Abstract:
The present invention proposes an apparatus ( 100 ) and method for managing the liquid volume in a container. The apparatus ( 100 ) comprises a detector ( 101 ) for detecting liquid volume changes in said container during a first preset period, a first determiner ( 102 ) for determining whether said changes are lower than said first preset threshold value and a presenter ( 103 ) for presenting the first prompt information in the case of said changes being lower than said preset threshold value. The apparatus and method provided in the present invention can prompt people to drink drinkable liquids such as water in time, enable people to control their drinking intake and are beneficial to their health.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for managing the liquid volume in a container. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    People need to drink sufficient water a day to stay in good health. However many people do not drink sufficient water and give the following reasons for that: they do not have enough time, they do not feel thirsty, they forget to drink, etc. It is reported that many people live with a level of mild dehydration. Some people do not drink until they feel thirsty. But the fact is that waiting to drink until parched is a mistake that means that the water level in the blood is so low that water is drawn from the salivary glands, which cues thirst and already has a negative impact on their health. Many chronic symptoms are actually signs of dehydration. Moreover, the senior adult is not able to rely on feeling thirsty, as the sense of thirst declines with age. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In view of the problem described in the paragraph above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a solution for managing the liquid volume in a container, i.e. detecting liquid volume changes during a preset period of time and prompting the users with corresponding information. 
         [0004]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for managing liquid volume in a container. The apparatus comprises a detector, a first determiner and a presenter. The detector is configured to detect liquid volume changes in said container during a first preset period of time. The first determiner is configured to determine whether said changes are lower than a first preset threshold value. The presenter is configured to present first prompt information in the case of said changes being lower than said first preset threshold value. 
         [0005]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing the liquid volume in a container, comprising the steps of: detecting liquid volume changes in said container during a first preset period of time; determining whether said changes are lower than a preset value; presenting first prompt information if said changes are lower than the preset value. 
         [0006]    With the apparatuses and methods provided in the present invention, a person is prompted to drink drinkable liquids, such as water, in time and is able to control his drinking intake, which is beneficial to his health. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The above and other objects, characteristics and merits of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates an apparatus  100  for managing liquid volume in a container according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram of the detector  101  in  FIG. 1  according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  illustrates a block diagram of the detector  101  in  FIG. 1  according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  illustrates a block diagram of the detector  101  in  FIG. 1  according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  illustrates a pressure sensor measuring the liquid pressure when the container is inclined; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  illustrates a detector  101  comprising near-IR sensors according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  illustrates a detector  101  comprising near-IR sensors according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  illustrates a detector  101  comprising near-IR sensors according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  illustrates a detector  101  comprising near-IR sensors according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  illustrates an apparatus  100  for managing liquid volume in a container according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  illustrates a flow chart of a method for monitoring liquid volume in a container according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  illustrates a flow chart of a method for monitoring liquid volume in a container according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
       
    
    
