JP7819253B2 - Recipe suggestion device, recipe suggestion method, recipe suggestion program, and recipe suggestion system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recipe suggestion device, a recipe suggestion method, a recipe suggestion program, and a recipe suggestion system.

Technology for suggesting recipes based on ingredients is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that provides multiple recipes based on information about ingredients owned by the user.

JP 2018-81496 A

Conventional recipe suggestion systems determine the ingredients to be used based on images taken by capturing images of the inside of the refrigerator. However, when determining ingredients based on images, if there are ingredients with similar appearances, it can be difficult to accurately identify ingredients that can be used in a recipe, or it can be time-consuming to correct the identification results. Another issue is that when new ingredients are added, they must be photographed after being stored.

The present invention aims to improve the accuracy of information on available ingredients, which is the basis for recipe suggestions.

To solve the above problem, a recipe suggestion device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device, and includes: an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information about ingredients possessed by the user; a first ingredient information acquisition unit that acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients possessed by the user in a specified space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit; a second ingredient information acquisition unit that acquires second ingredient information, which is information about ingredients added to the possessed ingredients, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit; a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates recipes with ingredients used in the recipes; a first suggestion unit that references the recipe information storage unit and extracts recipes whose used ingredients are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit as suggested recipes; and an output unit that outputs the suggested recipes to the user device.

A recipe suggestion method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe suggestion method in a recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device. The recipe suggestion device includes an ingredient information storage unit that stores ingredient information indicating information about ingredients owned by the user, and a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information associating recipes with ingredients used in the recipes. The recipe suggestion method includes a first ingredient information acquisition step that acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients owned by the user in a specified space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient information storage unit; a second ingredient information acquisition step that acquires second ingredient information, which is information about ingredients added to the owned ingredients, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient information storage unit; a first suggestion step that references the recipe information storage unit and extracts recipes whose ingredients are stored in the ingredient information storage unit as suggested recipes; and an output step that outputs the suggested recipes to the user device.

A recipe suggestion program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as a recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device. The recipe suggestion device includes an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information about ingredients possessed by the user, and a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information associating recipes with ingredients used in the recipes. The recipe suggestion program causes the computer to implement a first ingredient information acquisition function that acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients possessed by the user in a specified space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit; a second ingredient information acquisition function that acquires second ingredient information, which is information about ingredients added to possessed ingredients, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit; a first suggestion function that references the recipe information storage unit and extracts recipes whose ingredients are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit as suggested recipes; and an output function that outputs the suggested recipes to the user device.

A recipe suggestion system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe suggestion system that suggests cooking recipes to a user device, and includes: an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information about ingredients possessed by the user; a first ingredient information acquisition unit that acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients possessed by the user in a specified space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit; a second ingredient information acquisition unit that acquires second ingredient information, which is information about ingredients added to the possessed ingredients, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit; a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates recipes with ingredients used in the recipes; a first suggestion unit that references the recipe information storage unit and extracts recipes whose used ingredients are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit as suggested recipes; and an output unit that outputs the suggested recipes to the user device.

According to this aspect, first ingredient information about ingredients held in a specified space and second ingredient information about ingredients added to the held ingredients are obtained, and ingredient holding information is generated based on the two pieces of ingredient information, the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information, thereby improving the accuracy of the information about held ingredients.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the first ingredient information acquisition unit may acquire the first ingredient information based on an image captured of the space in which the ingredients are held.

According to this aspect, the first ingredient information can be obtained by simple means such as capturing an image of the space in which the ingredients are stored.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the second ingredient information acquisition unit may acquire the second ingredient information based on purchase data related to ingredients purchased by the user.

According to this aspect, the second ingredient information can be obtained by simple means such as obtaining purchase data related to ingredients purchased by the user.

In another aspect, the recipe suggestion device may further include an ingredient information update unit that updates the ingredient inventory information based on user input, and the first suggestion unit may re-extract suggested recipes based on the ingredient inventory information updated by the ingredient information update unit.

This aspect allows ingredient inventory information to be updated based on user input, further improving the accuracy of ingredient inventory information.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the ingredient information update unit may delete ingredients used in a recipe selected by the user from among the suggested recipes output by the output unit from the ingredient possession information storage unit, and the first suggestion unit may re-extract the suggested recipe based on the ingredient possession information from which the ingredients have been deleted by the ingredient information update unit.

According to this aspect, when a dish is prepared based on a suggested recipe and the ingredients used in that recipe are consumed, the recipe is entered by the user, and the ingredients used in that recipe are deleted from the ingredient inventory information, thereby maintaining the accuracy of the ingredient inventory information.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the ingredient information update unit may delete ingredients specified by the user from the ingredient possession information, and the first suggestion unit may re-extract suggested recipes based on the ingredient possession information from which the ingredients have been deleted by the ingredient information update unit.

According to this aspect, when a dish is prepared based on a proposed recipe and the ingredients used in that recipe are consumed, the ingredients are input by the user, and the input ingredients are deleted from the ingredient inventory information, thereby maintaining the accuracy of the ingredient inventory information.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the first suggestion unit extracts a recipe group consisting of multiple recipes as suggested recipes, and when extracting one recipe as a suggested recipe that uses an ingredient stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit as a duplicate-restricted ingredient, which is an ingredient that is not extracted in duplicate as an ingredient used in multiple recipes, other recipes stored in the recipe information storage unit that use ingredients that fall under the duplicate-restricted ingredient may not be extracted as suggested recipes.

According to this aspect, multiple recipes are extracted from recipe information based on ingredient possession information, and if one of the extracted recipes uses a duplicate-restricted ingredient, other recipes that use that duplicate-restricted ingredient are not extracted, so dishes from the extracted multiple recipes can be prepared simultaneously. Therefore, recipes for multiple meals can be obtained based on a single acquisition of first ingredient information and second ingredient information, respectively.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the first suggestion unit may repeat the following steps from the first to nth times to extract recipes in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit, calculate scores for all extracted recipes based on predetermined weightings, extract one of the recipes with the highest score as the i-th (i = 1, 2, ... n) recipe, and delete the ingredients used in the i-th recipe from the ingredient possession information.

According to this aspect, suggested recipes that include recipes with high scores calculated based on predetermined weighting are extracted preferentially. Furthermore, because one recipe is extracted by calculating the score for each recipe once, the amount of calculation required for the process of extracting suggested recipes from a group of recipes can be reduced.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the first suggestion unit may generate one or more recipe groups consisting of combinations of multiple recipes in which all ingredients used are stored in the ingredient information storage unit and overlap-restricted ingredients do not overlap with each other in each recipe, calculate the scores of each of the multiple recipes included in each recipe group based on predetermined weighting, and extract the recipe group with the highest total score of the multiple recipes included as the suggested recipe.

According to this aspect, a recipe group consisting of multiple recipes that can be cooked simultaneously is comprehensively extracted, and the recipe group with the highest calculated score is extracted as the suggested recipe. In this way, by expressing the priority of ingredients suggested to the user in advance as weighting for the ingredients, it is possible to extract a recipe group consisting of recipes that the user wants to be suggested with higher priority.

In another aspect of the recipe suggestion device, the first suggestion unit may calculate a score for each recipe based on at least one of a weighting assigned to each ingredient in advance and a weighting assigned to each recipe in advance.

