Oil deterioration determination system, method for determining oil deterioration, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of easily determining the degree of deterioration of edible oil.SOLUTION: An oil deterioration determination system includes: an information acquisition unit for acquiring information relating to frying cooking using edible oil; an image acquisition unit for acquiring an edible oil image including edible oil in an oil tank of a frying cooker and surroundings of the oil tank; and a determination unit for determining the degree of deterioration of the edible oil on the basis of the information relating to the frying cooking, the correlation between the degree of deterioration of the edible oil and the color tone of the edible oil, and the edible oil image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oil deterioration determination system, an oil deterioration determination method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Deep-fried foods such as tempura and french fries are widely popular among the general public. The cooking oil used for deep-frying deteriorates when heated. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a frying oil measuring device that measures the percentage (%) of polar compounds (TPM: Total Polar Material) that are generated by the deterioration of cooking oil. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2015-515298 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The measurement results for polar compounds in cooking oil depend on the temperature of the cooking oil at the time of measurement. For example, the recommended appropriate measurement temperature is 40°C to 200°C, and measuring polar compounds outside this temperature range will result in inaccurate results. If the proportion of polar compounds cannot be accurately measured, it is difficult to determine the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can easily determine the degree of deterioration of edible oil. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The oil deterioration determination system of the present disclosure comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires information about deep-frying using cooking oil; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the cooking oil including the cooking oil in the oil tank of the deep fryer and the surrounding area of ​​the oil tank; a determination unit that determines the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil based on the information about deep-frying, a correlation between the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil and the color tone of the cooking oil, and the cooking oil image; The device may also include:

[0007] In the above oil deterioration determination system, The information regarding deep frying may include at least one of information regarding the type of cooking oil, information regarding the type of deep fryer, information regarding the type of fried food, cooking temperature, the capacity of the oil tank, and the location of the deep fryer.

[0008] In the above oil deterioration determination system, The cooking oil storage device may include a management information storage unit that stores in association with each other at least two or more pieces of information selected from the cooking oil image, the date and time the cooking oil image was taken, the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil, information regarding the condition of the cooking oil, information regarding the replacement of the cooking oil, and information regarding the addition of oil to the oil tank.

[0009] In the above oil deterioration determination system, an imaging unit that generates an image of the cooking oil including information on the surface temperature of the cooking oil; a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a surface temperature of the cooking oil from the cooking oil image; Equipped with The information about the state of the cooking oil includes the surface temperature of the cooking oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit. may include information on:

[0010] In the above oil deterioration determination system, The management information storage unit may store a total amount of the cooking oil used in one of the deep fryers during one predetermined period selected from a plurality of predetermined periods.

[0011] In the above oil deterioration determination system, an initial image storage unit that stores an initial image of the cooking oil including the cooking oil stored in the oil tank in an unused state and the surroundings of the oil tank; The image forming apparatus may further include a pre-determination unit that determines whether or not the photographing environment at the time of photographing the initial image of the cooking oil is within a predetermined range before storing the initial image of the cooking oil.

[0012] In the above oil deterioration determination system, The advance determination unit may compare a photographing environment of the initial edible oil image of the edible oil with a photographing environment of the edible oil image, and determine whether the photographing environment is outside the predetermined range.

[0013] In the above oil deterioration determination system, an imaging unit that generates the edible oil image including information on the surface temperature of the edible oil and the initial edible oil image including information on the surface temperature of the edible oil; a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a surface temperature of the cooking oil from the cooking oil image and the initial cooking oil image; Equipped with The preliminary judgment unit may determine whether the surface temperature of the cooking oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit from the initial cooking oil image and the surface temperature of the cooking oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit from the cooking oil image are outside a predetermined temperature range.

[0014] In the above oil deterioration determination system, The degree of deterioration of the edible oil may be a deterioration index indicated by the content (%) of polar compounds contained in the edible oil, the AV value of the edible oil, the carbonyl value of the edible oil, or the peroxide value of the edible oil.

