JP6548692B2 - Wetting detection system for disposable diapers - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wetness detection system for a disposable diaper utilizing the property of an IC tag in which radio waves are shielded by surrounding liquid.

  As replacement of disposable diapers for elderly people, disabled people, newborns, infants, etc. can not predict the timing and frequency of defecation and urination, there is nothing but confirmation with odor or visual observation inside the disposable diaper, and the confirmation work is also frequent As a manager who performs replacement of disposable diapers, the burden is physically and mentally high. In addition, for the elderly and disabled people, the act of checking the presence or absence of urination and urination many times is accompanied by shamefulness, so the mental burden is large.

  In view of such a situation, conventionally, there has been proposed a technique for notifying a manager of an appropriate replacement timing of a disposable diaper. For example, in patent document 1, the indicator part which discolors by contact with waste fluid is provided between the back sheet of a paper diaper, and an absorber, and the technique which makes the discoloring visible visually from the outside is disclosed. However, even with the paper diaper to which this technology is applied, the discolored parts can not be confirmed unless the lower-body clothes are removed, so that the mental burden of the paper diaper wearer such as the elderly and the disabled can not be all solved.

  On the other hand, in Non-Patent Document 1, a tape-shaped sensor attached to the inner surface of an existing paper diaper and a sensor connected to the outer surface of the paper diaper are attached and deflated or urinated (hereinafter referred to as The technology of the wetness detection system of the paper diaper which consists of a wireless communication part which detects (we call it a wet state) is disclosed. The wireless communication unit includes a power supply, an antenna, a circuit, and the like, and when a wet state is detected, the wireless communication unit notifies a smartphone registered in advance. According to this technique, the manager can know the necessity of replacement of the disposable diaper without checking the inside of the disposable diaper or removing the lower-body clothes.

JP 2004-337384 A

Sanwa Co., Ltd., "Brand introduction", [online], [search on February 9, 2017], Internet <URL: http://sanwajp-group.com/brand.html>

  However, since the above-mentioned wireless communication unit is provided with a strong casing that accommodates components such as a power supply, there is a risk of giving a feeling of foreign matter or discomfort to the wearer of the paper diaper that has beaten over.

  On the other hand, an IC tag and a sensor for detecting a wet state are provided in a paper diaper, and a reader of the IC tag is provided separately from the paper diaper, thereby detecting the wet state without giving a feeling of foreign matter or discomfort to the paper diaper wearer. However, attaching a sensor to a disposable diaper, which is a commodity, is not preferable from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost and selling price.

  The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems as described above. One of the objects of the present invention is that the disposable diaper wearer can use it without feeling of foreign matter or discomfort, and the manager can properly use the disposable diaper for the disposable diaper without performing a shame-inspiring confirmation operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wetness detection system for disposable diapers which can grasp replacement timing and can be manufactured inexpensively.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

According to the wetness detection system for a disposable diaper according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of disposable diapers and unique information are received, radio waves from the outside are received, and the unique information is transmitted as radio waves, and The plurality of IC tags provided on each of the plurality of paper diapers, in which at least one radio wave to be received or transmitted is blocked when the amount of surrounding liquid increases due to the property of being difficult to pass through, and the plurality of paper diapers A reader having a first communication unit that transmits radio waves to an IC tag and receives radio waves transmitted from each of the plurality of IC tags and transfers unique information of each of the plurality of IC tags Each of the plurality of paper diapers gets wet based on a second communication unit that receives the unique information transferred from the first communication unit of the reading device, and whether or not the second communication unit can receive the unique information. And an external device and a notification unit that notifies the wetting information indicating whether the state to the outside, to each of the plurality of disposable diapers, correspondence to the specific information of the IC tag provided on each of the plurality of diapers And a symbol readable by the external device . According to the said structure, by preparing a sheet-like IC tag in a paper diaper, an external appearance turns into a paper diaper itself and it can be used in the same sense as a general paper diaper. In addition, since an IC tag is used in which at least one of the radio waves to be received or transmitted is blocked when the amount of the surrounding liquid increases, the paper diaper may be in a wet state by the radio waves not reaching the reader and external devices. Since the IC tag can be detected and the passive type is used without using a component such as a sensor for detecting a liquid, the unit price of the product can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the external device reports wetness information in association with each of the plurality of disposable diapers based on the propriety of reception of the unique information transmitted from the IC tag, the administrator can, for example, wear a large number of disposable diapers. The timing at which the paper diaper of the paper diaper wearer is changed can be centrally managed by, for example, a smartphone etc. In addition, since a QR code or the like corresponding to the specific information of the IC tag is printed on the paper diaper, the correspondence between the IC tag and the paper diaper wearer or the paper diaper can be simplified by reading the QR code with a smartphone or the like. It can be carried out.

  Further, according to the wetness detection system for a paper diaper according to the second aspect of the present invention, the system includes a correspondence setting unit for correlating unique information of each of the plurality of IC tags with the paper diaper wearer or the paper diaper, The notification unit of the external device is a paper diaper wearer or a paper diaper in a wet state based on the association set by the association setting unit and the unique information of the IC tag that can not be received by the second communication unit. Can be identified. According to the above configuration, the unique information of each of the plurality of IC tags is associated with the paper diaper wearer or the paper diaper, and the paper diaper wearer or the paper diaper in the wet state is displayed. A disposable diaper wearer or disposable diaper can be easily identified.

  Furthermore, according to the wetness detection system for paper diapers according to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the plurality of IC tags can be configured to be disposed in each of the plurality of paper diapers. According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine the degree of wetness and the wet part of the paper diaper from the position of the IC tag whose wet state is detected.