According to this aspect, by assigning appropriate weights to recipes and ingredients in advance, it is possible to extract recipes that you would like to preferentially suggest to users and recipes that use ingredients that you would like users to preferentially consume.

In another aspect, the recipe suggestion device may further include a specification acceptance unit that accepts a user specification for one or more recipes among the multiple recipes included in the suggested recipes output by the output unit, and when a duplicate-restricted ingredient is used in a recipe for which the specification acceptance unit accepts the specification, the first suggestion unit may re-extract at least one recipe in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the duplicate-restricted ingredient is not used.

According to this aspect, the output unit outputs suggested recipes consisting of a recipe group, so that even if a recipe has been suggested to the user, recipes included in the recipe group other than the recipe specified by the user can be re-extracted. This allows the user to receive suggestions for the recipes they desire.

In another aspect, the recipe suggestion device may further include a specification acceptance unit that accepts a user specification for one or more recipes among the multiple recipes included in the suggested recipes output by the output unit, and when a duplicate-restricted ingredient is used in a suggested recipe output by the output unit for which the specification acceptance unit has not accepted the specification, the first suggestion unit may re-extract at least one recipe in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the duplicate-restricted ingredient is not used.

According to this aspect, the output unit outputs suggested recipes consisting of a recipe group, so that even if a recipe has been suggested to the user, it is possible to re-extract recipes from the recipe group other than those not specified by the user. This allows the user to receive suggestions for desired recipes.

In another aspect, the recipe suggestion device may further include a second suggestion unit that references the recipe information storage unit and extracts one or more recipes in which all of the remaining ingredients, excluding a predetermined number of ingredients from the ingredients used, are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit, and the output unit may output the recipe suggested by the second suggestion unit.

According to this aspect, even if a recipe cannot be made using only the ingredients included in the current ingredient inventory information, a recipe that can be made by adding a certain number of ingredients can be extracted, thereby expanding the variety of recipes suggested to the user.

In another aspect, the recipe suggestion device may further include a recommended ingredient storage unit that stores recommended ingredients recommended for purchase by the user, and the second suggestion unit may extract one or more recipes that use the recommended ingredients, and in which all ingredients used in the recipe other than the recommended ingredients are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit.

According to this aspect, recipes that can be cooked are extracted by adding recommended ingredients to the ingredients included in the current ingredient inventory information, thereby encouraging the user to purchase the recommended ingredients.

One aspect of the present disclosure makes it possible to improve the accuracy of information about ingredients held, which is the basis for recipe suggestions.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a device configuration of a recipe suggestion system including a recipe suggestion device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the recipe suggestion device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the recipe suggestion device. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of the structure of recipe information stored in a recipe information storage unit and an example of stored data. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of ingredient possession information stored in an ingredient possession information storage unit and stored data. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of recipe history information stored in a recipe history storage unit. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of ingredient history information stored in an ingredient history storage unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of recommended ingredient information stored in a recommended ingredient information storage unit. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing content of an extraction process for extracting a recipe in the first proposal unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on a user terminal on which a suggested recipe is displayed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen on a user terminal for inputting consumed ingredients. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a user terminal, showing a recipe that can be made by adding certain ingredients to the ingredients included in the ingredient possession information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen that accepts a user's input of a recipe group displayed on a user terminal. 10 is a flowchart showing the process of a recipe suggestion method performed in the recipe suggestion device.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in the description of the drawings, identical or equivalent elements will be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the device configuration of a proposal system including a recipe proposal device according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the proposal system 1 includes a recipe proposal device 10 and multiple user terminals T (user devices). The recipe proposal device 10 is a device that proposes cooking recipes to users. Specifically, the recipe proposal device 10 proposes recipes to users by transmitting recipe information to the user terminal T. The recipe proposal device 10 and the user terminal T are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network N.

The user terminal T is a device operated by a user, which sends a recipe suggestion request to the recipe suggestion device 10, and receives and displays the recipe information returned in response to the request. The device that constitutes the user terminal T is not limited, and may be, for example, a stationary or portable personal computer, or a portable terminal such as a high-function mobile phone (smartphone), mobile phone, or personal digital assistant (PDA). Note that although three user terminals T are shown in Figure 1, the number of user terminals T is not limited.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the recipe suggestion device 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the recipe suggestion device 10 functionally comprises a first ingredient information acquisition unit 11, a second ingredient information acquisition unit 12, a first suggestion unit 13, an output unit 14, an ingredient information update unit 15, a second suggestion unit 16, and a designation acceptance unit 17. Each of these functional units 11-17 is realized by loading a server program P1 (recipe suggestion program) into a processor 101, which will be described with reference to Figure 3, and executing that program. Each functional unit will be described later. Note that, although in this embodiment, each of the functional units 11-17 is configured in the recipe suggestion device 10, they may also be configured distributed across multiple computers.

The recipe suggestion device 10 also includes storage means such as a recipe information storage unit 21, an ingredient possession information storage unit 22, a recipe history storage unit 23, an ingredient history storage unit 24, and a recommended ingredient information storage unit 25. In the example shown in FIG. 2, these storage units 21 to 25 are configured in the recipe suggestion device 10, but they may also be configured as elements of the recipe suggestion system 1 in other devices accessible from the recipe suggestion device 10.

Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the recipe suggestion device 10, and shows a server computer 100 that functions as the recipe suggestion device 10.

As an example, the server computer 100 has the following hardware components: a processor 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, and a communication unit 104.

Processor 101 is a computing device that executes an operating system and application programs. Examples of processors include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), but the type of processor 101 is not limited to these. For example, processor 101 may be a combination of a sensor and a dedicated circuit. The dedicated circuit may be a programmable circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or another type of circuit.

The main memory unit 102 is a device that stores programs for implementing the recipe suggestion device 10, etc., and calculation results output from the processor 101. The main memory unit 102 is composed of, for example, at least one of ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory).

The auxiliary memory unit 103 is generally a device capable of storing larger amounts of data than the main memory unit 102. The auxiliary memory unit 103 is configured, for example, by a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk or flash memory. The auxiliary memory unit 103 stores a server program P1 and various data for causing the server computer 100 to function as the recipe suggestion device 10. In this embodiment, the recipe suggestion program that realizes the recipe suggestion device 10 is implemented as the server program P1. Furthermore, when each of the memories 21-25 is included in the recipe suggestion device 10, each of the memories 21-25 may be configured in either the main memory unit 102 or the auxiliary memory unit 103.

The communication unit 104 is a device that performs data communication with other computers via the communication network N. The communication unit 104 is configured, for example, by a network card or a wireless communication module.

Each functional element of the server is realized by loading the corresponding server program P1 onto the processor 101 or main memory unit 102 and having the processor 101 execute that program. The server program P1 contains code for realizing each functional element of the corresponding server. The processor 101 operates the communication unit 104 in accordance with the server program P1, and executes reading and writing of data from the main memory unit 102 or the auxiliary memory unit 103. Through such processing, each functional element of the corresponding server is realized.

The server program P1 may be provided by being permanently recorded on a tangible recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or semiconductor memory. Alternatively, at least one of these programs may be provided via a communications network as a data signal superimposed on a carrier wave.

Each server can be made up of one or more computers. When multiple computers are used for one server, these computers are connected to each other via a communications network to logically form one server.

