Patent ID: 12205572

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Configuration of Food Texture Presentation Apparatus

FIG.1is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a food texture presentation apparatus1in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The food texture presentation apparatus1of the present embodiment presents a virtual food texture by using sound (auditory stimulation) and vibration (haptic stimulation). The sound and the vibration can be generated from an audio signal of a mastication sound.

The food texture presentation apparatus1illustrated includes a selection unit11, an output unit12, a synthesizer13, a food texture presentation unit14, a food texture database15, and a recipe database16.

The selection unit11accepts a food product selected by a user. The user selects the food product for which the user wants to present the food texture and inputs the selected food product to the food texture presentation apparatus1. The food product may include only one ingredient (e.g., apple or tofu) or may be a dish (e.g., curry and rice) cooked using a plurality of ingredients.

The output unit12acquires the audio signal of the selected food product from the food texture database15and outputs the acquired audio signal to the food texture presentation unit14. When the audio signal of the selected food is not present in the food texture database15, the output unit12delivers identification information (food product ID, food product name) indicating the selected food product to the synthesizer13.

The synthesizer13acquires, with reference of a recipe of the food product (selected food product) designated from the output unit12, the audio signals of the mastication sounds of ingredients contained in the food product from the food texture database15and synthesizes the acquired audio signals of ingredients into an audio signal of the food texture to be presented. The food texture synthesizer13outputs the synthesized audio signal to the output unit12.

The synthesizer13may process each of the audio signals acquired from the food texture database15in accordance with a cooking method in the recipe and may synthesize the processed audio signals. Furthermore, the synthesizer13may process each audio signal acquired from the food texture database15in accordance with an amount of each ingredient in the recipe and may synthesize the processed audio signals.

The synthesizer13may select a predetermined number of ingredients among all the ingredients contained in the food product and may acquire only the selected predetermined number of the audio signals from the food texture database15. For example, it is conceivable that the synthesizer13selects, with reference to the recipe, the predetermined number of ingredients in descending order of the amount of the ingredient.

The food texture presentation unit14uses the synthesized audio signal to present the food texture of the selected food product. Specifically, the food texture presentation unit14uses a signal waveform of the audio signal delivered from the output unit12to present the auditory stimulation and the haptic stimulation to the user.

The food texture database15stores the audio signals of the mastication sounds of each of the plurality of food products. The mastication sounds of the plurality of food products are pre-recorded with a microphone and stored in the food texture database15. The recipe database16stores recipes of a plurality of food products. The recipe is data that describes a method of cooking the food product (dish). The recipe describes ingredients and the amounts of the ingredients that will be used, cooking methods, cooking procedures, and the like.

FIG.2is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an implementation example of the food texture presentation apparatus1. The illustrated food texture presentation apparatus1includes, as hardware, a PC21, an audio speaker22, an amplifier23, and a vibration speaker24.

The PC21(personal computer) functions as the selection unit11, the output unit12, the synthesizer13, the food texture database15, and the recipe database16illustrated inFIG.1. The PC21outputs, based on user input information, the audio signal of the food product designated in the input information, or the audio signal synthesized from the audio signals of the ingredients of the food product. By using the output audio signal, the audio speaker22outputs sound to stimulate the hearing sense, and the vibration speaker24(transducer) vibrates the face or the like to stimulate the haptic sense.

The audio speaker22functions as the food texture presentation unit14(auditory stimulation presentation unit) ofFIG.1. That is, the audio speaker22audibly presents the audio signal output from the PC21to the user.

The amplifier23and the vibration speaker24function as the food texture presentation unit14(haptic stimulation presentation unit) ofFIG.1. That is, the vibration speaker24presents the audio signal output from the PC21to the user by vibration. The amplifier23amplifies the sound in a low frequency range of approximately 40 to 300 Hz. The vibration speaker24presents the amplified audio signal as the food texture by vibration.

As the audio speaker22, for example, a commercially available audio speaker (wearable speaker) such as a headphone or a neck speaker may be used. When the headphone is used, the audio speaker22is worn in the user's ear. When the neck speaker is used, the audio speaker22is worn on the user's shoulder.

When the audio speaker22is the headphone, the vibration speaker24is connected to the headphone and is worn on the user's face (e.g., cheek). When the audio speaker22is the neck speaker, the vibration speaker24is connected to the neck speaker and is mounted to the user's clavicle or the like.

Specifically, dividers of the audio signal are connected to a headphone terminal of the PC21, and one of the dividers is coupled to the neck speaker (audio speaker22), for example. The other divider is connected to the amplifier23that amplifies bass, and further an output terminal of the amplifier23is connected to the two vibration speakers24. The two vibration speakers24are each fastened under portions of the neck speaker that are placed on both shoulders. That is, the vibration speaker24is disposed at a portion of the neck speaker that is in contact with the user's body.

The user uses such a neck speaker integrated with the vibration speaker while wearing over the shoulder, similar to a typical neck speaker. The vibration speaker24is abutted against a clavicle portion of the shoulder, so that while sound is heard from the neck speaker, the vibration is transmitted to the clavicle. And then, the vibration is transmitted to the face, so that the user feels the stimulation presented from the neck speaker and the vibration speaker24like the food texture.

Operation of Food Texture Presentation Apparatus

FIG.3is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the food texture presentation apparatus1of the present embodiment.

The user selects the food product for which the user wants to present the food texture and inputs the selected food product to the food texture presentation apparatus1. The selection unit11of the food texture presentation apparatus1accepts the input food product (S11). When the mastication sound of the input food product is present in the food texture database15(S12: YES), the output unit12acquires the audio signal of the mastication sound of the food product from the food texture database15and outputs the acquired audio signal to the food texture presentation unit14(S13).