Furthermore, according to the wetness detection system for a disposable diaper according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the disposable diaper includes one disposable diaper and specific information, receives radio waves from the outside, and transmits the specific information as radio waves. A plurality of IC tags provided on the one paper diaper, wherein at least one of the radio waves to be received or transmitted is blocked when the amount of the surrounding liquid increases due to the characteristic that the radio waves of the liquid are difficult to pass, and the one paper diaper And transmitting the radio waves to the plurality of IC tags, and receiving the radio waves transmitted from each of the plurality of IC tags, and transferring the unique information of each of the plurality of IC tags. The one paper diaper gets wet based on the reading device, the second communication unit that receives the unique information transferred from the first communication unit of the reading device, and the availability of reception of the unique information by the second communication unit Shape And an external device having a notification unit for notifying the outside of wetness information indicating whether or not the external device is associated with the unique information of the IC tag provided in the single disposable diaper of the single disposable diaper. And a symbol readable by the device. According to the configuration , the wet state can be detected for one disposable diaper. That is, even if there is a paper diaper other than the paper diaper worn by the paper diaper wearer in the communicable range between the reader and the IC tag, only the paper diaper worn by the paper diaper wearer can be appropriately detected. Further, since the QR code or the like corresponding to the specific information of the IC tag is printed on the paper diaper, the paper diaper being worn can be easily registered by reading the QR code with a smartphone or the like.

Furthermore, according to the wetness detection system for a paper diaper according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the IC tags can be arranged in the one paper diaper. According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine the degree of wetness and the wet part of the paper diaper from the position of the IC tag whose wet state is detected.

It is a block diagram of the wetting detection system of the paper diaper which concerns on 1st Example to which this invention is applied. 1 is a functional block diagram of a wetness detection system for a disposable diaper according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied. It is the schematic of the disposable diaper to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the unfolded state of the disposable diaper to which this invention is applied. It is an AA 'cross section figure in Drawing 4 of a disposable diaper to which the present invention is applied. It is an explanatory view about arrangement of an IC tag in a disposable diaper to which the present invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing about the communicable range of the 1st electromagnetic wave and the 2nd electromagnetic wave in the wetness detection system of the paper diaper to which the present invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing about the communicable range of the 1st electromagnetic wave and the 2nd electromagnetic wave in the wetness detection system of the paper diaper to which the present invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing about the communicable range of the 1st electromagnetic wave and the 2nd electromagnetic wave in the wetness detection system of the paper diaper to which the present invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement of an application. It is an image figure of the application which shows an initial screen. It is an image figure of the user interface which shows the state of a registrant's diaper. It is an image figure of the user interface which shows the notice state by push notice. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement of the wetness detection system of a paper diaper. It is a block diagram of the wetness detection system of the paper diaper which concerns on 2nd Example to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram of the wetting detection system of the paper diaper which concerns on 3rd Example to which this invention is applied.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. However, the embodiment shown below illustrates the wetness detection system of the paper diaper for embodying the technical idea of this invention, and this invention does not specify the wetness detection system of a paper diaper to the following. Further, the present specification does not in any way specify the members described in the claims to the members of the embodiment. In particular, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified. It is just an example. Note that the size, positional relationship, and the like of the members shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for the sake of clarity. Further, in the following description, the same names and reference numerals indicate the same or the same members, and the detailed description will be appropriately omitted. Furthermore, each element constituting the present invention may be configured such that a plurality of elements are constituted by the same member and one member is used in common as a plurality of elements, or conversely, the function of one member is realized by a plurality of members It can be shared and realized.
(First embodiment)

In the following, the case of centrally managing the timing of changing the paper diapers of three paper diaper wearers in the same sick room using the wetness detection system 1 of the paper diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described as an example. Do. In addition, the number of persons of the paper diaper wearer who can be centrally managed using the wetness detection system 1 of a paper diaper is not limited to three, and may be three or more or three or less. The case of managing one disposable diaper wearer will be described in detail in the third embodiment.
(Configuration of wetness detection system 1 for disposable diapers)

  A configuration diagram of a wetness detection system 1 for a disposable diaper according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied is shown in FIG. 1, and a functional block diagram is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wetness detection system 1 for a paper diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied includes a paper-taped paper diaper 11a to 11c having an IC tag 12a to 12c, and a reader 14 and a smartphone 15 (corresponding to an example of “external device” in the claims. Details will be described later).

  The disposable diapers 11a to 11c correspond to the specific numbers 13a to 13c of the IC tags 12a to 12c (corresponding to an example of "unique information" in the claims. The details will be described later). 111c (corresponding to an example of “corresponding setting unit” and “symbol” in the claims. The details will be described later.) Are printed on each, and the dedicated application 16 (corresponding to “claims”. Corresponds to an example of “setting unit” and “notification unit” (details will be described later), and the camera 151 of the smartphone 15 reads the QR codes 111a to 111c to associate the unique numbers 13a to 13c with the paper diaper. Can.

  The reader 14 transmits the first radio wave RW1 (details will be described later) and the antenna unit 141 performs reception of the second radio wave RW2 (details will be described later) transmitted by the IC tags 12a to 12c. Corresponds to an example of “first communication unit” in the range. Details will be described later. Communication unit 142 for transmitting a third radio wave RW3 (details will be described later) (“first communication in claims”. The smart phone 15 corresponds to an example of the “second communication unit” in the claims, which can receive an electric wave from the communication unit 142. The details will be described later), and the communicable range between the reader 14 and the IC tags 12a to 12c is such that the entire area of the patient room can be covered, and the radius is about 2 to 6 m. 15 The communicable range of in the range of spherical radius of about 15 m.

