a user terminal communicating with the price estimation device, The price estimation device is: executing the estimation process in response to an estimation request from the user terminal and transmitting the estimation result to the user terminal.

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