[0015] The present disclosure can also be understood from the aspect of an oil deterioration determination method or program. For example, the oil deterioration determination method of the present disclosure includes: Obtaining information about deep-frying using cooking oil; acquiring an image of the cooking oil including the cooking oil in the oil tank of the deep fryer and the surrounding area of ​​the oil tank; determining the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil based on the information on deep-frying, the correlation between the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil and the color tone of the cooking oil, and an image of the cooking oil; may also include: [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present disclosure, the degree of deterioration of edible oil can be easily determined. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of a deep fryer used to cook fried foods. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the oil deterioration determination system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server computer of the oil deterioration determination system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal of the oil deterioration determination system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram relating to a processing flow of the oil deterioration determination system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the display unit when photographing cooking oil with the terminal of the oil deterioration determination system of the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table generated by the oil deterioration determination system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram relating to a processing flow of the oil deterioration determination system according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table generated by the oil deterioration determination system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An oil degradation determination system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments. Note that in this disclosure, the notation "X to Y" representing a numerical range means a numerical range including the lower and upper limits, which are the endpoints, unless otherwise specified.

[0019] <Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a deep fryer 100 used for cooking fried foods. Deep fryer 100 includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 101 made of metal such as stainless steel, and an oil tank 102 of a predetermined capacity formed within housing 101. Deep fryer 100 stores cooking oil in oil tank 102 and cooks fried foods in the cooking oil heated to approximately 130°C to 180°C. Known types of deep fryers 100 include electric types that heat cooking oil using electricity and gas types that heat cooking oil using gas as fuel. Examples of cooking oils used in deep fryer 100 include salad oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, and lard. Deep fried foods include tempura, French fries, and pork cutlets.

[0020] The oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment is a system for determining the degree of deterioration of cooking oil used for frying foods. The oil deterioration determination system determines the degree of deterioration of cooking oil by analyzing images of the cooking oil stored in an oil tank 102.

[0021] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the oil deterioration determination system is introduced into a restaurant chain that operates multiple restaurants. The oil deterioration determination system determines the degree of deterioration of cooking oil stored in the oil tank 102 of the deep fryer 100 installed in each restaurant. Furthermore, the oil deterioration determination system can provide useful cooking oil management information for each restaurant to managers working at the restaurant chain headquarters. The oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0022] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment. The oil deterioration determination system includes a server computer 1 and a terminal 2 owned by a user (e.g., the store manager) of a deep fryer 100 installed in each store. The server computer 1 and terminal 2 are connected via a communication network 3. In this embodiment, terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone or tablet terminal with a camera. The oil deterioration determination system determines the degree of deterioration of cooking oil through cooperation between the server computer 1 and terminal 2.

[0023] 2 illustrates only one terminal 2, the oil deterioration determination system may be configured to include multiple terminals 2. For example, the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment may be used to determine the quality of cooking oil used in deep fryers 100 installed in multiple stores, and the quality of cooking oil used in deep fryers 100 installed in multiple stores may be determined by the headquarters of a food chain. In this case, the oil deterioration determination system is configured to include a terminal 2 for each restaurant chain.

[0024] The communication network 3 is, for example, an Internet line, but may also be a dedicated line.

[0025] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server computer 1 of the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment. The server computer 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11 (an example of a recording medium), a display unit 12, a communication unit 13, and an operation unit 14. The control unit 10 is a central The server computer 1 includes a processing unit (CPU) and controls each component within the server computer 1. The storage unit 11 includes nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), as well as volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM). The storage unit 11 stores the control program and other programs (including application software) for the server computer 1, information related to deep-frying, and data obtained when various processes are executed. In the control unit 10, the CPU executes programs (e.g., application software) stored in the storage unit 11, thereby realizing the following functional components: an information acquisition unit 10A, an image acquisition unit 10B, and a determination unit 10C. The information acquisition unit 10A acquires information related to deep-frying using cooking oil. The image acquisition unit 10B acquires an image of the cooking oil stored in the oil vat 102 of the deep fryer 100. This image is obtained by photographing the oil vat 102 with the terminal 2. The image acquisition unit 10B may acquire an initial image of the cooking oil, which will be described later. The determination unit 10C determines the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil based on the image of the cooking oil, etc. Details of these functional units will be described later.

[0026] The storage unit 11 also includes a management information storage unit 11A. The management information storage unit 11A is provided in a non-volatile memory and stores a plurality of pieces of information that are useful for the manager of the restaurant chain headquarters to manage cooking oil at each store in an associated manner. Details of the management information storage unit 11A will be described later.