  Arrows shown in FIG. 1 schematically represent radio waves, and solid arrows are transmitted from the reader 14 and received by the IC tags 12a to 12c as power sources for the IC tags 12a to 12c. The first radio wave RW1 to be used is shown, and the white arrows are transmitted from the IC tags 12a to 12c, received by the reader 14, and the second information including information on the unique numbers 13a to 13c of the IC tags 12a to 12c. The radio wave RW2 is shown, and the broken arrow is transmitted from the reader 14, is received by the smartphone 15, and includes information on the unique number received by the reader 14 among the unique numbers 13a to 13c of the IC tags 12a to 12c. The third radio wave RW3 is shown. In the wetness detection system 1 for a paper diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the paper diaper with the unique number not included in the third radio wave RW3 is determined as a paper diaper in a wet state.

  The smartphone 15 has a dedicated application 16 installed, and when the application 16 detects a wet paper diaper, the smartphone 153 corresponds to the speaker 153 of the smartphone 15 (an example of a “notification unit” in the claims. Details will be described later. Sounds a notification sound, and displays a paper diaper that needs replacement on the touch panel liquid crystal screen 154 (corresponding to an example of "notification unit" and "display unit" in the claims. Details will be described later). Do.

In addition, the wetness detection system 1 of a paper diaper is not restricted to the said structure. For example, the disposable diaper is not limited to the taping type, and may be a pants type, a flat type, or a pad type. Further, not only the QR codes 111a to 111c but also a bar code, a password, or a unique number may be used as the corresponding setting unit in the claims. Furthermore, the QR codes 111a to 111c may not be replaced by other means such as correspondence by manual input with the smartphone 15 itself.
(Paper diapers 11a to 11c)

  The schematic view of the disposable diaper 11a in the wetness detection system 1 for a disposable diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied is shown in FIG. 3, the diagram showing the developed state of the disposable diaper is shown in FIG. 4, and the AA 'cross section in FIG. Shown in 5. In addition, since the structure of the paper diaper 11b and the paper diaper 11c is the same structure as the paper diaper 11a, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the paper diaper 11a is a taping type paper diaper and mainly includes the surface material 112a, the intermediate material 113a, the absorbent material 114a, the waterproof material 115a, and the exterior material 116a. , Solid gathers 117a, elastic bodies 1181a and 1182a, and a tape 119a. These members are joined to each other to such an extent that they do not separate from each other by the movement of the disposable diaper wearer, and to such an extent that they can permeate the liquid. Specifically, bonding is performed using an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive, and a solid, bead, curtain, summit, spiral coating, or the like is used as a method of applying the adhesive. In particular, in the elastic bodies 1181a and 1182a, a comb gun, a sure wrap application, or the like may be used instead of or in addition to these coating methods. By this, for example, it is possible to prevent skin troubles such as rash and redness which occur when wrinkles generated due to peeling of members rub against the wet skin after excretion. In addition, since the adhesive is bonded so as to transmit the liquid, there is no possibility that the adhesive may inhibit the absorption of the liquid. In addition, joining of a member is not limited to joining by an adhesive agent, For example, joining by raw material welding, such as a heat seal and an ultrasonic seal, may be sufficient.

  The surface material 112 a is made of, for example, a non-porous or non-porous non-woven fabric, a porous plastic sheet, or the like, and has a property of transmitting a liquid. The raw material fiber of the non-woven fabric is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include synthetic fibers such as olefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyesters and polyamides, regenerated fibers such as rayon and cupra, natural fibers such as cotton, The mixed fiber in which 2 or more types were used, composite fiber, etc. may be sufficient. Further, as a method for processing the non-woven fabric, there are, for example, spun lace method, spun bond method, thermal bond method, melt blown method, needle punch method, air through method, point bond method etc. It may be manufactured. For example, if flexibility and drape are required, a spun lace method may be used, and if bulk and soft properties are required, a preferred processing method may be used, such as using a thermal bond method.

  The intermediate material 113a can be formed of, for example, the same material as the surface material 112a, and has the characteristics of drawing in the liquid of the surface material 112a, quickly feeding the liquid into the absorbent material, and preventing the return of excrement. The intermediate material does not necessarily have to be formed of the same material as the surface material, but when the same material is used, the melting points of the surface material 112a and the intermediate material 113a are the same. A heat seal and an ultrasonic seal can be used suitably for joining to 113a.

  The absorbent material 114a is formed, for example, by mixing and laminating cotton-like pulp 1142a and super absorbent polymer 1143a, and covering the absorbent paper 1141a. The superabsorbent polymer 1143a can rapidly absorb approximately 50 to 100 times its own weight of liquid. The absorbent paper 1141a prevents the shapes of the laminated cotton-like pulp 1142a and the highly water-absorbent polymer 1143a from being broken by the load generated by the operation of the disposable diaper wearer. In addition, since the absorbent 114a includes two slits 1144a and the liquid is diffused along the two slits 1144a, the liquid is efficiently dispersed by the two slits 1144a, and the liquid is quickly dispersed. It can be absorbed.

  The waterproof material 115a is a waterproof sheet and prevents the liquid from leaking out of the disposable diaper 11a. In addition, the waterproof material 115 a includes the IC tag 12 a on the surface on the side of the absorbent material 114 a (details will be described later).

  The exterior material 116a is a sheet which covers the outer side of the paper diaper 11a, and the QR code 111a is printed on the abdomen side outer surface.

  The three-dimensional gather 117a is composed of a gather sheet 1171a and an elastic body 1181a. For example, the gather sheet 1171a is made of non-woven fabric, and the elastic body 1181a is made of an elastic material such as polyurethane elastic fiber. The solid gather 117a prevents urine and stool from leaking around the thigh (generally called side leakage). In addition, elastic bodies 1182a are provided on both edges of the waterproof material 115a. As a result, since the paper diaper 11a fits around the thigh of the paper diaper wearer, the comfort is improved, and side leakage can be prevented as in the case of the solid gather 117a.