Referring again to Figure 2, each storage unit of the recipe suggestion device 10 will be described. The recipe information storage unit 21 is a storage means for storing recipe information. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of recipe information stored in the recipe information storage unit 21. As shown in Figure 4, the recipe information includes a recipe name, and the recipe name is associated with the ingredients used in the recipe. For example, a recipe with the recipe name "Nikujaga" (meat and potato stew) uses ingredients such as potatoes, ground beef, and onions. The recipe information also includes information such as text and images for guiding the user through the cooking method of each recipe (not shown).

The recipe information stored in the recipe information storage unit 21 may be information previously obtained from an external recipe site that publishes various recipes. In this case, the recipe information may include the name of the site from which the recipe information was obtained. For example, the recipe information shown in Figure 4 includes recipes for "nikujaga" (meat and potato stew) obtained separately from site A and site B.

The ingredient possession information storage unit 22 is a storage means that stores ingredient possession information indicating ingredients possessed by the user. As described in detail below, the ingredient possession information includes first ingredient information and second ingredient information.

The first ingredient information is information about ingredients that the user has stored in a specified space. In this embodiment, the first ingredient information is, for example, information about ingredients stored in a refrigerator, freezer, etc., and is obtained by a specified image analysis process based on an image captured inside the refrigerator, freezer, etc. The first ingredient information may also be information about seasonings obtained based on an image captured of the space where the seasonings are stored. In this way, the specified space may be a refrigerator, freezer, or space where seasonings are stored, or it may be a space where ingredients are stored, such as a seasoning shelf or kitchen cupboard. Furthermore, while it is preferable that the first ingredient information be obtained based on a captured image to simplify user operation, it may also be obtained through user input.

The second ingredient information is information about ingredients added to ingredients owned by the user. The ingredients owned by the user are not necessarily limited to ingredients stored in the ingredient ownership information storage unit 22. Therefore, a configuration may be adopted in which the recipe suggestion device 10 first acquires purchasing data, etc. for new ingredients. When the recipe suggestion device 10 first acquires purchasing data, etc. for new ingredients as second ingredient information, the first acquired second ingredient information may be considered to be ingredients owned by the user. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second ingredient information is acquired after the first ingredient information. With this configuration, after the second ingredient information is acquired, recipes can be suggested based on the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information, allowing the user to select a recipe immediately after acquisition.

In this embodiment, the second ingredient information is, for example, purchase data. The purchase data is data related to ingredients purchased by the user, and may be obtained by performing an analysis process, such as a specified OCR, based on an image of the receipt issued when the user purchases the ingredients. POS data containing information about the ingredients purchased by the user may be transmitted from the store's POS system to the recipe suggestion device 10 via a communications network, or may be transferred from the POS system to the recipe suggestion device 10 via the user terminal T, or may be obtained by referencing the user's purchase history on an EC site. The second ingredient information may also be obtained by user input. The purchase data may be, for example, a product ID or name, or may be indicated in text, as long as it can identify the ingredients.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of ingredient possession information stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22. As shown in Figure 5, the ingredient possession information includes information such as quantity, information source, expiration date, and score associated with each ingredient name. The ingredient possession information may also include information such as the expiration date and registration date of each ingredient. The quantity indicates the number and weight of the ingredient. The information source indicates whether the ingredient information was obtained based on a refrigerator image or receipt information, i.e., whether the ingredient is first ingredient information or second ingredient information. In addition to refrigerator images and receipt images, information sources may include image information of a specified space other than the refrigerator (e.g., a condiment shelf), purchase data from a POS system, user input, etc. The expiration date indicates the expiration date of the ingredient and may be obtained, for example, by OCR processing of an image of the product or from a POS system. The expiration date indicates the expiration date of the ingredient and may be obtained, for example, by OCR processing of an image of the product or from a POS system. The registration date indicates the date on which the ingredient was registered as ingredient possession information in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22.

The overlap restriction flag is set for overlap restriction ingredients, which are ingredients that cannot be used in multiple recipes. In other words, the overlap restriction flag is a flag for identifying ingredients that are used in a recipe, as it is undesirable for ingredients to be included in recipes suggested at the same time because they are consumed in the dish for that recipe. Note that overlap restriction ingredients may include first overlap restriction ingredients and second overlap restriction ingredients, depending on the degree of overlap restriction. The first overlap restriction ingredient is a non-overlapping ingredient that cannot be used in multiple recipes suggested at the same time. The second overlap restriction ingredient is an ingredient that can be used up to a predetermined limit in multiple recipes suggested at the same time, for example, due to a large quantity. Unlike these overlap restriction ingredients, for example, seasonings can be used in both one recipe and another, so they do not fall under the overlap restriction category.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, ingredients other than seasonings are flagged with "1" to indicate that the ingredient is a first duplicate-restricted ingredient (a non-duplicable ingredient). On the other hand, seasonings are not duplicate-restricted ingredients, so no flag is set. Furthermore, for example, for ingredients related to the second ingredient information, the duplicate-restricted flag may not be set, given that they are newly added to the ingredients already in stock and therefore likely to be in large quantities, or a flag indicating that they are second duplicate-restricted ingredients may be set. Furthermore, for ingredients related to the second ingredient information, the duplicate-restricted flag may be set along with the number of allowed duplicates (e.g., "2" or "3"), and duplicates may be permitted up to that number (not shown). In the following description of this embodiment, duplicate-restricted ingredients are described as first duplicate-restricted ingredients (a non-duplicable ingredient).

The score is a numerical value used as an index when extracting suggested recipes, and may be calculated in advance for each ingredient, as shown in the figure. The score may also be calculated based on weights assigned to each piece of attribute information for an ingredient. For example, with regard to the information source as one piece of attribute information, a refrigerator image may be weighted more heavily than a receipt, and a value corresponding to that weighting may be added to the score or multiplied by a coefficient corresponding to the weighting. With regard to the expiration date as one piece of attribute information, a greater weight may be assigned to ingredients with a shorter time until the expiration date, and a value corresponding to that weighting may be added to the score or multiplied by a coefficient corresponding to the weighting. With regard to the registration date as one piece of attribute information, a greater weight may be assigned to ingredients with an older registration date, and a value corresponding to that weighting may be added to the score or multiplied by a coefficient corresponding to the weighting.

The recipe history storage unit 23 is a storage means for storing recipe history information including a history of recipes that each user has cooked in the past. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of recipe history information. Recipe history information is managed for each user and includes the date on which cooking was performed based on the recipe and the recipe name. As shown in the example in Figure 6, the recipe history storage unit 23 stores recipe history information indicating that the recipes "Thinly Sliced Pork Steak" and "Japanese Paprika" were performed on "March 20th," and recipe history information indicating that the recipes "Grilled Tuna with Herb Breadcrumbs" and "Burdock Salad" were performed on "March 19th."

As described below, when the ingredient information update unit 15 acquires the name of a recipe cooked by a user, the acquired recipe name is stored in the recipe history storage unit 23 together with the date. Furthermore, when the name of a recipe cooked by a user is input on the user terminal T, a recipe name input via another route may be acquired by the recipe suggestion device 10 and stored in the recipe history storage unit 23. As described below, the recipe history information is used to calculate a score when extracting suggested recipes.