[0027] The display unit 12 is configured with a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, etc. The server computer 1 displays on the display unit 12 the results of the assessment of the deterioration level of the cooking oil and a plurality of pieces of information useful for managing the cooking oil stored in the management information storage unit 11A.

[0028] The communication unit 13 communicates data with the terminal 2 and other computers via the communication network 3. The operation unit 14 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. By operating the operation unit 14, the user can view various information such as the results of the assessment of the deterioration level of the cooking oil.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal 2 of the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment. The terminal 2 includes a control unit 20, a memory unit 21 (an example of a recording medium), a camera unit 22 (an example of an imaging unit), a display unit 23, a communication unit 24, and an operation unit 25. The control unit 20 includes a CPU and controls each unit in the terminal 2. The memory unit 21 includes non-volatile memory such as an HDD, SSD, or EEPROM, and volatile memory such as RAM. The memory unit 21 stores control programs for the terminal 2, other programs (including application software), image data of cooking oil, and the like. In the control unit 20, the CPU executes programs (e.g., application software) stored in the memory unit 21, thereby realizing the respective functional units of a pre-determination unit 20A, a re-acquisition notification unit 20B, and a temperature acquisition unit 20C. The pre-determination unit 20A compares the shooting environment of the initial image of cooking oil with the shooting environment of the cooking oil image, and determines whether the shooting environment is outside a predetermined range. The pre-determination unit 20A also performs a pre-determination of the cooking oil image. The reacquisition notification unit 20B notifies the user to reacquire the initial cooking oil image or the cooking oil image. The temperature acquisition unit 20C acquires the surface temperature of the cooking oil from the cooking oil image or the initial cooking oil image generated by capturing the image using the camera unit 22 equipped with a thermography function. Details of these functional units will be described later.

[0030] The storage unit 21 also includes an initial image storage unit 21A. The initial image storage unit 21A is provided in a non-volatile memory, and stores an initial image of the cooking oil stored in an unused state in the oil vat 102 (hereinafter referred to as an "initial cooking oil image"). Details of the initial cooking oil image will be described later. The initial image storage unit 21A may be provided in the storage unit 11 of the server computer 1.

[0031] The camera unit 22 is configured to include an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and when the user of the terminal 2 takes a picture of the cooking oil in the oil vat 102, the terminal 2 acquires an image of the cooking oil. The camera unit 22 is also a camera with a thermography function. By taking pictures with the camera unit 22 with a thermography function, the terminal 2 can acquire an image of the cooking oil including information about the surface temperature of the cooking oil and an initial image of the cooking oil.

[0032] The display unit 23 is configured with a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, etc. The terminal 2 can display images captured by the camera unit 22, stored images, etc. on the display unit 23. The communication unit 24 performs data communication with the terminal 2 and other computers via the communication network 3. The operation unit 25 is configured with, for example, a touch panel.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows an example of a processing flow of the oil degradation determination system according to this embodiment. In FIG. 5, a processing flow for setting initial information required for determining oil degradation will be described. In terminal 2, first, a dedicated application (hereinafter simply referred to as "app") used for determining oil degradation is launched (step S101). In step S102, which follows step S101, camera unit 22 is launched by the app, and unused cooking oil stored in oil tank 102 is photographed by terminal 2. The image of unused cooking oil is taken as an initial cooking oil image. The initial cooking oil image is stored in initial image storage unit 21A of storage unit 21.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the display unit 23 of terminal 2 when terminal 2 is used to capture an image including cooking oil stored in oil vat 102 of deep fryer 100 and the surrounding area of ​​oil vat 102 (an example of an "edible oil image" or "initial image of cooking oil" of the present disclosure). Cooking oil 103 is stored in oil vat 102, and terminal 2 performs image analysis to recognize the frame of oil vat 102 and displays a shooting guide line 23A that fits the frame on display unit 23. The photographer adjusts the image so that oil vat 102 fits within shooting guide line 23A, and then captures the cooking oil 103. This allows the oil deterioration determination system to obtain an appropriate cooking oil image and initial image of cooking oil. Note that the cooking oil image and initial image of cooking oil include the surrounding area of ​​oil vat 102, enabling determination in step S303, described below.