  The tape 119a is provided on the outer surface on the back side of the waterproof material 115a, two each on the back side, and urine or stool leaks from around the back side by sticking so that the paper diaper fits the lower abdomen of the paper diaper wearer In particular, it is called back leakage. The tape 119a can also be used for rounding and fixing the disposable diaper when discarding the used disposable diaper, and prevents urine and stool from leaking outside.

In addition, the disposable diaper 11a is not limited to the said structure. For example, the material of the surface material 112a may be polypropylene, and the left and right tapes 119a may be one each. Further, the arrangement of the IC tag 12a is not limited to the surface of the waterproof material 115a on the side of the absorbent material 114a.
(IC tags 12a to 12c)

  An IC tag 12a in a wetness detection system 1 for a disposable diaper according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described. The configurations of the IC tag 12b and the IC tag 12c are the same as those of the IC tag 12a, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The IC tag 12a is a passive IC tag which does not contain a battery, and as shown in FIG. 2, has an antenna section 121a for receiving the first radio wave RW1 transmitted from the antenna section 141 of the reader 14. The first radio wave RW1 received by the antenna unit 121a is converted into electric power, and the electric power is supplied to the IC chip 122a. The IC chip 122a of the IC tag 12a has an internal memory for storing the unique number 13a. When the first radio wave RW1 is received, the IC chip 122a controls the antenna unit 121a to obtain the information of the unique number 13a. Transmit radially including the second radio wave RW2. The reading device 14 receives the second radio wave RW2, and the reading device 14 transmits the received information of the unique number as the third radio wave RW3.

  Further, the IC tag 12a is disposed on the surface of the waterproof material 115a on the side of the absorbent material 114a, and the liquid by urine or feces penetrates in order of the surface material 112a, the intermediate material 113a, and the absorbent material 114a. Since the liquid has a characteristic that the first radio wave RW1 and the second radio wave RW2 which are radio waves are difficult to pass through, when the absorbing material 114a absorbs the liquid and becomes wet, the IC tag 12a receives the first radio wave from the antenna unit 121a. As the RW1 can not be received and power can not be supplied to the IC chip 122a, the second radio wave RW2 can not be transmitted, or the antenna unit 121a can receive the first radio wave RW1. However, since the second radio wave RW2 transmitted from the antenna unit 121a is shielded by the liquid, the second radio wave RW2 does not reach the reading device 14 (hereinafter, referred to as a shielding state). In the wetness detection system 1 for a paper diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied, it is judged as a paper diaper in a wet state using this shielding state.

  Specifically, after receiving the third radio wave RW3 by the smartphone 15, the wetness detection system 1 of the paper diaper wets the paper diaper wearer corresponding to the unique number not included in the third radio wave RW3 by the application 16 described later. Judge as a disposable diaper and notify the administrator. In addition, instead of providing the application 16 with the function of determining the wet state, for example, the state of the paper diaper may be periodically updated to determine whether the administrator is in the wet state.

As described above, it is not necessary to separately provide a sensor for detecting the amount of liquid, such as a humidity sensor, in the paper diaper by judging it as a paper diaper in a wet state by utilizing the property that the liquid hardly transmits radio waves. Can reduce the manufacturing cost of In addition, since only a thin IC tag is provided in the disposable diaper, there is no risk of giving a feeling of foreign matter or discomfort to the disposable diaper wearer.
(Unique numbers 13a to 13c)

The unique numbers 13a to 13c are different unique numbers, and are stored in the internal memories of the IC chips 122a to 122c. Although it is desirable that all disposable diapers used in the practice of the present invention be provided with IC tags having unique numbers different from one another, as described above, the unique numbers of all disposable diapers produced are The present invention is not limited to the different embodiment, and at least there may be a disposable diaper having different unique numbers for the number of disposable diaper wearers simultaneously managed by the wetness detection system of the disposable diaper. In other words, lot management does not require that all disposable diapers be given different unique numbers unless the same unique number is used simultaneously. For example, when 12-bit internal memory is adopted, 4096 different unique numbers can be added, but even with such a limited number, the sales form (place, area, time, etc.) differs. Thus, it is possible to avoid the situation where disposable diapers of the same unique number are used at the same time.
(QR code 111a to 111c)

The QR codes 111a to 111c are printed on the abdomen-side outer surfaces of the packaging materials 116a to 116c of the paper diapers 11a to 11c, respectively, and have information on the unique numbers of the IC tags included in the printed paper diapers. The administrator reads the QR codes 111a to 111c using the camera 151 in the paper diaper wearer registration mode (details will be described later) of the application 16 introduced to the smartphone 15, and registers the name of the paper diaper wearer By storing the IC tags 12a to 12c, the unique numbers 13a to 13c of the IC tags 12a to 12c can be easily associated with the disposable diaper wearer. In addition, the printing location of QR code 111a-111c is not limited to the abdominal-part outer surface of exterior material 116a-116c.
(Arrangement of IC tags 12a to 12c in disposable diapers 11a to 11c)

  The arrangement of the IC tag 12a in the paper diaper 11a will be described based on FIG. 5 and FIG. The arrangement of the IC tag 12b and the IC tag 12c in the paper diaper 11b and the paper diaper 11c is the same as the arrangement of the IC tag 12a in the paper diaper 11a, so the description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the IC tag 12a is disposed on the surface of the waterproof material 115a on the side of the absorbent material 114a, and when the absorbent material 114a is in a liquid absorbing state, the IC tag 12a is shielded. It will be in the state which judges 11a as a wet state. The arrangement of the IC tag 12a is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  As another embodiment, one disposable diaper may be provided with a plurality of IC tags having different unique numbers. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, five IC tags 12 a-1 to 12 a-5 can be disposed in a disposable diaper. According to this, in addition to the judgment as to whether or not the wetness detection system 1 of the disposable diaper is in the wet state, it is possible to judge the degree of wetness. Specifically, the greater the amount of urine, the wider the wetted range of the paper diaper, so the number of IC tags in the shielded state increases. Using this characteristic, for example, the application 16 determines that the amount of urine is small when the number of IC tags in the shielded state is 2 or less, and when the number of IC tags in the shielded state is 3 or less. It is possible to judge the degree of wetness, such as judging that the amount of urine is large. In addition, it can be determined that the back side is wet if the IC tag 12a-1 is in the shielding state, and that the belly side is wet if the IC tag 12a-5 is in the shielding state. That is, by disposing a plurality of IC tags in one disposable diaper, the wet position in the disposable diaper can be determined.