The ingredient history storage unit 24 is a storage means for storing ingredient history information, including the history of ingredients that each user has used in cooking in the past. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of ingredient history information. Ingredient history information is managed for each user and includes the date on which the ingredient was used in cooking and the ingredient name. As shown in the example in Figure 7, the ingredient history storage unit 24 stores ingredient history information indicating that "thinly sliced pork" and "paprika" were used in cooking on "March 20th," and ingredient history information indicating that "tuna fillets" and "burdock" were used in cooking on "March 19th."

As will be described later, when the ingredient information update unit 15 acquires a recipe that the user has cooked, the ingredients used in the acquired recipe are acquired by referencing the recipe information storage unit 21, and the acquired ingredients are stored in the ingredient history storage unit 24 together with the date. Furthermore, when information about an ingredient purchased by the user is acquired as second ingredient information, regardless of whether it was used in cooking, that ingredient may be stored in the ingredient history storage unit 24. As will be described later, the ingredient history information is used to calculate a score when extracting suggested recipes.

The recommended ingredient information storage unit 25 is a storage means for storing recommended ingredient information, which is information about ingredients recommended for use by the user. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of recommended ingredient information stored in the recommended ingredient information storage unit 25. As shown in Figure 8, the recommended ingredient information includes an ingredient name associated with a suggestion source. The ingredient name is the name of the ingredient recommended for use by the user. The suggestion source is information identifying the ingredient manufacturer that suggested the use of the recommended ingredient. The recommended ingredient information may be received by the recipe suggestion device 10 from a terminal of an ingredient manufacturer that may be the source of the recommended ingredient, and registered in the recommended ingredient information storage unit 25. The recommended ingredient information is referenced when the second suggestion unit 16 suggests a recipe, as described below. The recommended ingredient information may also be referenced when the first suggestion unit 13 suggests a recipe. In other words, if a recommended ingredient is included in the ingredient possession information, the first suggestion unit 13 may preferentially extract recipes that use the recommended ingredient.

Referring again to Figure 2, the functional units of the recipe suggestion device 10 will be described. The first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 acquires first ingredient information and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22 as ingredient possession information. The first ingredient information is information about ingredients possessed by the user in a specified space. In this embodiment, as an example, the first ingredient information is information about ingredients possessed in the refrigerator, as will be described below.

Specifically, the first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 acquires images of the inside of the refrigerator. For example, if an image of the inside of the refrigerator is captured by a user terminal T, the first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 acquires the image of the inside of the refrigerator sent from the user terminal T. Also, if a so-called smart camera is installed inside the refrigerator, the first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the image captured by the smart camera via the communication network or via the user terminal T and the communication network.

The first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 performs a predetermined image analysis process on the acquired image of the inside of the refrigerator to identify the ingredients contained in the image. The predetermined image analysis method is not limited, and any well-known image analysis method may be used. Examples of image analysis methods include pattern matching and identification using an ingredient identification model generated by machine learning. The first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 may acquire, as the first ingredient information, the results of image analysis processing performed on the user terminal T on the image of the inside of the refrigerator.

If an ingredient in an image cannot be identified due to limitations in image analysis technology, the first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the ingredient name manually entered by the user on the user terminal T. Furthermore, as described below, information on previously purchased ingredients is obtained as the second ingredient information. Therefore, if the image recognition result does not determine whether an ingredient is ingredient A or ingredient B, but the previous purchase of ingredient A is obtained as the second ingredient information, the first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 may determine that the ingredient is ingredient A. If the image recognition result does not determine whether an ingredient is ingredient C or ingredient D, but the ingredient history storage unit 24 indicates that the user tends to purchase ingredient C, the first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 may determine that the ingredient is ingredient C.

In this way, first ingredient information can be obtained by simple means such as capturing images of the space where ingredients are stored, and highly accurate ingredient possession information can be easily generated by further determining the information based on the user's tendencies.

The second ingredient information acquisition unit 12 acquires second ingredient information and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22 as ingredient possession information. The second ingredient information is information about ingredients added to possessed ingredients. For example, the second ingredient information acquisition unit 12 acquires second ingredient information based on text information that lists the names of ingredients to be added. An example of acquiring second ingredient information is explained below.

The second ingredient information acquisition unit 12 acquires an image of a receipt captured on the user terminal T, for example, and performs OCR processing on the text written on the receipt to acquire ingredient names, etc. The second ingredient information acquisition unit 12 then stores the ingredient names, etc. acquired from the receipt as ingredient possession information in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22. Note that the second ingredient information acquisition unit 12 may also acquire, as the second ingredient information, the results of OCR processing performed on the user terminal T on the text written on the receipt.

The second ingredient information acquisition unit 12 may also acquire POS data containing information about the ingredients purchased by the user as second ingredient information from the POS system of the store where the user purchased the ingredients via a communication network. If the POS data is provided to the user's user terminal T from the POS system, the second ingredient information acquisition unit 12 may also acquire the POS data from the user terminal T.

In this way, second ingredient information can be obtained simply by acquiring and entering text information for the list of ingredients to be added, making it easy to generate highly accurate ingredient inventory information.

The first suggestion unit 13 references the recipe information and extracts as suggested recipes recipes in which all ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22. Note that the first suggestion unit 13 may also extract as suggested recipes recipes in which ingredients used in the recipe, other than seasonings, are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22. In other words, when a recipe includes seasonings as ingredients used in the recipe, the first suggestion unit 13 may extract the recipe even if the seasonings are not stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22. In other words, the first suggestion unit 13 may not take into account the seasonings used in each recipe when extracting recipes from the recipe information storage unit.

The first proposal unit 13 can also extract a recipe group consisting of multiple recipes as suggested recipes. When multiple recipes are extracted as suggested recipes, if the first proposal unit 13 extracts one recipe that uses overlap-restricted ingredients as a suggested recipe, it does not extract other recipes that use overlap-restricted ingredients among the recipes stored in the recipe information storage unit as suggested recipes.

In other words, since overlap-restricted ingredients are not used in multiple recipes extracted from recipe information as possible recipes based on ingredient possession information, dishes from these multiple recipes can be prepared simultaneously. Therefore, recipes for multiple meals can be obtained based on a single acquisition of first ingredient information and second ingredient information.

An example of the recipe group extraction process performed by the first proposal unit 13 will be described with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the extraction process for extracting recipes performed by the first proposal unit. Specifically, a predetermined number n of recipes are extracted as a recipe group according to the flowchart shown in Figure 9.

In step S11, the first suggestion unit 13 extracts from the recipe information recipes that can be cooked using ingredients included in the ingredient possession information. Here, a recipe that can be cooked is a recipe in which all of the ingredients used in the recipe are included in the ingredient possession information. In other words, the first suggestion unit 13 extracts from the recipe information storage unit 21 recipes in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22. Note that the first suggestion unit 13 may also extract from the recipe information storage unit 21 recipes in which all of the ingredients used, other than seasonings, are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22.

In step S12, the first suggestion unit 13 calculates a score for each recipe extracted in step S11. The first suggestion unit 13 may calculate the score for each recipe based on at least one of a weighting previously set for each ingredient and a weighting previously set for each recipe.

The method for calculating the score is not limited, but for example, if a score is associated with each ingredient as described with reference to Figure 5, the first suggestion unit 13 may calculate the score for a recipe by obtaining the scores for all ingredients used in the recipe and calculating the sum of the scores for each ingredient.