[0035] Returning to FIG. 5, in step S103 following step S102, the pre-determination unit 20A determines whether the imaging environment at the time of capturing the initial image of the cooking oil is within a predetermined range. For example, the imaging environment includes the illuminance at the time of capturing the image. If the illuminance is inappropriate, it will be impossible to accurately determine the degree of deterioration in step S403, which will be described later. For example, the illuminance range may be set to 150 lx or more, which is recommended for office work. The illuminance is acquired by image analysis. Note that the predetermined range of the imaging environment may include the state of the cooking oil. For example, the predetermined range of the imaging environment may include the absence of foaming from the cooking oil, or the cooking oil being in a poor condition. It may also be included that there is no white smoke generation.

[0036] The predetermined range of the image capturing environment may include the surface temperature of the edible oil. The preliminary determination unit 20A determines whether the surface temperature of the edible oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 20C is within the predetermined range. The surface temperature information of the edible oil included in the initial image of the edible oil is measured by the camera unit 22 equipped with a thermography function. Here, the predetermined range for the initial image of the edible oil is the temperature range of the edible oil during cooking (in this example, 160°C to 180°C). If the preliminary determination unit 20A determines that the image capturing environment at the time of capturing the initial image of the edible oil is within the predetermined range (NO in step S103), the re-acquisition notification unit 20B notifies the user to re-capture the initial image of the edible oil (step S104). In step S104, the re-acquisition notification unit 20B notifies the user to re-capture the initial image of the edible oil by displaying a text image such as "Please re-capture" on the display unit 23.

[0037] Here, the surface temperature of the edible oil in the initial edible oil image is preferably within the same temperature range (predetermined temperature range) as the edible oil image captured in step S303, which will be described later. For example, if the edible oil is shortening or lard and the temperature of the edible oil is lower than the cooking temperature (e.g., around room temperature), solid components of the oil will float in the edible oil, making it impossible to properly determine the degree of deterioration of the edible oil. Therefore, the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment determines whether the surface temperature of the edible oil when capturing the initial edible oil image is within a predetermined temperature range, thereby preventing the capture of an inappropriate initial image. Note that the predetermined temperature range may be set to a temperature range in which solid components of the edible oil will not float (e.g., above the melting point of the edible oil).

[0038] If it is determined in step S102 that the photographing environment at the time of photographing the initial image of cooking oil is within a predetermined range (YES in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, information about deep-frying is entered into an initial setting screen within the app. The information about deep-frying includes the type of business and name of the store in which deep fryer 100 is installed (location of deep fryer), the type of cooking oil used, the type of deep fryer 100, the type of deep-fry food to be cooked, the capacity of oil tank 102 of deep fryer 100, the amount of cooking oil in an unused state, and the set temperature (cooking temperature) for heating deep fryer 100. The type of business of the store refers to, for example, a Japanese restaurant such as a sushi restaurant, a pork cutlet restaurant, a fried chicken restaurant, or a tempura restaurant, a Western restaurant, an izakaya, or a fast food restaurant. The information about the type of business of the store is necessary for the manager at the headquarters of the restaurant chain to manage cooking oil.

[0039] In this embodiment, the input step S105 is executed after the photographing step S102, but the input step S105 may be executed first, and then the photographing step S102 may be executed.

[0040] In step S106, the step after step S105, terminal 2 transmits the information about deep-frying input in step S105 to server computer 1. An app has been launched in advance in server computer 1 (step S201), and in step S202 after step S201, information acquisition unit 10A of server computer 1 acquires the information about deep-frying transmitted from terminal 2. Note that the information about deep-frying may include an initial image of cooking oil, and terminal 2 may transmit the initial image of cooking oil to server computer 1 in step S104, and server computer 1 may acquire the initial image of cooking oil in step S202. The information about deep-frying is stored in management information storage unit 11A of storage unit 11.

[0041] In step S203, which follows step S202, the server computer 1 generates a management table for the store based on various information. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the management table. As shown in FIG. 7, the management table has columns for "date" and "day of the week." In this example, Here, an example will be explained using the management information for cooking oil from Monday, May 1st to Monday, May 8th. In the management table, various pieces of information shown in each column are entered in each row from May 1st to May 8th.