As described above, the wetness detection system 1 for a paper diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied changes the detection content of the wetness detection system 1 for a paper diaper by changing the arrangement and / or the number of IC tags. can do.
(Reader 14)

  The reading device 14 in the wetness detection system 1 for a disposable diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described based on FIG. 2 and FIG. 7 to FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 to 9, the reading device 14 includes an antenna unit 141, a communication unit 142, and a control unit 143 that controls them, and supplies power to the IC tags 12a to 12c. It plays a role of relaying the information of the unique numbers 13a to 13c transmitted from the IC tags 12a to 12c so that the smartphone 15 can receive, and transmits the first radio wave RW1 and the third radio wave RW3 and receives the second radio wave RW2. .

  The reading device 14 is installed, for example, in the approximate center of a hospital room as shown in FIG. The reader 14 and the IC tags 12a to 12c have a communicable range within a spherical range with a radius of about 2 to 6 m, and the entire sick room is a communicable range. Further, the communicable range of the reader 14 and the smartphone 15 is in a spherical range with a radius of about 15 m, and similarly, the entire communicable room is the communicable range. That is, when the administrator who possesses the smart phone 15 enters the sick room, the presence or absence of the wet state can be detected, and if it is wet, the application 16 is notified, so the administrator confirms the inside of the paper diaper. It is possible to know whether it is necessary to replace the disposable diaper without removing the lower body clothes.

  Note that the communicable range between the reader 14, the IC tags 12 a to 12 c and the smartphone 15 is not limited to the above, and the performance of the reader 14, the IC tags 12 a to 12 c, and the smartphone 15 or the wetness of the paper diaper It varies depending on the environment in which the detection system 1 is used. Moreover, the installation location of the reader 14 is not limited to the above-mentioned aspect, either.

  For example, in the case where the communicable range between the reader and the IC tag is narrow and is within a spherical range with a radius of about 2 to 3 m, it can be coped with by using one reader for one disposable diaper. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the readers 14a-14c are worn by the paper diapers of the corresponding paper diapers 11a-11c so that the IC tags 12a-12c provided on the corresponding paper diapers 11a-11c fall within the communicable range. In the vicinity of the bed used by the disabled.

  Further, when the communicable range between the reader and the IC tag is further narrow, as shown in FIG. 9, the antenna portions 141a to 141c of the readers 14a to 14c are formed in a sheet, and under the bed mattress By arranging for spreading, the narrowness of the communication range can be covered.

  As described above, by appropriately changing the arrangement and configuration of the reader, a low-cost IC tag having a narrow communicable range can be used in the present invention, so that the manufacturing cost and the selling price can be further suppressed.

Furthermore, the information possessed by the third radio wave RW3 from the reading device 14 to the smartphone 15, that is, the information of the unique number received by the reading device 14 among the unique numbers 13a to 13c of the IC tags 12a to 12c is used on the Internet. Can also be sent. According to this, even if the reading device 14 and the smartphone 15 are at a distant position, the administrator who holds the smartphone 15 can receive the notification. Alternatively, information on the wet condition of the paper diapers 11a to 11c is periodically uploaded, for example, from the reading device 14 onto the cloud storage on the Internet, and the information is updated, and the smartphone 15 or personal computer, etc. Information on the wet state of the paper diapers 11a to 11c may be read from anywhere by accessing.
(Smartphone 15)

  The smartphone 15 plays a role of notifying the administrator of the wet state, and as shown in FIG. 2, receives instructions from the camera 151, the communication unit 152, the speaker 153, the touch panel liquid crystal screen 154, and the application 16 to receive them. The control unit 155 for controlling the members of the image forming apparatus has a photographing function, a wireless communication function, an audio reproduction function, and a moving image reproduction function.

  When using the wetness detection system 1 of the paper diaper, the camera 151 of the smart phone 15, the communication unit 152, the speaker 153, and the touch panel liquid crystal screen 154 are operated by the application 16 and when the wet state is detected, the smart phone 15 gets wet by the administrator. Report the status.

Note that, instead of the smartphone 15, a tablet terminal having the same function may be used. Also, instead of a smartphone or a tablet, a wet state may be centrally managed using a personal computer connected to the reader 14 in a wired manner, or linked with a nurse call and notified of the wet state by a nurse call. May be In this case, among the unique numbers 13a to 13c of the IC tags 12a to 12c, the information on the unique number received by the reading device 14 is transmitted not by wireless communication by radio waves but by wired communication by electrical signals. Furthermore, wireless communication is not limited to Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).
(Application 16)

  An application 16 in the wetness detection system 1 for a paper diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described based on an operation flowchart shown in FIG. 10 and an image diagram of a user interface screen shown in FIGS.

  The application 16 is installed in the smartphone 15, and mainly performs association between the unique number and the disposable diaper wearer, determination of the wet state, and notification of the wet state.

  First, when the application 16 is activated in step ST101, the application 16 displays an initial screen 161 as shown in FIG. 11 on the touch panel liquid crystal screen 154 in step ST102.

