Refrigerator with Camera and Image Processing for Food Waste Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current refrigerator systems fail to effectively identify and recommend consumption of food items before they become stale, leading to food wastage and unhealthy eating habits, while also being inefficient in assisting users with timely procurement and healthier food choices.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator system equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), and a camera that captures images of food items, analyzes them using deep learning algorithms to recognize quantity, quality, and kind, and provides diet recommendations, shopping list updates, and recipe suggestions to minimize wastage and promote healthier eating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If manual food monitoring and shopping list management is used, then users have control over food procurement, but users spend considerable time in food procurement and logistics operation
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerator system automatically monitors food items using cameras and sensors, generates shopping lists based on inventory analysis, and sends them to users without manual intervention. The system serves itself by detecting food presence, tracking expiration dates, and autonomously creating procurement recommendations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (physical shopping list preparation and food inventory checking) with automated electronic systems including cameras, image processing algorithms, and computer-generated shopping lists that are transmitted to user devices.
2Reliability
If users rely on visual inspection to identify stale food, then no additional equipment is needed, but users may misjudge stale food and jeopardize health
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces subjective visual inspection with objective image processing technology. Cameras capture food images and computer algorithms analyze them to detect staleness indicators, providing reliable automated assessment that eliminates human error in food freshness evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary image processing system between the user and food items. Instead of direct visual contact, the camera captures images and the processing unit analyzes them, acting as a mediator that provides accurate food condition assessment without direct user intervention.
3Loss of information
If users manually track food inventory, then system complexity is low, but users may unknowingly purchase food items already present in the refrigerator
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures images of food items, processes them to update inventory information, and provides feedback to users through shopping list recommendations. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures users are informed about existing stock before making purchase decisions, preventing duplicate purchases.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerator system performs preliminary analysis of food inventory before users go shopping. By pre-processing images and generating shopping lists in advance, the system prepares accurate inventory information ahead of time, allowing users to make informed procurement decisions without manual counting or checking.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a refrigerator system, a method and a software program product for controlling and/or advising a diet for a user. The refrigerator system has a refrigerator including a light and a camera that captures an image of contents of the refrigerator. The image is processed by a graphics processing unit (GPU) integrated with the refrigerator and/or a cloud server. The GPU analyses the image to recognise a quantity, a quality, and/or a kind of food articles and/or food packages such as, vegetables, fruits, beverages, etc. A central processing unit (CPU)/GPU of the refrigerator provides diet plans, recipe recommendations, identifies grocery replenishment requirements, updates and shares shopping lists with food delivery agents, etc., based on the analysis of the refrigerator contents. The invention helps in minimizing food wastage, expanding meal options considering expiry dates, and maximizing benefits of a healthy diet by recommending and controlling the user's diet.