[0042] The management table further has columns for "Time," "Oil Temperature (°C)," and "Set Temperature (°C)." The time when the cooking oil was photographed by terminal 2 is entered in the "Time" column. The temperature of the cooking oil when the cooking oil was photographed by terminal 2 is entered in the "Oil Temperature (°C)" column. At this point, no image of the cooking oil has been sent from terminal 2 to server computer 1, so these columns are blank. The set temperature for heating deep fryer 100, obtained in step S202, is entered in the "Set Temperature (°C)" column.

[0043] The management table further has the following columns: "Image," "TPM (%)," "Oil Color," "Foaming," "White Smoke," "Oil Change / Addition," "Image Photographer," and "Remarks." The "Image" column is where an image of the cooking oil in the oil tank 102 taken with terminal 2 is entered. The "TPM (%)" column is where the content (%) of polar compounds measured by image analysis of the cooking oil image is entered. Details of image analysis will be described later. The "Oil Color," "Foaming," "White Smoke," and "Oil Change / Addition" columns are where information transmitted from terminal 2 by the person taking the photo of the cooking oil using terminal 2 is entered. The "Oil Color" column is where the color of the cooking oil is evaluated on a five-point scale, with values ​​from 1 to 5 being entered in order of lightest color. The "Foaming" column is where the presence or absence of foam on the surface of the cooking oil is entered. The "White Smoke" column is where the presence or absence of white smoke from the cooking oil is entered. The color of the cooking oil, whether it foams, and whether white smoke is generated are based on the photographer's subjective opinion. The information entered by the photographer serves as reference information for determining the degree of cooking oil deterioration. The oil deterioration determination system analyzes cooking oil images to determine the degree of cooking oil deterioration. The oil deterioration determination system can also estimate the progression of oil deterioration based on the number of business days the store using the cooking oil has been open. The system can also determine the degree of cooking oil deterioration by comparing the degree of cooking oil deterioration estimated from the number of business days with the degree of cooking oil deterioration determined based on the cooking oil image. The "Oil Change / Addition" field contains information about whether the cooking oil was changed or added before the deep fryer 100 was started, as well as the amount of cooking oil (L) poured into the oil tank. The "Image Photographer" field contains the name of the person who entered the cooking oil image and each piece of information. The "Notes" field contains other necessary information entered by the person or a manager at the restaurant chain headquarters.

[0044] The total amount of cooking oil used in the deep fryer 100 for one month is also displayed in the margin of the management table. The total amount of cooking oil used in one deep fryer 100 for one month is useful information for the manager at the headquarters of a chain restaurant. The amount of cooking oil used displayed in the margin of the management table may be the amount of cooking oil used in one deep fryer 100 within one predetermined period selected from multiple predetermined periods (e.g., one week, one month, six months, one year, etc.). The manager or store manager at the headquarters of the chain restaurant, who is the user of the oil deterioration determination system of this embodiment, can select one predetermined period from the multiple predetermined periods and manage the amount of cooking oil used within that predetermined period. The multiple predetermined periods may be selected from terminal 2 or server computer 1 in step S105 shown in FIG. 5.

[0045] The management table is stored in the management information storage unit 11A shown in FIG. 3. The management information storage unit 11A stores, in a management table, two or more pieces of information associated with each other: an image of the cooking oil, the date and time the image of the cooking oil was taken, the TPM content indicating the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil, information on the state of the cooking oil, information on changing the cooking oil, and information on adding oil to the oil tank 102. In this embodiment, all of this information is stored in the associated management table. The information on the state of the cooking oil includes the temperature of the cooking oil. The temperature of the cooking oil may be measured by the photographer using a thermometer, or it may be the surface temperature of the cooking oil acquired from the image by the temperature acquisition unit 20C of the terminal 2.

[0046] Fig. 8 shows an example of a processing flow of the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment. Fig. 8 explains the processing flow of oil deterioration determination. First, the app is launched on terminal 2 (step S301). In step S302, which follows step S301, the camera unit 22 is launched by the app, and the edible oil in the oil vat 102 is photographed by terminal 2. During this photographing, the photographing guide lines 23A shown in Fig. 6 are also displayed on display unit 23.