  The initial screen 161 is provided with a paper diaper wearer registration button 1611, a registrant management button 1612, a setting change button 1613, and a detection start / end button 1614, and the paper diaper registration button 1611 is tapped when it is tapped. When the registrant management button 1612 is tapped in the wearer registration mode, the mode shifts to the registrant management mode, and when the setting change button 1613 is tapped, the setting change mode is entered. The detection start / end button 1614 alternately switches the start / end of wet state detection every time it is tapped.

  The application 16 confirms the tapped button in step ST103, and executes an operation corresponding thereto in steps ST103-1 to ST103-4. If the button is not tapped, the process proceeds to step ST103-5 (does nothing). In other words, in step ST103 and step ST103-5, the input standby state is established.

The application 16 repeats until the steps ST102 and ST103 are finished. Hereinafter, the operations in step ST103-1 to step ST103-4 will be described in detail.
(Step ST103-1: disposable diaper wearer registration mode)

  In step ST103-1, the application 16 executes the disposable diaper wearer registration mode. The paper diaper wearer registration mode is a mode for associating the unique number of the IC tag with the paper diaper wearer, and is started by tapping the paper diaper wearer registration button 1611 of the initial screen 161.

  In the disposable diaper wearer registration mode, the application 16 first reads the QR code, and then guides the administrator to input the name of the disposable diaper on which the read QR code is printed. The application 16 stores the unique number acquired by reading the QR code and the name of the input disposable diaper wearer as a pair, and associates the unique number of the IC tag with the disposable diaper wearer. Therefore, the administrator can associate the unique number of the IC tag with the disposable diaper wearer with a simple operation.

In addition, paper diaper wearer registration mode is not limited to the said aspect. For example, the acquisition method of the unique number is not limited to the reading of the QR code, and a bar code, a password, or the unique number itself is displayed on the paper diaper as corresponding to the "symbol" in the claims. The unique number may be obtained by these reading and input. Further, the correspondence between the unique number and the paper diaper wearer is not limited to the correspondence according to the name of the paper diaper wearer, but may be corresponded by the number of the hospital room or the bed, the face photograph of the paper diaper wearer, or the like.
(Step ST103-2: registrant management mode)

In step ST103-2, the application 16 executes a registrant management mode. The registrant management mode is a mode for performing confirmation, correction, or deletion of registered contents of a paper diaper wearer (hereinafter referred to as a registrant) associated with a unique number in the paper diaper wearer registration mode, and is an initial screen It starts when the registrant management button 1612 of 161 is tapped.
(Step ST103-3: setting change mode)

In step ST103-3, the application 16 executes the setting change mode. The setting change mode is a mode for setting the notification method to the administrator, the character size in the application, the brightness of the screen, and the volume of the notification sound, and the setting change button 1613 of the initial screen 161 is tapped. Start with In addition, the setting content is not limited to the said content, For example, when the aspect (refer FIG. 6) which provides several IC tags in the above-mentioned one paper diaper as an aspect of a paper diaper is adopted, the wetness detection system of a paper diaper The setting of the detection content of 1 may be performed in this mode.
(Step ST103-4: Switching of wet state detection start / end)

  In step ST103-4, the application 16 switches the start / end of detection of the wet state of the paper diaper alternately. When the application 16 detects the wet state of the paper diaper, as shown in FIG. 12, the application 16 displays one column of the registrant and the presence or absence of the wet state on the touch panel liquid crystal screen 154 in association with each other. For example, when the paper diaper is in a wet state, the display of the presence or absence of the wet state is switched from "none" to "presence", and a notification sound is reproduced from the speaker 153 to notify the administrator. Also, for example, when the wet state is detected in the standby state in which the touch panel liquid crystal screen 154 of the smartphone 15 is turned off, a notification to the administrator is displayed by a push notification as shown in FIG. 13 and a notification sound. Do.

In the example of the user interface screen of the application 16 described above, the arrangement, shape, display method, size, color arrangement, pattern, and the like of each button can be appropriately changed, and the method of notification is not limited to the above method. Moreover, when using the personal computer wired-connected to the reader 14 instead of the smart phone 15, the software which has the function similar to the above-mentioned application 16 is installed in a personal computer.
(Flow of operation of wetness detection system 1 for disposable diapers)

  The flow of the operation of the wetness detection system 1 for a disposable diaper according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described based on an operation flowchart shown in FIG. Here, the administrator emphasizes the flow of the operation of the entire system after the paper diaper incorporating the IC tag is attached to the paper diaper wearer, and the flow of the operation executed by the application 16 of the smartphone 15 Please refer to the item of application 16 for details of.

  First, in step ST201, the administrator activates the wetness detection system 1 of the paper diaper, and performs transmission / reception of the first radio wave RW1 to the third radio wave RW3. The transmission / reception of each radio wave is as described above (see FIG. 1). In addition, starting of the wetness detection system 1 of the paper diaper here makes it possible to start wetness detection of the paper diaper including setting of communication devices such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and activation of the application 16 in the smartphone 15. It means that.

  Next, in step ST202, the administrator reads the QR codes 111a to 111c of the paper diapers 11a to 11c in the paper diaper wearer registration mode of the application 16 of the smartphone 15, and the unique numbers 13a to 13c of the IC tags 12a to 12c. , And registration with the paper diaper wearer, and tap the detection start / end button 1614 to start detection of the wet state.

  Next, in step ST203, the application 16 of the smartphone 15 collates whether all the unique numbers 13a to 13c registered in step ST202 are included in the third radio wave RW3, and according to the collation result, step ST203. -1 to step ST203-3. The application 16 repeats the steps from step ST203 to step ST203-3 until a wet state is detected.