       [0020]    wherein the same or analogous reference numerals are used to represent the same or analogous step features/devices (modules) throughout the figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates an apparatus  100  for managing the liquid volume in a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the apparatus  100  comprises a detector  101 , a first determiner  102  and a presenter  103 . 
         [0023]    It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the container can be of various shapes. For example, the container can be a cup and the apparatus  100  can be fastened on the bottom of the cup or incorporated in a cushion where the cup is put on. It should be noted that the detector  101  should be arranged at a specific position of the container while the first determiner  102  and the presenter  103  can be arranged anywhere in the container. 
         [0024]    Hereinafter, the operating process of the apparatus  100  is described in detail. 
         [0025]    First, the detector  101  detects liquid volume changes in the container  11  during a first preset period of time. Then the first determiner  102  determines if the volume changes are lower than a first preset threshold value. If the liquid volume changes are lower than the first preset threshold value, the presenter  103  presents the first prompt information. 
         [0026]    The first prompt information can be transferred in various ways. For example, the first prompt information can be “Liquid volume changes are lower than the first preset threshold value” or similar information. When the container is a cup of water, the first prompt information can prompt the owner of the cup to drink the water. 
         [0027]    The presenter  103  can also present the first prompt information in various ways, for example, by producing beeps using a buzzer, or by producing a sound for the prompt “Liquid volume changes are smaller than the first preset threshold value” or by playing a tune through the loudspeaker, or by displaying the prompt “Liquid volume changes are smaller than the first preset threshold value” on a screen. 
         [0028]    Specifically, the detector  101  can detect liquid volume changes in the container during the first preset period of time by various means. Hereinafter, various means of detecting the liquid volume changes are described in detail. 
         [0029]    In one embodiment of the present invention, the detector  101  comprises a weight sensor  10111  and a second determiner  10112 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The weight sensor  10111  measures the weight of a liquid in a container. According to the weight measured by the weight sensor  10111 , the second determiner  10112  determines the liquid volume changes during a first preset period of time, for example, half an hour. If the weight sensor detects 300 g of liquid in the container at the first time and 200 g of liquid at the second time half an hour later, then the second determiner  10112  determines the liquid volume changes during half an hour to be 100 g. 
         [0030]    In another embodiment, the detector  101  comprises a pressure sensor  10121  and a third determiner  10122 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The pressure sensor  10121  measures the pressure produced by the liquid in the container. According to the pressure measured by the pressure sensor  10121 , the determiner  10122  determines the changes in liquid volume during a first preset period of time, for example, half an hour. If the pressure sensor  10121  detects P 1  of pressure produced by the liquid in the container at the first time and P 2  of pressure at the second time half an hour later, then the third determiner  10122  determines the liquid volume changes during half an hour to be (P 1 −P 2 )×S/g, wherein S is the bottom area of the cup (given that the container has same cross-sectional area at any height), g is the acceleration of gravity. It should be noted that even if the cup has an irregular shape, for a given cup and a given liquid level, the corresponding liquid volume is determined. Accordingly, the third determiner  10122  can still determine the liquid volume changes according to the liquid level corresponding to the liquid pressure measured by the pressure sensor  10121 . 
         [0031]    In general, the pressure produced by the liquid is related to the liquid level. In the case that a container is inclined, there is a need to regulate the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor  10121  according to the inclination of the container so that liquid volume changes can be detected accurately. In such case, the detector  101  further comprises an inclination sensor  10123  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The inclination sensor is adapted for detecting the inclination angle between the container and horizontal plane or vertical direction. Then the pressure value is regulated according to the inclination angle measured. 
         [0032]    Without loss of generality, take it for example that the container is a cylindrical cup  11  with a pressure sensor  10121  fastened on its center bottom, as shown in  FIG. 5 . Given that the cup is inclined with an inclination angle α relative to the horizontal plane, the pressure measured by the pressure sensor  10121  is produced by the liquid height h d =(h×cos α) if the liquid level is h when the container is not inclined. So the actual liquid level is h=h d /cos α if the container is not inclined. Thus, by the measured inclination angle and the pressure produced by the liquid when the cup is inclined, the third determiner  10122  can determine the corresponding liquid level in the cup  11  if the cup  11  is not inclined. Thereby the liquid volume changes during a first preset period of time can be determined. 
         [0033]    It should be noted that although the container in the shape of a cylindrical cup with the pressure sensor  10121  fastened on the center of its bottom is taken as an example of how to determine the liquid volume changes when the container is inclined in above paragraphs, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that even if the container is irregularly shaped or the pressure sensor  10121  is fastened anywhere on the bottom of the container, for a certain-shaped container inclined at a certain angle with the pressure sensor  10121  fastened at a certain position, the third determiner  10122  can determine the liquid level or weight of the liquid according to the pressure measured by the pressure sensor  10121 . Thus, liquid volume changes during a first preset period of time can be determined. 
         [0034]    For near-IR lights such as spectral lines with a central wavelength of 940 nm generated by a LED, at least 40% energy will be absorbed when they pass through a light path of 5 cm within a medium of pure water. More energy will be absorbed if near-IR light passes through a light path of 5 cm within a medium of tea, juice or coffee. Thus, such characteristics of near-IR lights absorbed by liquids, especially drinkable liquids, can be utilized to measure the liquid level in a container, which is described in detail hereinafter. 
         [0035]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, the detector  101  comprises a near-IR light source  10131 , a plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  and a fourth determiner  10133  as shown in  FIG. 6 , wherein  12  denotes liquid level. The near-IR light source  10131  emits near-IR light, which can be detected by each of the plurality of sensors  10132  when there is no liquid in the container  11 . The plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  are arranged at different height levels in the container  11  to detect intensities of near-IR light emitted by the near-IR light source  10131 . The fourth determiner  10133  determines liquid level in the container  11  according to the intensities of near-IR light detected by the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  and thereby determines the liquid volume changes during said first preset period of time. 