The first suggestion unit 13 may also calculate a score for each recipe based on the weight assigned to each piece of attribute information for the ingredients. For example, the first suggestion unit 13 may assign a greater weight to the refrigerator image than to the receipt in relation to the information source of the ingredient attribute information, and add or subtract a value corresponding to the weighting to the score, or multiply the score by a coefficient corresponding to the weighting. By calculating the score for each recipe in this way, recipes using ingredients in the refrigerator (i.e., ingredients whose information has been acquired as first ingredient information) can be preferentially extracted as suggested recipes.

Furthermore, the first suggestion unit 13 may, for example, assign a greater weight to ingredients with a shorter time remaining until their best-before or expiration date, which is attribute information of the ingredients, and add or subtract a value corresponding to that weighting to the score, or multiply the score by a coefficient corresponding to the weighting. By calculating the score for each recipe in this way, recipes using ingredients with a short time remaining until their best-before or expiration date can be preferentially extracted as suggested recipes.

The first suggestion unit 13 may also calculate a score for each recipe by referencing recipe history information. Specifically, if the recipe for which the score is to be calculated is stored in the recipe history storage unit 23 as recipe history information for a recipe that has been cooked in the past, the first suggestion unit 13 may add or subtract a predetermined value to the score or multiply the score by a predetermined coefficient. Conversely, if the recipe for which the score is to be calculated is not stored in the recipe history storage unit 23 as recipe history information for a recipe that has been cooked in the past, the first suggestion unit 13 may add or subtract a predetermined value to the score or multiply the score by a predetermined coefficient. By calculating recipe scores in this way, it is possible to preferentially suggest recipes that the user has cooked, or preferentially suggest recipes that the user has not cooked.

The first suggestion unit 13 may also calculate the score of each recipe by referencing the ingredient history information. Specifically, if an ingredient used in a recipe for which a score is being calculated is stored in the ingredient history storage unit 24 as ingredient history information that indicates that the ingredient has been used by the user in the past, the first suggestion unit 13 can assign a predetermined weight to that ingredient. The first suggestion unit 13 may then add or subtract a value corresponding to the weighting based on the ingredient history information to the score, or multiply the score by a coefficient corresponding to the weighting. By calculating the recipe score in this way, it is possible to preferentially suggest recipes that use ingredients that the user has used in the past, or to preferentially suggest recipes that use ingredients that the user has not used.

Furthermore, if a score is previously associated with each recipe in the recipe information storage unit 21, the first proposal unit 13 may obtain that score and use it as the score for each recipe, or may add or subtract based on weighting to the obtained score, or multiply by a coefficient based on weighting.

In step S13, the first proposal unit 13 extracts one recipe from among a predetermined number of recipes with the highest scores calculated in step S12 from the multiple recipes extracted in step S11.

Specifically, for example, the first suggestion unit 13 sorts the multiple recipes extracted in step S11 in descending order of score. Then, the first suggestion unit 13 extracts a predetermined number of the top-ranked recipes from the sorted recipes. Here, the predetermined number for the number of recipes to extract from the sorted recipes may be 1, or may be 2, 3, or more. If the predetermined number is 1, the first suggestion unit extracts the top-ranked recipe with the highest score from the sorted recipes. By extracting recipes in this way, it is possible to extract, as suggested recipes, a group of recipes with the highest total score from a group of recipes that can be cooked simultaneously using ingredients included in the ingredient possession information.

Furthermore, if the predetermined number is more than one, the first suggestion unit 13 further extracts one recipe, for example randomly, from the multiple recipes extracted from the sorted recipes. In this case, the total score of the multiple recipes extracted as suggested recipes is maintained at a relatively high value, while randomness can be imparted to the recipe extraction. Therefore, as described below, when the first suggestion unit 13 extracts a recipe group again in response to a specified input by the user, it can extract a recipe group different from the recipe group extracted previously.

In step S14, the ingredients used in the recipe extracted in step S13 are deleted from the ingredient possession information. In other words, the recipe extracted based on the ingredient possession information from which the ingredients have been deleted does not contain overlapping ingredients with the recipe extracted in step S13, so both recipes can be cooked simultaneously.

In step S15, the first proposal unit 13 determines whether a predetermined number n of recipes have been extracted. If it is determined that the predetermined number n of recipes have been extracted, the recipe group extraction process by the first proposal unit 13 ends. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the predetermined number n of recipes have been extracted, the process returns to step S11, and steps S11 to S14 are repeated until the predetermined number n of recipes have been extracted.

This extraction process makes it possible to extract as suggested recipes a group of recipes that prioritize recipes with high scores calculated based on a predetermined weighting. Furthermore, because one recipe is extracted by calculating the score for each recipe, the amount of calculation required for the process of extracting suggested recipes can be reduced.

Next, another example of the process for extracting suggested recipes by the first suggestion unit 13 will be described. In this example of the extraction process, the first suggestion unit 13 first generates one or more recipe groups consisting of combinations of multiple recipes in which all of the ingredients used (which may be ingredients excluding seasonings) are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and in which the overlap-restricted ingredients do not overlap with each other in each recipe.

The first proposal unit 13 then calculates the score for each of the multiple recipes included in each recipe group based on a predetermined weighting. The calculation of the score for each recipe is similar to the example of score calculation described with reference to Figure 9.

Then, the first proposal unit 13 calculates the sum of the scores of the multiple recipes included in each recipe group, and extracts the recipe group with the highest sum of the calculated scores as the proposed recipe.

This extraction process comprehensively extracts a recipe group consisting of multiple recipes that can be cooked simultaneously, and then extracts the recipe group with the highest calculated score. By expressing the priority of ingredients suggested to the user in advance as weights for the ingredients, it is possible to extract a recipe group consisting of recipes that the user wants to be suggested with higher priority.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the output unit 14 outputs the proposed recipes extracted by the first suggestion unit 13. Specifically, the output unit 14 extracts recipe information for each recipe included in the proposed recipes from the recipe information storage unit 21 and transmits the extracted recipe information to the user terminal T. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example screen on the user terminal T displaying the proposed recipes. As shown in FIG. 10, the display screen D1 displayed on the user terminal T includes recipe information r11 to r16 for multiple recipes included in the proposed recipes. For example, when the user performs a designation input (e.g., a touch operation) to designate one of the displayed recipe information r11 to r16, information such as the cooking method for the designated recipe is displayed.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the ingredient information update unit 15 updates the ingredient inventory information based on user input. Specifically, the ingredient information update unit 15 may delete from the ingredient inventory information ingredients used in a recipe selected by the user from the group of suggested recipes output by the output unit 14. That is, when the user terminal T receives input specifying a recipe cooked by the user from the group of suggested recipes displayed on the user terminal T, information on the specified recipe is sent from the user terminal T to the recipe suggestion device 10, and the ingredient information update unit 15 acquires information on the recipe specified and input by the user, acquires the ingredients used in the recipe as consumed ingredients by referencing the recipe information, and deletes information on the consumed ingredients from the ingredient inventory information.

