Automated Food Plate Imaging for In-Flight Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airlines face challenges in accurately capturing passenger feedback on in-flight food, which hinders their ability to understand passenger preferences and improve their food service offerings.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a detection device and a controller that captures images of food plates, classifies the food, determines consumption levels, and prompts passengers for feedback via an entertainment system, transmitting this information to modify menus and food quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual feedback collection methods are used, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but feedback accuracy and completeness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual feedback collection (mechanical/human process) with an automated image recognition system using cameras and machine learning algorithms. The system captures images of food plates, automatically identifies food items, tracks consumption levels, and generates feedback reports without human intervention, thereby improving feedback accuracy while managing system complexity through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service feedback collection by automatically monitoring food consumption through imaging devices and algorithms. The food waste feedback is collected autonomously without requiring passengers or crew members to manually report, allowing the system to serve itself in gathering and analyzing consumption data.
2Productivity
If automated image recognition is implemented, then feedback collection efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-training machine learning models with extensive food image datasets before deployment. The image recognition algorithms are pre-configured to identify various food items, and the system is prepared in advance to automatically process consumption data, thereby improving feedback collection efficiency while managing complexity through prior preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where image recognition results are continuously refined based on consumption patterns and feedback data. The machine learning models learn from accumulated data to improve identification accuracy over time, enhancing productivity while the self-improving nature helps manage system complexity through adaptive optimization.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive food tracking is performed, then data completeness is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous imaging and tracking of food plates throughout the flight journey without interruption. Cameras continuously capture images of food plates from ordering to consumption completion, ensuring no consumption data is missed. This continuous operation improves data completeness while the automated real-time processing minimizes time loss through uninterrupted data collection and analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system captures baseline images of food plates immediately upon service to establish complete initial data. By preliminarily recording the full portion served and continuously monitoring subsequent consumption, the system ensures comprehensive data collection from the start, improving data completeness while the automated timing reduces processing delays.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for obtaining feedback regarding food served to passengers is disclosed. The system includes a detection device and a controller. The controller is configured to capture a plurality of images of food of a food plate from the detection device, classify the food on the food plate, responsive to the food plate being removed from view of the detection device, determine, using a prior received image, whether the food is mostly consumed, partially consumed, or mostly unconsumed, responsive to determining that the food was either mostly consumed, partially consumed, or mostly unconsumed, store, in a memory, information pertaining to the food along with a record of the food being either mostly consumed, partially consumed, or mostly unconsumed as per the determination, and transmit the information to at least one other computer in order for modifications to be made to menus and food quality as per the information.