         [0036]    If a near-IR sensor  10132  is arranged below the liquid level, the light intensity it detects is rather weak. But, if a near-IR sensor is arranged above the liquid level, then the light intensity it detects is relatively strong. Thus, the fourth determiner  10133  can determine the relative position of a near-IR sensor and the liquid level according to the light intensity detected by the near-IR sensor. In other words, the fourth determiner  10133  can determine that a near-IR sensor  10132  with light intensity it detected higher than a second preset threshold value is arranged above the liquid level and the near-IR sensor  10132  with light intensity it detected lower than a third preset threshold value is arranged below the liquid level. 
         [0037]    If the light intensities detected by some of the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  are higher than the second preset threshold value while the light intensities detected by others of the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  are lower than the third preset threshold value, then the fourth determiner  10133  determines the height between the two neighboring near-IR sensors as the liquid level, wherein one of the two neighboring near-IR sensors detects light intensity higher than the second preset threshold value and the other of the two neighboring near-IR sensors detects light intensity lower than the third preset threshold value. Alternatively, the fourth determiner  10133  can determine the arbitrary height between the aforesaid two neighboring near-IR sensors as the liquid level. Alternatively, the fourth determiner  10133  can also determine the mid-height between the aforesaid two neighboring near-IR sensors as the liquid level. 
         [0038]    If the light intensities detected by all of the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  are higher than the second preset value, then the height of the lowermost near-IR sensor  10132  or arbitrary height below it can be determined as the liquid level. 
         [0039]    If the light intensities detected by all of the plurality of the near-IR sensors  10132  are lower than the third preset value, then the height of the uppermost near-IR sensor  10132  or the arbitrary height above it can be determined as the liquid level. 
         [0040]    It should be noted that in above cases the precision in detection is related with number of the near-IR sensors. The larger the number of the near-IR sensors is, the more precise the detection is. The plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  can be arranged on sidewall of the container  11  with equal or unequal height spacing. Usually, the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  and the near-IR light source  10131  are arranged on the opposite sidewalls of the container  11  respectively, as shown in  FIG. 5 . According to one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  and the near-IR light source  10131  are arranged on the same sidewall of the container  11 . And there is provided a reflector  10134  on the opposite sidewall for reflecting lights emitted by the near-IR light source  10131  so as to make the near-IR lights can be detected by the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . The advantage of the embodiment is that the optical path the near-IR light passes through is increased, i.e., the contrast among light intensities detected by respective near-IR sensors is increased which is advantageous for the fourth determiner  10133  to determine liquid level. 
         [0041]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , light intensity detected by a near-IR sensor far from the near-IR light source  10131  is weaker than the light intensity detected by a near-IR sensor near to the near-IR light source  10131 . Besides, due to limited light-emitting angle of single light source, there are cases where some of the near-IR sensors  10132  cannot detect any lights generated by the near-IR light source. Therefore, to increase sensitivity of the near-IR sensors  10132 , the near-IR light source  10131  in  FIG. 6  can also adopt a plurality of separate light-emitting elements, such as a plurality of near-IR LED lights, each of which corresponds to one near-IR sensor  10132  and is arranged at the same height with the corresponding sensor, as shown in  FIG. 8 . When there is no liquid in the container  11 , for each light-emitting element, most light it emits can be detected by the corresponding near-IR sensor  10132 . 
         [0042]    Optionally, for the detector  101  shown in  FIG. 8 , the plurality of separate elements of the light source can be replaced by a single light source  10131  in combination with a light-guiding means  10135 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . The light-guiding means  10135  extracts the near-IR light emitted by the near-IR light source  10131  so that the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132  can detect near-IR light emitted by the near-IR light source  10131 . The light-guiding means  10135  can be a light-guiding plate or an optical fiber, which receives the near-IR light emitted by the near-IR light source  10131  and then extracts the light out from its surface to make the light enter into the plurality of near-IR sensors  10132 . The optical path is schematically illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0043]    Optionally, the apparatus  100  in  FIG. 1  can further comprise an accelerometer  104 , as shown in  FIG. 10 . The accelerometer  104  detects acceleration of the container  11 . If the accelerometer  104  doesn&#39;t detect any acceleration of the container  11  during a second preset period of time, then the presenter  103  presents second prompt information. The second prompt information can be information such as “No acceleration is detected during the second preset period” or similar. In the case of the container  11  being a drinking cup, the second prompt information can be information such as “You did not drink any water for a period of time” for prompting people of the fact that he/she has not drunk any water for a period of time. As described above, the presenter  103  can present the second prompt information by various means. 
         [0044]    Usually, the detection results of liquid volume changes in a container, detected by the above described detector  101  utilizing the weight sensor  10111  or the near-IR sensors  10131 , can be more precise if the container  11  is positioned horizontally, i.e. oriented vertically. To obtain more precise measurement results, it is optional that the accelerometer  104  can also be used to detect a first inclination angle between the container  11  and the horizontal plane or a second inclination angle between the container  11  and the vertical direction. Only if the first inclination angle is larger than a fourth preset threshold value or the second inclination angle is smaller than a fifth preset threshold value, then the detector  101  detects the liquid volume changes. In other words, only if the container  11  is positioned horizontally or quasi-horizontally, i.e. oriented vertically or quasi-vertically, with the first inclination angle being approximately 90 degrees and the second inclination angle being approximately 0 degrees, then the weight sensor  10111  or the near-IR sensors  10131  do the detection work. The fourth preset threshold value and the fifth preset threshold value are adjustable according to actual need for measurement precision. 
         [0045]    Specifically, how the accelerometer  104  measures the inclination angle is a mature technology in the art. In an application document Rev 0.05 of chip AN3107 released by Freescale Semiconductor Corp. in 2005, a method for measuring the inclination angle using accelerometer is disclosed as is shown in the following formula: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             θ 
             = 
             