[0047] In step S302, which follows step S301, it is determined whether the edible oil image captured in step S301 is appropriate. The terminal 2 stores the initial edible oil image in the initial image storage unit 21A. The preliminary determination unit 20A compares the photographing environment of the initial edible oil image with the photographing environment of the edible oil image captured in step S302, and if it is determined that the photographing environment is outside a predetermined range (NO in step S303), the re-acquisition notification unit 20B notifies the user to re-capture the edible oil image (step S304). In step S304, the re-acquisition notification unit 20B notifies the user to re-capture the edible oil image by displaying a character string image such as "Please re-capture" on the display unit 23.

[0048] Here, the imaging environment is determined to be outside the predetermined range if the illuminance during both images is different and the color change of the edible oil cannot be analyzed; if the edible oil is foaming when captured in step S302; if deep-fried food is being fried; or if solid oil is not dissolved and solids are floating. Because the initial image of the edible oil and the edible oil image include images of the area surrounding the oil vat 102, the preliminary assessment unit 20A can compare the illuminance during both images from the image of the area surrounding the oil vat 102. The oil degradation assessment system according to this embodiment assesses the degree of oil degradation by comparing the initial image of unused edible oil with the acquired image of the edible oil. Therefore, if an image of the edible oil is captured that falls outside the predetermined range, a notification is sent to re-acquire the edible oil image. This predetermined range can be set as appropriate to determine the degree of edible oil degradation.

[0049] Furthermore, the pre-determination unit 20A determines whether the surface temperature of the edible oil acquired from the edible oil image by the temperature acquisition unit 20C is outside a predetermined range. Here, the predetermined temperature range is preferably within the range of cooking temperatures for that edible oil. The oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment determines whether the surface temperature of the edible oil when acquiring the edible oil image is within the range of cooking temperatures for that edible oil, thereby preventing the acquisition of inappropriate images.

[0050] On the other hand, if the preliminary determination unit 20A compares the photographing environment of the initial image of the cooking oil with the photographing environment of the image of the cooking oil photographed in step S302 and determines that the photographing environment is within a predetermined range (YES in step S303), the process proceeds to step S305. In step S305, management information about the cooking oil at the time of photographing is input to the terminal 2. This management information includes the color of the oil, the presence or absence of foaming and white smoke, whether the oil has been changed or added, and information about the person who photographed the image, which are input to the management table shown in FIG. 7. In step S306, which follows step S305, the terminal 2 transmits the image of the cooking oil photographed in step S302 and the management information input in step S305 to the server computer 1. Note that the temperature of the cooking oil input in the "Oil Temperature (°C)" column of the management table shown in FIG. 7 may be the surface temperature of the cooking oil acquired from the cooking oil image by the temperature acquisition unit 20C. In this case, the terminal 2 may transmit the surface temperature of the cooking oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 20C from the cooking oil image to the server computer 1 in step S306.

[0051] It should be noted that, as information relating to the temperature of cooking oil and the state of cooking oil at that temperature is accumulated in the oil deterioration determination system, the predetermined range of the photographing environment may be expanded. For example, by accumulating information such as the relationship between cooking oil temperature and the presence or absence of solid components, the relationship between cooking oil temperature and cooking oil color, and the relationship between cooking oil temperature and the presence or absence of foaming of cooking oil, the oil deterioration determination system can make a judgment in step S403 (to be described later) by comparing the cooking oil image in the temperature range where the relationship has been accumulated with the initial cooking oil image, or by comparing the image in step S103 or step S303. It is possible to determine whether the

[0052] In this embodiment, the input step S305 is executed after the photographing step S302, but the input step S305 may be executed first, and then the photographing step S302 may be executed.

[0053] An application is already running on the server computer 1 (step S401), and in step S402, the image acquisition unit 10B of the server computer 1 acquires an image of the cooking oil, and the information acquisition unit 10A of the server computer 1 acquires management information.

[0054] In step S403, the determination unit 10C determines the deterioration level of the edible oil by performing image analysis of the edible oil. Specifically, the determination unit 10C determines the deterioration level of the edible oil based on information about deep-frying, the correlation between the deterioration level of the edible oil and the color tone of the edible oil, and the image of the edible oil captured in step S302. The server computer 1 stores information about the correlation between the deterioration level of the edible oil and the color tone of the edible oil in advance in the storage unit 11. Here, the deterioration level of the edible oil in this embodiment is a deterioration index indicated by the content (%) of polar compounds in the edible oil, and this content rate is calculated as a theoretical value through image analysis. The server computer 1 has information about the correlation between the color tone of various oils and the content (%) of polar compounds, and the determination unit 10C calculates the content of polar compounds in the edible oil by performing image analysis to compare the acquired image of the edible oil with pre-stored images of the edible oil.