If the mastication sound of the input food product is not present in the food texture database15(S12: NO), the output unit12delivers the identification information of the food product to the synthesizer13. The synthesizer13acquires the recipe of the accepted food product from the recipe database16(S15). The synthesizer13acquires, from the acquired recipe, the audio signal of the mastication sound of each ingredient, which is the material of the food product, from the food texture database15(S16). The synthesizer13synthesizes the audio signals of respective ingredients and outputs the synthesized audio signal to the output unit12(S17). The output unit12outputs the audio signal, which is delivered from the synthesizer13, to the food texture presentation unit14as the audio signal of the mastication sound of the selected food product.

The food texture presentation unit14uses the audio signal output from the output unit12to present the sound (auditory stimulation) and the vibration (haptic stimulation) to the user (S14). In the present embodiment, a combination of the mastication sounds of the ingredients constituting the food product presents the food texture of the food product selected by the user.

For example, when the user has selected a namul (food product), and the audio signal of the namul is present in the food texture database15, the output unit12outputs the audio signal of the namul, which is acquired from the food texture database15, to the food texture presentation unit14. On the other hand, when the audio signal of the namul is not present in the food texture database15, the synthesizer13refers to the recipe of the namul from the recipe database16. The synthesizer13acquires, from the recipe data, various items such as materials, cooking methods, and amounts. Then, the synthesizer13acquires the audio signals of “bean sprouts”, “spinach”, and the like, which are the ingredients of the namul described in the recipe, from the food texture database15and outputs the audio signal synthesized by superimposing the audio signal of “bean sprouts”, the audio signal of “spinach”, and the like to the output unit12.

A method of superimposing the audio signals in S17is to align starting positions of the audio signals. For example, when the two audio signals (ω1t and ω2t) are superimposed, the two audio signals are added together to synthesize an audio signal (f(t)) as in the following equation.
f(t)=sin(ω1t)+sin(ω2t)
Alternatively, the synthesizer13may process each audio signal acquired from the food texture database15in accordance with the cooking method in the recipe, and then may synthesize the processed audio signal. The cooking method (type of cooking) includes baking, stewing, boiling, stir-frying, deep-frying, steaming, dressing, and the like. As the audio processing in accordance with the cooking method, for example, in the case of “baking”, because the material commonly becomes hard, it is conceivable that the synthesizer13emphasizes a high frequency component of the synthesized audio signal. In the case of “stewing”, because the material commonly becomes soft, it is conceivable that the synthesizer13attenuates the high frequency component of the synthesized audio signal. This is based on the knowledge that the high frequency component contributes to perception of hardness. For the processing of the audio signal in accordance with the cooking method, an algorithm of the processing method may be separately prepared, such as taking into consideration not only the cooking method but also a cooking time.

Furthermore, the synthesizer13may process each audio signal acquired from the food texture database15in accordance with an amount of each ingredient in the recipe and may synthesize the processed audio signals. For example, the synthesizer13adjusts sound pressure (volume of sound) in accordance with the amount of each ingredient. Specifically, the synthesizer13increases the sound pressure of a large amount of ingredient and reduces the sound pressure of a low amount of ingredient. In order to adjust the sound pressure, a maximum value of the sound pressure of the audio signal of each ingredient is adjusted by processing such as normalizing or a compressor. This is because it is believed that the larger the amount, the larger the ratio with respect to the overall mastication sound.

FIG.4is a graph showing results of frequency analysis of an actual mastication sound of namul, a sound obtained by synthesizing mastication sounds of “bean sprouts” and “spinach”, which are the ingredients of the namul, and a mastication sound of potato chips. The synthesized sound of namul is similar to the actual sound of namul and exhibits characteristics different from the sound of potato chips. Thus, it can be said that the food texture similar to the food texture (mastication sound) of the cooked food product can be presented by synthesizing the audio signals of each ingredient contained in the food product.

As described above, the food texture presentation apparatus1of the present embodiment includes the synthesizer13that acquires, with reference of the recipe of the selected food product, the audio signals of the mastication sounds of each ingredient contained in the food product from the food texture database15and synthesizes the acquired audio signals of each ingredient into the audio signal of the food texture to be presented, and the food texture presentation unit14that uses the synthesized audio signal to present the food texture of the food product.

Thus, in the present embodiment, even in the food product whose mastication sound is not recorded, the food texture of the food product can be presented to the user. Specifically, the audio signal of each ingredient contained in the food product is synthesized, and the auditory stimulation provided by the sound and the haptic stimulation provided by the vibration can be presented to the user by using the synthesized audio signal.

Hardware Configuration

As the food texture presentation apparatus1described above, for example, a general-purpose computer system as illustrated inFIG.5can be used. The illustrated computer system includes a central processing unit (CPU, processor)901, a memory902, a storage903(hard disk drive: HDD or solid state drive: SSD), a communication device904, an input device905, and an output device906. The memory902and the storage903are storage devices. In the computer system, the CPU901executes a predetermined program loaded in the memory902to achieve each function of the food texture presentation apparatus1.

The food texture presentation apparatus1may be implemented on one computer or may be implemented on a plurality of computers. Furthermore, the food texture presentation apparatus1may be a virtual machine implemented on a computer.

The program for the food texture presentation apparatus1may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a HDD, a SSD, a universal serial bus (USB) memory, a compact disc (CD), or a digital versatile disc (DVD) or may be distributed via a network.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications and combinations can be made within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1: Food texture presentation apparatus11: Selection unit12: Output unit13: Synthesizer14Food texture presentation unit15: Food texture database16: Recipe database21: PC22: Audio speaker23: Amplifier24: Vibration speaker