The ingredient information update unit 15 may also delete ingredients specified by the user from the ingredient inventory information. Specifically, the ingredient information update unit 15 may acquire information about ingredients consumed by the user when cooking based on the suggested recipe output by the output unit 14 from the user terminal T based on the user's designated input, and delete the consumed ingredients from the ingredient inventory information. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example input screen for inputting consumed ingredients on the user terminal T. As shown in FIG. 11, the input screen D2 includes lists 111-113 of ingredient inventory information. Each ingredient name included in lists 111-113 is associated with a button b for specifying the consumed ingredient. When the user terminal T accepts an input operation (e.g., a touch operation) by the user on the button b corresponding to the consumed ingredient, information about the specified ingredient is sent from the user terminal T to the recipe suggestion device 10, and the ingredient information update unit 15 acquires the information about the ingredients designated and input by the user and deletes the acquired information about the ingredients from the ingredient inventory information.

After the ingredient information update unit 15 has updated the ingredient information in this manner, the first proposal unit 13 may re-extract suggested recipes based on the ingredient information from which ingredients have been deleted by the ingredient information update unit 15. The re-extraction of suggested recipes may be triggered by the first proposal unit 13 receiving a re-extraction instruction from the user terminal T.

In this way, the ingredient information update unit 15 updates the ingredient inventory information based on the user's input of the recipe cooked or the ingredients consumed, thereby further improving the accuracy of the ingredient inventory information. Recipes using ingredients other than those consumed can then be suggested to the user again.

Referring again to FIG. 2 , the second suggestion unit 16 references the recipe information and extracts one or more recipes in which all of the remaining ingredients, after subtracting a predetermined number of ingredients from the ingredients used, are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22, and in which the predetermined number of ingredients are not stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22. Specifically, the second suggestion unit 16 extracts one or more recipes that can be cooked by adding a predetermined number of ingredients to the ingredients included in the ingredient possession information. As described above, the first ingredient information is information about ingredients possessed by the user, and the second ingredient information is information about ingredients that have been purchased and added to the ingredients possessed. Therefore, by having the second suggestion unit 16 suggest a recipe before the ingredients are purchased, the user can be encouraged to purchase specific ingredients.

In this embodiment, the second suggestion unit 16 extracts recipes that can be prepared by adding one ingredient to the ingredients included in the ingredient possession information. Specifically, the second suggestion unit 16 extracts recipes from the recipe information storage unit 21 that use one ingredient not included in the ingredient possession information and ingredients included in the ingredient possession information.

The second suggestion unit 16 may refer to the ingredient history information and extract from the recipe information storage unit 21 recipes that use ingredients that are not included in the ingredient possession information and that the user has never used, as well as ingredients that are included in the ingredient possession information. By suggesting such recipes to the user, it is possible to motivate the user to purchase ingredients that they have not purchased before.

The second suggestion unit 16 may also extract recipes that use a specific type of ingredient not included in the ingredient possession information and ingredients included in the ingredient possession information from the recipe information stored in the recipe information storage unit 21. When extracting such recipes, the second suggestion unit 16 may limit the specific type of ingredient. Specifically, the second suggestion unit 16 may refer to recommended ingredient information in which recommended ingredients, which are ingredients that the user is desired to purchase, are registered in advance, and extract recipes that use the recommended ingredients and ingredients included in the ingredient possession information from the recipe information stored in the recipe information storage unit 21.

For example, seasonal ingredients, sale ingredients, ingredients that food manufacturers want users to purchase, etc. can be acquired in advance by the recipe suggestion device 10 and registered as recommended ingredient information, allowing recipes using these recommended ingredients to be suggested to users.

When a recipe is extracted by the second suggestion unit 16, the output unit 14 outputs the recipe extracted by the second suggestion unit 16 to the user terminal T. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example screen on the user terminal T displaying recipes that can be prepared by adding certain ingredients (recommended ingredients) to the ingredients included in the ingredient possession information. Specifically, screen D3 includes four pieces of recipe information r21 to r24 that use Chinese cabbage as a recommended ingredient.

Furthermore, after the recipe extracted by the second proposal unit 16 is output on the user terminal T, the first proposal unit 13 may extract, as a suggested recipe, at least one recipe that does not use any of the overlap-restricted ingredients used in the recipe extracted by the second proposal unit 16. In this case, the output unit 14 outputs the recipe extracted by the second proposal unit 16 and the suggested recipe proposed by the first proposal unit 13 together.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the designation receiving unit 17 receives a user designation for one or more recipes among the multiple recipes included in the proposed recipes output by the output unit 14. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen that receives a user designation input for the proposed recipe displayed on the user terminal T.

Specifically, the user can select a recipe to adopt from the group of recipes displayed on the user terminal T and specify the selected recipe. Alternatively, the user can select a recipe not to adopt from the suggested recipes displayed on the user terminal T and specify the selected recipe. On screen D4 shown in Figure 13, a check mark C indicating a designated input is displayed on recipes r11, r14, and r16 selected as the recipe to adopt from among multiple recipes r11 to r16.

When the specification receiving unit 17 receives a specification input for the output suggested recipe, if the recipe for which the specification receiving unit 17 receives a specification uses a duplicate-restricted ingredient, the first suggestion unit 13 re-extracts at least one recipe for which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22 and which does not use the duplicate-restricted ingredient.

Furthermore, if the designation receiving unit 17 receives a designation input for a recipe that will not be adopted, and if a duplicate-restricted ingredient is used in a recipe from the group of recipes output by the output unit 14 for which the designation was not received by the designation receiving unit 17, the first suggestion unit 13 re-extracts at least one recipe in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22 and the duplicate-restricted ingredient is not used.

The re-extraction of a recipe by the first suggestion unit 13 may be triggered by inputting a re-extraction instruction following input of a selected recipe on the user terminal T. The output unit 14 outputs and displays the recipe selected as the recipe to be adopted and the recipe re-extracted by the first suggestion unit 13 together on the user terminal T.

In this way, by outputting the suggested recipe from the output unit 14, even if a recipe has been suggested to the user, it is possible to re-extract recipes other than the recipe specified by the user from the group of recipes included in the suggested recipes. This allows the user to receive suggestions for desired recipes. Furthermore, if a designation input for a recipe that will not be adopted is received, it is possible to re-extract recipes other than the recipe not specified by the user from the group of recipes included in the suggested recipes. This allows the user to receive suggestions for desired recipes.

Next, the operation of the recipe suggestion device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the recipe suggestion method implemented in the recipe suggestion device 10.

In step S1, the first ingredient information acquisition unit 11 acquires the first ingredient information and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22 as ingredient possession information.

In step S2, second ingredient information is acquired, and the acquired second ingredient information is stored as ingredient possession information in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22.

Note that before processing step S2, the second suggestion unit 16 may refer to the recipe information and extract one or more recipes that can be prepared by adding a predetermined number of ingredients (the predetermined number is, for example, 1) to the ingredients included in the ingredient possession information. The recipes extracted by the second suggestion unit 16 are transmitted to the user terminal T by the output unit 14 and displayed on the user terminal T.

In step S3, the first proposal unit 13 references the recipe information and extracts as proposed recipes those recipes in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit 22.

In step S4, the output unit 14 outputs the proposed recipe extracted by the first proposal unit 13. The proposed recipe is output, for example, by sending recipe information to the user terminal T and displaying it on the user terminal T.