[0055] In step S404, which follows step S403, the server computer 1 updates the management table shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the updated management table. In the example shown in Fig. 9, shooting information, images, and management information up to May 8th have been entered. Note that TPM (%) is a value estimated by image analysis, but because the error in TPM when measured with a measuring device is around 2%, the value calculated by image analysis is also displayed within a numerical range of 2%. Note that the edible oil management table can also be viewed from terminal 2.

[0056] The oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment can improve the accuracy of the deterioration level of cooking oil as the amount of deterioration level data determined based on cooking oil images increases. The deterioration level of cooking oil can also be estimated from the number of business days of the store that uses that cooking oil. By comparing the deterioration level of cooking oil estimated from the number of business days with the deterioration level determined based on cooking oil images, the TPM error can be reduced to less than 2%. Data on the increase in TPM content based on the cooking time in the sales department per day can be input into the server computer 1 from past deterioration level records, etc., allowing the server computer 1 to estimate the deterioration level of cooking oil from the number of business days of the store that uses the cooking oil.

[0057] Typically, methods for assessing the degree of deterioration of edible oil include using a measuring device to measure the content of polar compounds or using AV test strips to measure the AV value (visitivity value) of the edible oil. Measuring devices for measuring the content of polar compounds are expensive, and measurements using such devices require measurements at temperatures between 40°C and 200°C. For example, restaurant chain staff are busy preparing and cooking food, making it difficult to measure polar compounds within the appropriate temperature range every business day. Furthermore, while the unit price of a single AV test strip is inexpensive, using AV test strips every business day requires high running costs, considering the amount used over a month. Furthermore, measurements are required within temperature ranges such as 20°C to 30°C or 160°C to 180°C.

[0058] In contrast, the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment photographs the cooking oil when the temperature of the cooking oil in the oil vat 102 reaches the appropriate cooking temperature (160°C to 180°C in this example), and can determine the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil based on the photographed image. The oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment can easily determine the degree of deterioration of cooking oil. Furthermore, since the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment does not require measuring instruments or AV test papers, it is possible to reduce the cost of determining the degree of deterioration of cooking oil.

[0059] The oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment can also generate the edible oil management table shown in Figure 9. By viewing this management table, a manager at the headquarters of a restaurant chain or a store manager at each store can correlate the timing of edible oil change, the amount of oil added, and the degree of deterioration of the edible oil. This allows the oil deterioration determination system according to this embodiment to easily manage edible oil.

[0060] Furthermore, in the oil degradation determination system according to this embodiment, the degree of deterioration of edible oil is determined using a deterioration index indicated by the content (%) of polar compounds contained in the edible oil. However, other deterioration indexes may also be used to determine the degree of deterioration of edible oil. For example, the deterioration index may be an AV (oxidation) value of the edible oil, a carbonyl value of the edible oil, or a peroxide value of the edible oil. Even when using these deterioration indexes, the server computer 1 stores information on the correlation between the degree of deterioration of the edible oil and the color tone of the edible oil in advance in the storage unit 11, and calculates these deterioration indexes as theoretical values ​​through image analysis. The oil degradation determination system according to this embodiment can easily determine the degree of deterioration of edible oil.

[0061] <Other embodiments> Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the various embodiments and modifications described above can be combined as much as possible. For example, the above embodiments have been described using an example in which an oil deterioration determination system has been introduced in a chain restaurant, but the oil deterioration determination system according to the present embodiments can also be used in food manufacturing plants and the like that use cooking oil for deep-frying.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the server computer 1 and the terminal 2 are used as examples of devices constituting the oil deterioration determination system, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a network camera that captures images of the oil vat 102 may be installed in a store or the like, and the oil deterioration determination system may be configured with the server computer 1 and the network camera. Alternatively, for example, an image of the cooking oil may be captured at the start of business to obtain an image of the cooking oil before cooking begins and when the cooking oil reaches a set temperature. The server computer 1 can determine the degree of oil deterioration based on this image of the cooking oil. Alternatively, for example, the network camera may continuously transmit moving images (video) to the server computer 1, and the server computer 1 may obtain an image of the cooking oil when the surface temperature of the cooking oil reaches a set temperature for the first time in a day, and determine the degree of oil deterioration based on this image of the cooking oil.