  The reading device 14 receives the second radio wave RW2 transmitted from the IC tags 12a to 12c, and transmits the unique number included in all the received second radio waves RW2 as the third radio wave RW3. The third radio wave RW3 is received, the unique number included in the third wave RW3 is compared with the unique numbers 13a to 13c registered on the smartphone 15, and there is a unique number not included in the third wave RW3. For example, the second radio wave RW2 can not be received from the IC tag corresponding to the unique number, and it can be determined that the disposable diaper in which the IC tag is disposed is in a wet state. In the present embodiment, the reader 14 can not receive even though the second radio wave RW2 is transmitted from the IC tags 12a to 12c depending on the use mode of the paper diaper and the installation method of the reader. Since the IC tag can not be received, for example, four times, it is determined that the disposable diaper is in a wet state.

  As a result of collation in step ST203, when both are in agreement, it progresses to step ST203-1. When the process proceeds to step ST203-1, the application 16 does nothing. In other words, in step ST203 and step ST203-1, the standby state for detecting the wet state is established.

  Moreover, as a result of collation, when there is an intrinsic | native number which is not contained in 3rd electric wave RW3, it progresses to step ST203-2. When the process proceeds to step ST203-2, the application 16 increments the count of the counter allocated to the unique number not included in the third radio wave RW3 by one. In the initial state, this counter is 0, and when it reaches 4, the process proceeds to step ST203-3. If the process proceeds to step ST203-3, the administrator is notified. That is, in order to prevent a malfunction, it is not considered to be wet until the counter reaches three.

Since the administrator can specify the paper diaper wearer in a wet state by notification, the administrator changes the paper diaper in step ST204. Thereafter, if the unique number of the new disposable diaper and the association with the disposable diaper wearer are registered and registered again in step ST202, the wet state of the disposable diaper can be detected again by this system.
Second Embodiment
(Configuration of wetness detection system 2 for disposable diapers)

  The second embodiment to which the present invention is applied has substantially the same configuration as the first embodiment, but differs in the components corresponding to the "reading device" and the "external device" in the claims. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the reading device 14 is included as a component corresponding to the “reading device”, and the smartphone 15 is included as a component corresponding to the “external device”. In the second embodiment, the notification reading devices 24a to 24c are provided as components corresponding to both the "reading device" and the "external device". Below, based on FIG. 15, the structure of the wetness detection system 2 of the paper diaper which concerns on a 2nd Example is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the wetness detection system 2 for a paper diaper according to the second embodiment to which the present invention is applied includes a taped paper diaper 21 a to 21 c provided with IC tags 22 a to 22 c respectively, and a notification function. And readers 24a-24c.

  Further, the reading devices with a notification function 24 a to 24 c have antenna units 241 a to 241 c that transmit one type of radio wave and receive a radio wave transmitted from the IC tags 22 a to 22 c, and the IC tags 22 a to 22 c. The communicable range with is within the spherical range of about 2-3 m in radius.

Arrows shown in FIG. 15 schematically represent radio waves, and solid arrows are transmitted from the readers 24 a to 24 c with notification functions, received by the corresponding IC tags 22 a to 22 c, and IC The first radio wave RW1 used as a power source for the tags 22a to 22c, and the white arrows indicate the second radio wave RW2 transmitted from the IC tags 22a to 22c and received by the corresponding reading devices 24a to 24c with notification functions. ing. When the notification devices 24a-24c can not receive the second radio wave RW2 from the corresponding IC tags 22a-22c, they notify the administrator that the corresponding paper diaper is in a wet state. In the following, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the readers 24 a to 24 c with notification function are described.
(Readers 24a to 24c with notification function)

  A reader 24a with a notification function in a wetness detection system 2 for a disposable diaper according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described. The configurations of the notification function reading device 24b and the notification function reading device 24c are the same as those of the notification function reading device 24a, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The notification function reading device 24a includes an antenna unit 241a, a speaker 242a, and an LED lighting unit 243a, and plays a role of notifying the administrator when the paper diaper 21a becomes wet.

The reader 24a with notification function is a bed used by the paper diaper wearer of the paper diaper 21a so that only the IC tag 22a provided on the corresponding paper diaper 21a falls within the communicable range (within a spherical range of about 2-3 m in radius). If the second radio wave RW2 installed from the IC tag 22a can not be received, a notification sound is emitted by the speaker 242a, and the LED lighting unit 243a corresponds to an example of the "notification unit" in the claims. Is notified to the administrator that the paper diaper 21a is in a wet state. According to this, since the wetness detection system 2 of the paper diaper determines the wet state depending on whether or not the reading devices 24a to 24c with the notification function can receive the second radio wave RW2 transmitted by the corresponding IC tag, The third radio wave RW3 in the wetness detection system 1 of the disposable diaper is not required. In other words, the wetness detection system 2 of the disposable diaper includes the unique information of each of the IC tags and the disposable diaper wearer or the disposable diaper as the components corresponding to the “specific information” and the “corresponding setting unit” in the claims are not required. It can be used without an operation of associating with a disposable diaper.
Third Embodiment

  The third embodiment to which the present invention is applied is a case where the first embodiment is applied to the management of one disposable diaper wearer, for example, when it is used for home care. Below, based on FIG. 16, the wetness detection system 3 of the paper diaper which concerns on 3rd Example is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the wetness detection system 3 for a paper diaper according to the third embodiment to which the present invention is applied includes a taped type paper diaper 31 a to 31 t (paper diaper wearer wears the paper diaper 31 a) equipped with an IC tag 32. And a reader 34 and a smart phone 35. For example, the 20 disposable diapers 31a to 31t are sold as one set, and include QR codes 311a to 311t corresponding to the unique numbers 33a to 33t of the IC tags 32a to 32t respectively provided.

