Food calculator with optical code reader and method for determining nutrients in foods

Abstract

A food calculator (100) is described comprising a weight sensor (10), an optical reader (11) configured to recognise identification codes, a wireless module (13) for connection to an external device on which an application (APP) is installed configured to identify the product from the code read by the optical reader, an electronic control unit (14) configured to control and manage the food calculator (100), comprising a microcontroller and memory means configured to store the data entered by the user and / or processed by the application in a common database (300) between the calculator and the application and a display means (20), the food calculator being configured to determine the quantity of nutrients present in a food subjected to 20 weighing and reading of the product identification code; a method for determining nutrients in foods is also described.

Description

[0001] FOOD CALCULATOR WITH OPTICAL CODE READER AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING NUTRIENTS IN FOODS

[0002] The present invention relates, in general, to a food calculator equipped with an optical code reader configured to determine the nutrients present in foods weighed by the calculator itself, which can be used to manage the correct intake of nutrients, for example for athletes or subj ects who intend to monitor their diet .

[0003] Known in the art are systems based on applications, for example for mobile phones, configured to calculate the nutrient values of foods starting from the weight of the food, detected with a scale, and the nutritional values of the food entered into the application itself .

[0004] These systems require data to be entered directly into the app and stored there, making it inaccessible if you only have the scale and not the app . Furthermore, entering product data into the app requires the correct interpretation of the product label, which takes time and creates the potentialfor errors that could impact the entire subsequent nutrient calculation process .

[0005] Obj ect of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems with a system configured to recognize the nutritional values of a given food product and correlating the nutritional values thus automatically recalled with the weight of the quantity of product taken.

[0006] The above and other obj ects and advantages of the invention, as will result from the following description, are achieved with a food calculator with optical code reader and a method for determining nutrients in foods according to the respective independent claims . Preferred embodiments and nontrivial variants of the present invention are the subj ect matter of the dependent claims .

[0007] It is understood that the attached claims are an integral part of this description.

[0008] It will be immediately obvious that countless variations and modifications can be made to what is described without departing from the scope of the invention as appears from the appended claims .

[0009] The present invention will be better described by a preferred embodiment thereof, provided by way of example and not by way of limitation, withreference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0010] - Figure 1 shows a top and side view of a food calculator with optical reader according to the invention;

[0011] - Figure 2 shows a diagram of the components of a food calculator with optical reader according to the invention;

[0012] Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the operating algorithm of a food calculator according to the invention for determining the nutrients of the analyzed foods .

[0013] With reference to the Figures, the food calculator 100 according to the invention comprises a weight sensor 10, an optical reader 11 configured to recognise identification codes, for example barcodes and / or QR codes, a wireless module 13 for connection to an external device, preferably a portable external device, for example a smartphone, on which an application (APP) configured to identify the product from the code read by the optical reader is installed, an electronic control unit 14 configured to control and manage the food calculator 100, comprising a microcontroller and memory means configured to store the data entered by the user and / or processed by the application in a commondatabase 300 between the calculator and the application and a display means 20, for example a screen, said food calculator being configured to determine the quantity of nutrients present in a food subj ected to weighing and reading of the product identification code .

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the food calculator 100 includes an interface 12, such as a USB port, for connecting and / or charging the food calculator .

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the power calculator 100 includes a power supply device 15, such as a battery.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the food calculator 100 provides that the wireless module 13 for connection to the application is configured to communicate via Bluetooth and / or WiFi technology, allowing communication with the most common devices on which the application can be installed, for example a smartphone, even in the absence of a dedicated Internet connection.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the operation of the food calculator 100 is based on a method for determining the nutrients of foods which involves the following steps :weight reading 101 ;

[0018] reading the label on the product packaging 102 ; sharing the obtained data with a common database 300 between the calculator and the application 201 ;

[0019] data processing 103 by the microcontroller of the electronic board 14 ;

[0020] determining nutrients by type and weight 104 ; displaying the processed data 105 on the display medium 20 of the calculator and / or on the display medium of the device on which the application is installed .