[0063] The oil deterioration determination system according to the present invention can be widely applied to stores and factories that use cooking oil for deep-frying. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1. Server computer 2. Terminal 3. Communication Network 10. Control section 10A Information acquisition unit 10B Image acquisition unit 10C... Judgment section 11...Storage section 11A...Management information storage section 12...Display section 13. Communications Department 14...Operation unit 20 Control section 20A··Pre-determination section 20B··Reacquisition Notification Department 20C...Temperature acquisition part 21...Storage section 21A Initial image storage section 22. Camera section 23...Display section 23A··Shooting guide line 24. Communications Department 25...Operation unit 100··Fryer 101··Case 102·oil tank 103...edible oil

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires information about deep-frying using cooking oil; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the cooking oil including the cooking oil in the oil tank of the deep fryer and the surrounding area of ​​the oil tank; a determination unit that determines the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil based on the information about deep-frying, a correlation between the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil and the color tone of the cooking oil, and the cooking oil image; An oil deterioration determination system comprising:

2. The information regarding deep-frying includes at least one of information regarding the type of cooking oil, information regarding the type of deep-fry cooker, information regarding the type of fried food, cooking temperature, the capacity of the oil tank, and the installation location of the deep-fry cooker. The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 1 .

3. a management information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, at least two or more pieces of information selected from the cooking oil image, the date and time of photographing the cooking oil image, the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil, information on the condition of the cooking oil, information on replacing the cooking oil, and information on adding oil to the oil tank; The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an imaging unit that generates an image of the cooking oil including information on the surface temperature of the cooking oil; a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a surface temperature of the cooking oil from the cooking oil image; Equipped with The information on the state of the cooking oil includes information on the surface temperature of the cooking oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit. The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 3 .

5. the management information storage unit stores a total amount of the cooking oil used in one of the deep fryers during one predetermined period selected from a plurality of predetermined periods; The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 3 .

6. an initial image storage unit that stores an initial image of the cooking oil stored in the oil tank in an unused state; a pre-determination unit that determines whether or not a photographing environment at the time of photographing the initial image of the cooking oil is within a predetermined range before storing the initial image of the cooking oil; The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. the preliminary determination unit compares a photographing environment of the initial image of the edible oil with a photographing environment of the edible oil image, and determines whether the photographing environment is outside the predetermined range. The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 6.

8. an imaging unit that generates the edible oil image including information on the surface temperature of the edible oil and the initial edible oil image including information on the surface temperature of the edible oil; a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a surface temperature of the cooking oil from the cooking oil image and the initial cooking oil image; Equipped with The preliminary determination unit determines whether the surface temperature of the edible oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit from the initial image of the edible oil and the surface temperature of the edible oil acquired by the temperature acquisition unit from the image of the edible oil are outside a predetermined temperature range. The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 6.

9. The degree of deterioration of the edible oil is a deterioration index indicated by the content (%) of polar compounds contained in the edible oil, the AV value of the edible oil, the carbonyl value of the edible oil, or the peroxide value of the edible oil. The oil deterioration determination system according to claim 1 or 2.

10. Obtaining information about deep-frying using cooking oil; acquiring an image of the cooking oil including the cooking oil in the oil tank of the deep fryer and the surrounding area of ​​the oil tank; determining the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil based on the information on deep-frying, the correlation between the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil and the color tone of the cooking oil, and an image of the cooking oil; An oil deterioration determination method comprising:

11. On the computer, A process of acquiring information about deep-frying using cooking oil; A process of acquiring an image of the cooking oil including the cooking oil in the oil tank of the deep fryer and the surrounding area of ​​the oil tank; a process of determining the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil based on the information on deep-frying, the correlation between the degree of deterioration of the cooking oil and the color tone of the cooking oil, and an image of the cooking oil; A program that executes the following.

Images