In step S5, the ingredient information update unit 15 determines whether or not there has been an update to the ingredient information entered on the user terminal T and transmitted to the recipe suggestion device 10. The update to the ingredient information may be, for example, specification of recipe information for a dish prepared by the user, or specification of ingredients consumed by the user when cooking. If it is determined that there has been an update to the ingredient information, processing proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if it is not determined that there has been an update to the ingredient information, processing proceeds to step S7.

In step S6, the ingredient information update unit 15 deletes the consumed ingredients from the ingredient possession information based on the update input.

In step S7, the first proposal unit 13 determines whether an instruction to re-propose the recipe has been received. The instruction to re-propose is transmitted, for example, from a user terminal T where the user has input an instruction to re-propose the recipe. If it is determined that an instruction to re-propose the recipe has been received, processing proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if it is not determined that an instruction to re-propose the recipe has been received, processing returns to step S5.

In step S8, the first suggestion unit 13 determines whether to accept the input of the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information based on instruction information from the user terminal T. That is, when the user inputs an instruction to re-acquire the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information on the user terminal T, the user terminal T transmits instruction information to that effect to the recipe suggestion device 10. If it is determined that the input of the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information is to be accepted, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the input of the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information is to be accepted, the process returns to step S3.

In the recipe suggestion method of this embodiment described above, after extracting (S3) and outputting (S4) a suggested recipe, the ingredient inventory information can be updated (S6) and the suggested recipe can be extracted (S3) and output (S4) again without first acquiring the first ingredient information and second ingredient information (S1, S2). Therefore, the user does not need to acquire the first ingredient information (e.g., taking an image of the inside of the refrigerator) and the second ingredient information (acquiring information on the receipt for purchased ingredients) each time a group of recipes is suggested. In other words, the user can receive multiple groups of recipes by acquiring the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information once. This feature of the recipe suggestion method of this embodiment allows the user to, for example, receive multiple (e.g., two or three) suggested recipes equivalent to a week's menu by performing the cumbersome tasks of taking an image of the inside of the refrigerator and acquiring information on the receipt for purchased ingredients once a week and inputting information on consumed ingredients into the user terminal T each time a group of recipes is suggested.

The recipe suggestion device 10, recipe suggestion method, and recipe suggestion program of this embodiment described above acquire first ingredient information about ingredients held in a specified space and second ingredient information about ingredients added to the held ingredients, and generate ingredient holding information based on the two pieces of ingredient information, the first ingredient information and the second ingredient information, thereby improving the accuracy of the information about held ingredients.

The present invention has been described in detail above based on its embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The recipe suggestion device 10, recipe suggestion method, recipe suggestion program, and recipe suggestion system of the present disclosure may have the following configuration.
[1]
A recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device,
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
A first ingredient information acquisition unit acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition unit acquires second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe;
a first suggestion unit that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output unit that outputs the proposed recipe to the user device;
A recipe suggestion device comprising:
[2]
the first ingredient information acquisition unit acquires the first ingredient information based on an image captured of the space in which ingredients are held;
The recipe suggestion device according to [1].
[3]
the second ingredient information acquisition unit acquires the second ingredient information based on purchase data related to ingredients purchased by the user;
The recipe suggestion device according to [1] or [2].
[4]
An ingredient information update unit that updates the ingredient possession information based on the input by the user,
The first suggestion unit re-extracts the suggested recipe based on the ingredient possession information updated by the ingredient information update unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of [1] to [3].
[5]
the ingredient information update unit deletes ingredients used in the recipe selected by the user from the suggested recipe output by the output unit from the ingredient possession information storage unit;
The first suggestion unit re-extracts the suggested recipe based on the ingredient possession information from which the ingredient has been deleted by the ingredient information update unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to [4].
[6]
The ingredient information update unit deletes the ingredient designated by the user from the ingredient possession information storage unit,
The first suggestion unit re-extracts the suggested recipe based on the ingredient possession information from which the ingredient has been deleted by the ingredient information update unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to [4] or [5].
[7]
The first proposal unit
extracting a group of recipes consisting of a plurality of recipes as the proposed recipes;
When a recipe using an ingredient stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit as a duplicate-restricted ingredient, which is an ingredient that is not duplicately extracted as an ingredient used in a plurality of recipes, is extracted as the proposed recipe, other recipes stored in the recipe information storage unit that use the ingredient corresponding to the duplicate-restricted ingredient are not extracted as the proposed recipe.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of [1] to [6].
[8]
The first proposal unit
Extracting a recipe in which all ingredients used are stored in the ingredient information storage unit;
Calculating a score based on a predetermined weighting for each of the extracted recipes;
Extracting one of the top predetermined number of recipes with the highest score as the i-th recipe (i=1, 2, ..., n), and deleting the ingredients used in the i-th recipe from the ingredient possession information.
is repeated from the first time to the nth time, and the first to nth recipes are extracted as the proposed recipes.
The recipe suggestion device according to [7].
[9]
The first proposal unit
generating one or more recipe groups each consisting of a combination of a plurality of recipes in which all ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit, and in which the overlap-restricted ingredients do not overlap with each other in each recipe;
Calculating a score for each of the recipes included in each recipe group based on a predetermined weighting;
extracting the recipe group having the highest total score of the included recipes as the suggested recipe;
The recipe suggestion device according to [7].
[10]
the first suggestion unit calculates the score of each recipe based on at least one of a weighting previously set for each of the ingredients and a weighting previously set for each of the recipes;
The recipe suggestion device according to [8] or [9].
[11]
a designation receiving unit that receives a designation by a user for one or more recipes among a plurality of recipes included in the proposed recipes output by the output unit,
When the duplicate-restricted ingredient is used in a recipe whose designation has been accepted by the designation accepting unit, the first suggestion unit re-extracts at least one recipe in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the duplicate-restricted ingredient is not used.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of [7] to [10].
[12]
a designation receiving unit that receives a designation by a user for one or more recipes among a plurality of recipes included in the proposed recipes output by the output unit,
When the duplicate-restricted ingredient is used in a recipe whose designation has not been accepted by the designation accepting unit among the proposed recipes output by the output unit, the first suggestion unit re-extracts at least one recipe in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the duplicate-restricted ingredient is not used.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of [7] to [10].
[13]
a second suggestion unit that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts one or more recipes in which all of the remaining ingredients, excluding a predetermined number of ingredients from the ingredients used, are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
the output unit outputs the recipe proposed by the second proposal unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of [1] to [12].
[14]
The system further includes a recommended ingredient storage unit that stores recommended ingredients recommended for purchase by the user,
the second suggestion unit extracts one or more recipes that use the recommended ingredients, and all ingredients other than the recommended ingredients among the ingredients used in the recipes are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
The recipe suggestion device according to [13].
[15]
A recipe suggestion method in a recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device, comprising:
The recipe suggestion device includes:
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe,
The recipe suggestion method includes:
A first ingredient information acquisition step of acquiring first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and storing the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition step of acquiring second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and storing the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a first proposing step of referring to the recipe information storage unit and extracting, as a proposed recipe, a recipe whose ingredients are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output step of outputting the proposed recipe to the user device;
A recipe suggestion method having the above steps.
[16]
A recipe suggestion program for causing a computer to function as a recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device,
The recipe suggestion device includes:
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe,
The recipe suggestion program is configured to:
A first ingredient information acquisition function that acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition function that acquires second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a first suggestion function that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output function for outputting the proposed recipe to the user device;
A recipe suggestion program that makes this possible.
[17]
A recipe suggestion system that suggests cooking recipes to a user device,
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
A first ingredient information acquisition unit acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition unit acquires second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe;
a first suggestion unit that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output unit that outputs the proposed recipe to the user device;
A recipe suggestion system comprising:

1... proposal system, 10... recipe proposal device, 11... first ingredient information acquisition unit, 12... second ingredient information acquisition unit, 13... first proposal unit, 14... output unit, 15... ingredient information update unit, 16... second proposal unit, 17... designation reception unit, 21... recipe information storage unit, 22... ingredient possession information storage unit, 23... recipe history storage unit, 24... ingredient history storage unit, 25... recommended ingredient information storage unit, P1... server program.

