Personal food analyzer
First Claim
1. A personal food analyzer comprising:
- an image acquisition system for acquiring the image of a plate of food and for producing a nutritional data string corresponding to the image of the plate of food;
a processor connected to receive the data string for determining both the food type on the plate and the food volume on the plate;
a nutrition calculator having stored food nutrition values, said processor being connected to said nutrition calculator so that each type of food and its volume is multiplied by the food nutrition value of that particular food so that the nutrition content is calculated; and
a display connected to said nutrition calculator for informing the user of the nutritional content of the food in the image.
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Abstract
Two separate white light illuminated images are acquired of a plate of food. The image data is processed, and the two images are compared to determine volume of particular food zones. In parallel to that, the food type in each zone is identified by a food recognition processor nd reference to a stored nutritional data bank. These two values are combined with the foods'"'"' nutritional value in the data bank to provide zone-by-zone nutrient content information. These can be individually displayed, and/or the total displayed so that the user knows the nutritional value of the food on his plate in terms of total calories, percent fat, percent protein, and percent carbohydrate. In addition, the approximate milligrams each of principal vitamin, mineral, fiber, enzyme and phytonutrient on the plate can be displayed sequentially. Provision is made to download data into a PDA or PC.
82 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A personal food analyzer comprising:
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an image acquisition system for acquiring the image of a plate of food and for producing a nutritional data string corresponding to the image of the plate of food;
a processor connected to receive the data string for determining both the food type on the plate and the food volume on the plate;
a nutrition calculator having stored food nutrition values, said processor being connected to said nutrition calculator so that each type of food and its volume is multiplied by the food nutrition value of that particular food so that the nutrition content is calculated; and
a display connected to said nutrition calculator for informing the user of the nutritional content of the food in the image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A personal food analyzer comprising:
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a body, said body carrying first and second lamps and an image array;
a controller in said analyzer, said controller sequentially lighting said first and second lamps to sequentially acquire first and second images respectively lighted by said first and second lamps;
an image processor to separate the first and second images into separate zones for each food;
a food recognition processor for determining the kind of food in each zone;
a zone volume determination processor for receiving both of said first and second images so that image comparison permits zone volume determination, said zone volume determination processor being connected to a nutrient content calculator, said food type recognition processor being connected to said nutrition content calculator so that the nutrition content of each zone can be calculated; and
an output device for indicating to the user the nutritional content of the food. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A personal food analyzer comprising:
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a body;
an image-sensing array within said body, a lens positioned with respect to said array, said array and said lens defining an image axis, a lamp, a power source for said lamp and a switch to actuate said lamp, said lamp illuminating a plate of food lying on said axis;
a first image processing system for processing an image detected by said array when said food analyzer is held in a first position with respect to a plate of food and said lamp is first lighted to make the food on the plate visible for the first image, a first image storage and processing system for producing zone images of individual food zones;
a second image storage and processing system for storing a second image of the plate of food when said analyzer is held in a second position with respect to the plate and the lamp is lighted in the second position;
a second image storage and processing system for rotating and sizing the second image so it corresponds in rotational position and size to the first image and for separating the second image into food zones;
an image comparator, said first image processor and said second image processor being connected to said comparator so that said comparator can determine the volume of food in each zone;
a food recognition processor, at least one of said zone image processors being connected to said food recognition system so that the type of food in each zone is identified;
a nutrition content calculator connected to both said food-type recognition system and to said zone volume determination processor so that a total nutrition count of the zones on the plate can be calculated. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification