Authors:
Antonio Urrutia, Salvador Cortes, Axel Garcia Fuentes
Abstract:
This disclosure proposes a methodology and system to detect by using different feature vectors filter approach using sensors to determine the Freshness-Ripeness of produce items.
Background:
Considering that currently shoppers do not have a way or mechanism to understand the features that determine the duration window for fruits and vegetables. for example:
- I do not even know the differences between the celery and coriander
- I do not know when a mango, or any other fruit, it is already mature to be eaten that same day.
- Also, it is well known that fruits/vegetables which are back-to-back will degrade if one started to ripe.
It is hard to determine if a fruit or vegetable will expire soon or if according to visual condition its has some fungus or another kind of problem with eating them, and may cause sickness or a disease, or at least had an awful flavor.
When the produce arrives at store, it is up to retailer to review the cargo, this is the first filter, after this the retailer may select which fruits/vegetables will be displayed but is the customer who will select the units.
Does the customer know how to identify if the fruit should be eating asap, or if it can last to the end of the week? Personally, I just pick the better looking and hope it lasts until ready to be eaten.
At the end, the customer may not know that, also the retailer do not usually offer any assistance for this topic.
Description:
Considering that today people have as an option ordering food from home then there is a food delivery service that is composed of the requester, a shopper, and the retailer.
The former is the person that uses the food delivery application, e.g. grocery delivery service, and it is the person that will order and sit for the food to arrive but all the food selection depends on the shopper. The shopper is the person who will go to the store and pick-up the requested items. This is the individual who will buy the food in good or bad state; and the quality of good and bad in food is given by factors that the shopper may fail to identify.
Items sold in a retail store have physical attributes, like shape or weight, that are not being used in food delivery services yet. However, not using them is a waste of information. This disclosure pursues the usage and enablement of these new attributes to provide a measurable result that can be used to define a clear criterion between shopper and requester which can be used to help and guide the shopper to assess, evaluate and select the items within the requested criteria.
Based on reference#1, we propose to implement a system and methodology to identify a freshness-ripeness grade for fruits and vegetables considering 4 primary factors.
Visual Elements (e.g. image recognition, hyperspectral sensors [4], thermal imaging [6], augmented reality)
Smell Elements (e.g. Aroma Bit [2])
Touchable Elements (e.g. Ultrasonic sensor [3])
Weighable Elements (e.g. load sensors [5])
Support Information
To handle Visual Elements, we propose to check for color, rugosity and shape using an application that will use image recognitions patterns based on a pre-loaded database, and the app uses Augmented Reality to highlight the accurate results.
To handle Smell Elements the application may assist with tips for each type of fruit/vegetable, with questions such as "Does it smell sweet?" "Does it smell acid?" or the retailer may implement a more accurate self-service smell.
sensor (Please check Prior Art #2)
To handle Touchable Elements, the application may assist with tips for each type of fruit/vegetable, with question such as "Does it feel rough?" "Please squeeze it a bit, does it feel firm?" or the retailer may implement a more accurate self-service sonic sensor to determinate the internal firm/consistency of the fruit/vegetable (Please check Prior Art #3)
To handle the Weighable Elements, the application may assist with tips for each type of fruit/vegetable, with question such as "Please weigh the product, does it weight between 0.2Kg and 0.4Kg?"
Based on Reference 3 & 4, we can deduce that retailer has options to handle this problem, ones may tag the products nearing expiration with a price promotion, another will check, if it is still good, they can choose between still sell it, or donate the products, if is not good then they dispose of it.
Usages:
• Augmented Reality
• Image Recognition
• Chemical/Smell Sensor
Existing Art:
1.- Apple of my eye: Handheld device tells you if fruit is ripe
Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-of-my-eye-handheld-device-tells-you-if-fruit-is-ripe/
2.- IDTechEx, “Smell Sensor Aroma Bit SDK-1Q, Aroma Coder 35Q Desktop Smell Sensor”,
youtube.com, 2019/08/20,
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg8rVAe4nzU
3.- Sensor Ultrasónico HC SR04 para medir distancias con Arduino
Link: https://proyectosconarduino.com/sensores/sensor-de-distancia-hc-sr04/
4.- Headwall, Hyperspectral Sensor, Visualize Value at the Speed of Light, last access 2020/07/16,
Link: https://www.headwallphotonics.com/hyperspectral-sensors?matchtype=b&network=g&device=c&keyword=&campaign=2045902732&adgroup=71270972334&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9b_4BRCMARIsADMUIyrIkzvxiwBTV557Uc0S_Pvf9g16pQNc5RGpRkLXde34qtZ6SiQX4vEaAkOSEALw_wcB 5.- SparkFun, Load Sensor, Load Sensor - 50kg, last access 2020/07/16,
Link: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10245
6.- MobIR Air, Thermal Imaging, MobIR Air Thermal Imaging Camera, Anti-peep Temperature Detection Thermal
Imager Camcorder for Smartphone Type-C Android / IOS, last access
2020/07/16,
Link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000364327071.html
References:
1.- Choosing Fruit That’s Truly Ripe By Shirley Corriher
Link: https://www.finecooking.com/article/choosing-fruit-thats-truly-ripe
2.- Appreciating Food to Stop Wasting It
Link: https://www.wri.org/blog/2017/05/appreciating-food-stop-wasting-it
3.- How Do Supermarkets Dispose of Expired Food?
Link: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-do-supermarkets-dispo_b_1937395
4.- What Happens To Old And Expired Supermarket Foods
Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/01/06/what-happens-to-old-and-expired-supermarket-foods/#3909e5953616
TGCS Reference 2036