               arcsin 
               ( 
               
                 
                   
                     V 
                     OUT 
                   
                   - 
                   
                     V 
                     OFFSET 
                   
                 
                 
                   
                     Δ 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     V 
                   
                   
                     Δ 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     g 
                   
                 
               
               ) 
             
           
         
       
     
         [0000]    Wherein θ is the angle between the accelerometer and the horizontal plane, V OUT  is the output voltage of the accelerometer, V OFFSET  is the bias voltage when the acceleration of the accelerometer is 0 g, ΔV/Δg is the sensitivity, g is the acceleration of gravity. More detailed information can be found in the application document of chip AN3107, which is not repeated herein. 
         [0046]    According to one embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 11  illustrates a flow chart of the method of managing liquid volume in a container. 
         [0047]    First, in step S 1101 , liquid volume changes during a first preset period of time are detected. The liquid volume changes can be determined by detecting changes of liquid weight, changes of liquid level or changes of pressure produced by the liquid during the first preset period of time. According to one embodiment, the aforesaid detector  101  can perform step S 1101 . 
         [0048]    Next, in step S 1102 , if the liquid volume changes are lower than a first preset threshold value is determined. According to one embodiment, the aforesaid first determiner  102  can perform step S 1102 . 
         [0049]    Finally, in step S 1103 , the first prompt information is presented if the liquid volume changes are lower than the first preset threshold value. According to one embodiment, the aforesaid presenter  103  can perform step S 1103 . 
         [0050]    Optionally, the method shown in  FIG. 11  can further comprise the steps shown in  FIG. 12 . 
         [0051]    First, in step S 1201 , the acceleration of the container is detected. 
         [0052]    If no acceleration of the container is detected during a second preset period of time, then, in step S 1202 , the second prompt information is presented. 
         [0053]    Usually, for determining the liquid volume changes in a container in step S 1101 , precise detection results can be obtained by means of a pressure sensor and IR sensor only if the container is positioned horizontally. To obtain more precise results, it is optional to measure a first inclination angle between the container and the horizontal plane or a second inclination angle between the container and the vertical direction. And the liquid volume changes are detected only if the first inclination angle is larger than the fourth preset threshold value or the second inclination angle is smaller than the fifth preset threshold value. In other words, the liquid volume changes are detected only if the container is positioned horizontally or quasi-horizontally with the first inclination angle being approximately 90 degrees and the second inclination angle being approximately 0 degrees. The fourth preset threshold value and the fifth preset threshold value can be adjusted according to the actual need for detection precision. 
         [0054]    Various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail in the text above. It should be noted that the first to the fifth preset threshold values can be selected according to practical conditions and that users can set them. For example, the apparatus  100  can further comprise an interactive unit for receiving respective preset threshold values input by users. Likewise, the first and second preset period of time can also be set by the detector  101 , or by users via the interactive unit. 
         [0055]    Aforesaid embodiments can be carried out alone or some of them can be carried out in conjunction with each other. For example, under the circumstance that the detector  101  is structured as shown in any of  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 4  or  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 9 , the apparatus  100  can further comprise an accelerometer  104 . Under the circumstance that the detector  101  comprises a pressure sensor  10121 , a third determiner  10122  and an inclination sensor  10123  as shown in  FIG. 4 , the function of the inclination sensor  10123  can also be performed by the accelerometer  104  in aforesaid manner. In other words, the accelerometer  104  and the inclination sensor  10123  can share the same hardware. Furthermore, the detector  101 , when configured to the configuration shown in  FIGS. 6 to 9 , can further comprise a reflector  10134  and a light-guiding device  10135 . 
         [0056]    It should be noted that the embodiments described above are for the purpose of illustration only and are not to be construed as limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in a claim or in the description. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. In the apparatus claims enumerating several units. Several of these units can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware or software. The usage of the words first, second and third, et cetera, does not indicate any ordering. These words are to be interpreted as names.