Claims (16)

A recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device,
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
A first ingredient information acquisition unit acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition unit acquires second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe;
a first suggestion unit that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output unit that outputs the proposed recipe to the user device,
The first ingredient information acquisition unit acquires the first ingredient information based on an image of the space captured by a camera installed in the space where the ingredient is held or a camera installed in the user's terminal,
The recipe suggestion device further includes a recommended ingredient storage unit that stores recommended ingredients recommended for purchase by the user,
the first suggestion unit refers to the recipe information storage unit, and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the recommended ingredient storage unit ;
Recipe suggestion device. the second ingredient information acquisition unit acquires the second ingredient information based on purchase data related to ingredients purchased by the user;
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 1 . An ingredient information update unit that updates the ingredient possession information based on the input by the user,
The first suggestion unit re-extracts the suggested recipe based on the ingredient possession information updated by the ingredient information update unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 1 or 2. the ingredient information update unit deletes ingredients used in the recipe selected by the user from the suggested recipe output by the output unit from the ingredient possession information storage unit;
The first suggestion unit re-extracts the suggested recipe based on the ingredient possession information from which the ingredient has been deleted by the ingredient information update unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 3 . The ingredient information update unit deletes the ingredient designated by the user from the ingredient possession information storage unit,
The first suggestion unit re-extracts the suggested recipe based on the ingredient possession information from which the ingredient has been deleted by the ingredient information update unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 3 or 4. The first proposal unit
extracting a group of recipes consisting of a plurality of recipes as the proposed recipes;
When a recipe using an ingredient stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit as a duplicate-restricted ingredient, which is an ingredient that is not duplicately extracted as an ingredient used in a plurality of recipes, is extracted as the proposed recipe, other recipes stored in the recipe information storage unit that use the ingredient corresponding to the duplicate-restricted ingredient are not extracted as the proposed recipe.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The first proposal unit
Extracting a recipe in which all ingredients used are stored in the ingredient information storage unit;
Calculating a score for each of the extracted recipes based on a predetermined weighting;
Extracting one of the top predetermined number of recipes with the highest score as the i-th recipe (i=1, 2, ..., n), and deleting the ingredients used in the i-th recipe from the ingredient possession information.
is repeated from the first time to the nth time, and the first to nth recipes are extracted as the proposed recipes.
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 6 . The first proposal unit
generating one or more recipe groups each consisting of a combination of a plurality of recipes in which all ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit, and in which the overlap-restricted ingredients do not overlap with each other in each recipe;
Calculating a score for each of the recipes included in each recipe group based on a predetermined weighting;
extracting the recipe group having the highest total score of the included recipes as the suggested recipe;
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 6 . the first suggestion unit calculates the score of each recipe based on at least one of a weighting previously set for each of the ingredients and a weighting previously set for each of the recipes;
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 7 or 8. a designation receiving unit that receives a designation by a user for one or more recipes among a plurality of recipes included in the proposed recipes output by the output unit,
When the duplicate-restricted ingredient is used in a recipe whose designation has been accepted by the designation accepting unit, the first suggestion unit re-extracts at least one recipe in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the duplicate-restricted ingredient is not used.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of claims 6 to 9. a designation receiving unit that receives a designation by a user for one or more recipes among a plurality of recipes included in the proposed recipes output by the output unit,
When the duplicate-restricted ingredient is used in a recipe whose designation has not been accepted by the designation accepting unit among the proposed recipes output by the output unit, the first suggestion unit re-extracts at least one recipe in which all of the ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the duplicate-restricted ingredient is not used.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of claims 6 to 9. a second suggestion unit that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts one or more recipes in which all of the remaining ingredients, excluding a predetermined number of ingredients from the ingredients used, are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
the output unit outputs the recipe proposed by the second proposal unit.
The recipe suggestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. the second suggestion unit extracts one or more recipes that use the recommended ingredients, and all ingredients other than the recommended ingredients among the ingredients used in the recipes are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
The recipe suggestion device according to claim 12. A recipe suggestion method in a recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device, comprising:
The recipe suggestion device includes:
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe;
a recommended ingredient storage unit that stores recommended ingredients that are recommended for purchase to a user;
The recipe suggestion method includes:
A first ingredient information acquisition step of acquiring first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and storing the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition step of acquiring second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and storing the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a first proposing step of referring to the recipe information storage unit and extracting, as a proposed recipe, a recipe whose ingredients are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output step of outputting the proposed recipe to the user device,
In the first ingredient information acquisition step, the first ingredient information is acquired based on an image of the space captured by a camera installed in the space where the ingredient is held or a camera installed in the user's terminal,
In the first suggestion step, the recipe information storage unit is referenced, and recipes whose ingredients are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the recommended ingredient storage unit are extracted as suggested recipes.
How to suggest recipes. A recipe suggestion program for causing a computer to function as a recipe suggestion device that suggests cooking recipes to a user device,
The recipe suggestion device includes:
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe;
a recommended ingredient storage unit that stores recommended ingredients that are recommended for purchase to a user;
The recipe suggestion program is configured to:
A first ingredient information acquisition function that acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition function that acquires second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a first suggestion function that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output function for outputting the proposed recipe to the user device;
The first ingredient information acquisition function acquires the first ingredient information based on an image of the space captured by a camera installed in the space where the ingredient is held or a camera installed in the user's terminal,
The first suggestion function refers to the recipe information storage unit, and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the recommended ingredient storage unit .
Recipe suggestion program. A recipe suggestion system that suggests cooking recipes to a user device,
an ingredient possession information storage unit that stores ingredient possession information indicating information on ingredients possessed by a user;
A first ingredient information acquisition unit acquires first ingredient information, which is information about ingredients held by a user in a predetermined space, and stores the acquired first ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
A second ingredient information acquisition unit acquires second ingredient information, which is information on ingredients added to the ingredients currently held, and stores the acquired second ingredient information in the ingredient holding information storage unit;
a recipe information storage unit that stores recipe information that associates the recipe with ingredients used in the recipe;
a first suggestion unit that refers to the recipe information storage unit and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit;
an output unit that outputs the proposed recipe to the user device,
The first ingredient information acquisition unit acquires the first ingredient information based on an image of the space captured by a camera installed in the space where the ingredient is held or a camera installed in the user's terminal,
The recipe suggestion system further includes a recommended ingredient storage unit that stores recommended ingredients recommended for purchase by the user,
the first suggestion unit refers to the recipe information storage unit, and extracts, as a suggested recipe, a recipe in which ingredients used are stored in the ingredient possession information storage unit and the recommended ingredient storage unit ;
Recipe suggestion system.