[0021] In particular, the method described allows, starting from the code shown on the product packaging and by weighing the selected quantity of the same, to quantify the actual nutrients contained in the portion of product taken.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method for determining the nutrients of foods allows the first reading of the code of a new product for the determination of nutrients to be carried out also using the camera of the device on which the application connected to the calculator is installed .

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method for determining food nutrients allows for thesummation of the nutrient values of individual processed products, returning the overall nutrient value of complex recipes specified by the user . Advantageously, this function allows the user to reconstruct the actual amount of nutrients contained within any recipe they have created, assessing whether the selected recipes are consistent with any diet they may be following.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method for determining the nutrients of foods It allows storing user-defined maximum and / or minimum nutrient intake thresholds for a given period of time, notifying the user when these thresholds are reached. This feature advantageously allows you to monitor the amount of nutrients consumed and ensure the established thresholds are not exceeded, especially for individuals with health problems who require special attention to monitoring their intake, such as diabetics .

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method for determining food nutrients provides that the connected application allows for the manual entry of data relating to unlabeled food products, recording such data in the common database 300. Advantageously, the ability to manually enterproduct nutritional values also allows for the management of fresh, unpackaged, or otherwise unidentified foods, possibly even adding the nutrients provided by these with those provided by foods with an identification code, enabling the development of complex recipes that involve the use of both types of foods .

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method for determining the nutrients of foods provides that the data processing step 103 can manage and / or store data other than the nutrients of food products associated with the code of such products, such as, for example, information relating to the geographical origin of the product, information relating to the production process and / or health warnings for the consumer .

Claims

CLAIMS1. Food calculator ( 100) comprising inside it : a weight sensor ( 10) , an optical reader ( 11 ) configured to recognize identification codes, a wireless module ( 13) for connection with an external device on which an application (APP) configured to identify the product from the code read by the optical reader is installed, an electronic control unit ( 14 ) configured to control and manage the food calculator ( 100) , comprising a microcontroller and memory means configured to store the data entered by the user and / or processed by the application in a common database (300) between the calculator and the application and a display means (20) , said food calculator being configured to determine the quantity of nutrients present in a food subj ected to weighing and reading of the product identification code .

2. Food calculator ( 100) according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises an interface ( 12 ) for connecting and / or recharging the food calculator .

3. Food calculator ( 100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a feeding device ( 15) .

4. Food calculator ( 100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wireless module ( 13) for connection with the application is configured to communicate via Bluetooth and / or WiFi technology.

5. A method of determining the nutrients of foods using a food calculator ( 100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it includes the following steps :weight reading ( 101 ) ;reading the label on the product packaging ( 102 ) ;sharing the obtained data with a common database (300) between the computer and the application (201 ) ;data processing ( 103) by means of the microcontroller of the electronic board ( 14 ) determining nutrients by type and weight ( 104 ) ; displaying the processed data ( 105) on the display medium (20) of the computer and / or on the display medium of the device on which the application is installed.

6. Method for determining the nutrients of food according to claim 5, characterised in that the first reading of the code of a new product for thedetermination of nutrients can also be carried out using the camera of the device on which the application connected to the calculator is installed .

7. Method for determining the nutrients of food according to claims 5 to 6, characterized in that it allows the nutrient values of individual processed products to be summed, returning the overall nutrient value of complex recipes indicated by the user .

8. Method for determining the nutrients of foods according to claims 5 to 7, characterised in that it allows for the storage of maximum and / or minimum thresholds of nutrients set by the user to be consumed in a given period of time, communicating to the user when said thresholds have been reached.

9. Method for determining the nutrients of food according to claims 5 to 8, characterised in that the connected application allows the manual entry of data relating to unlabelled food products, recording said data in the common database (300) .

10. Method for determining the nutrients of food products according to claims 5 to 9, characterised in that the data processing step ( 103) manages and / or stores data other than the nutrients of food productsassociated with the code of said products .

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