  The application 36 is installed in the smartphone 35, and performs registration of the unique number 33a of the paper diaper 31a being worn, determination of the wet state, and notification of the wet state. The wetness detection system 1 of the paper diaper according to the first embodiment stores the unique number and the input name of the paper diaper wearer in the application 16 as one pair, but the paper diaper according to the third embodiment Since the wetness detection system 3 applies to the management of one disposable diaper wearer, it is not necessary to necessarily store the name of the disposable diaper wearer. The aspect of the other application 36, the method of associating the unique number with the disposable diaper wearer, the communicable range, the notification method, and the like are the same as in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Arrows shown in FIG. 16 schematically represent radio waves, and solid arrows are transmitted from the reader 34, received by the IC tag 32a, and used as a power source of the IC tag 32a. The white arrow is transmitted from the IC tag 32a and is received by the reading device 34. The second electric wave RW2 including the information of the unique number 33a of the IC tag 32a is indicated by the broken arrow. When the RW 2 is received, the third radio wave RW 3 transmitted from the reading device 34 and received by the smartphone 35 and including the information of the unique number 33 a of the IC tag 32 a is shown. When the third radio wave RW3 can not be received by the smartphone 15, the wetness detection system 3 for the paper diaper according to the third embodiment to which the present invention is applied judges the paper diaper worn by the paper diaper wearer as the paper diaper in a wet state. .

  According to this, since the wetness detection system 3 of the paper diaper determines the wet state based on whether the smartphone 35 can receive the third radio wave RW3 including the information of the associated unique number 33a, for example, the paper diaper When the other paper diapers 31b to 31t are placed on the bed side where the wearer lies, etc., even if the other paper diapers 31b to 31t are within the communicable range, the paper diaper 31a worn by the paper diaper wearer Only the wet state can be properly detected. In place of the smartphone 35, a personal computer connected to the reader 14 by wire may be used.

  As described above, the wetness detection system for a paper diaper according to the present embodiment can be manufactured inexpensively, and can be used by a paper diaper wearer without any sense of foreign matter or discomfort, and a manager can It is possible to grasp the proper replacement timing of the disposable diaper without conducting a checking operation with a shame on the disposable diaper wearer. In addition, the system for detecting wetness of a paper diaper according to the present embodiment flexibly makes its sensitivity, detection content, arrangement / performance of each component, user interface, etc. suitable for the number of people to be centrally managed, place to be used, environment, etc. It can be changed.

  In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the paper diaper wearer who wears a paper diaper and the management who replaces a paper diaper are demonstrated as another person, the same person may be sufficient. For example, a person with a lower body paralysis disorder may use the wetness detection system of the disposable diaper according to the present embodiment in order to know the wet condition of his own disposable diaper. In addition, the disposable diaper which is one component of the present invention widely includes disposable diapers in general, regardless of the material and the presence or absence of the super absorbent polymer, for example.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for checking the wet state of a disposable diaper of a disposable diaper wearer or a plurality of disposable diapers.

1, 2, 3 ... wetting detection system 11a-11c, 21a-21c, 31a-31t ... paper diaper 111a-111c, 311a-311t ... QR code; 112a ... surface material; 113a ... intermediate material; 114a ... absorbent material; 1141a: absorbent paper; 1142: cotton pulp; 1143a: highly absorbent polymer; 1144a: slit; 115a: waterproof material; 116a: exterior material; 117a: solid gather; 1171a: gather sheet; 1181a, 1182a: elastic body; ... Tapes 12a to 12c, 12a to 12a-5, 22a to 22c, 32a to 32t ... IC tags 121a to 121c ... Antenna sections 122a to 122c ... IC chips 13a to 13c, 33a to 33t ... Unique numbers 14 and 14a .About.14c, 34... Readers 141, 141a. 41c: Antenna unit; 142: Communication unit; 143: Control unit 15, 35: Smart phone 151: Camera: 152: Communication unit: 153: Speaker: 154: Touch panel liquid crystal screen; 155: Control unit 16, 36: Application 161: Initial screen 1611: Paper diaper wearer registration button 1612: Registrant management button 1613: Setting change button 1614: Detection start / end button 24a to 24c: Reader with notification function 241a to 241c: Antenna unit: 242a to 242c ... Speaker: 243a to 243c ... LED lighting unit RW1 ... First radio wave; RW2 ... Second radio wave; RW3 ... Third radio wave

Claims (5)

With several diapers,
While having unique information, it receives radio waves from the outside and transmits the unique information as radio waves, and when the amount of the surrounding liquid increases due to the characteristic that it is difficult to pass the radio waves of the liquid, at least one A plurality of IC tags provided on each of the plurality of disposable diapers, the radio waves being shielded;
A first communication unit that transmits radio waves to the IC tags of the plurality of paper diapers, receives radio waves transmitted from each of the plurality of IC tags, and transfers unique information of each of the plurality of IC tags A reader having
Each of the plurality of paper diapers gets wet based on the second communication unit that receives the unique information transferred from the first communication unit of the reading device, and whether or not the second communication unit can receive the unique information. An external device having a notification unit for notifying the outside of wetness information indicating whether or not there is any;
Each of the plurality of disposable diapers, a symbol readable by the external device, associated with unique information of an IC tag provided on each of the plurality of disposable diapers;
Wetting detection system for disposable diapers. The wetness detection system for a disposable diaper according to claim 1, further comprising:
A correspondence setting unit that associates unique information of each of the plurality of IC tags with the paper diaper wearer or the paper diaper,
The notification unit of the external device is a paper diaper wearer who is in a wet state or the wet condition based on the association set by the association setting unit and the unique information of the IC tag that can not be received by the second communication unit. What is claimed is: 1. A wetness detection system for a paper diaper, comprising a display unit that displays the paper diaper in an identifiable manner. A wetness detection system for a disposable diaper according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein
The plurality of IC tags are distributed to each of the plurality of disposable diapers. One disposable diaper,
While having unique information, it receives radio waves from the outside and transmits the unique information as radio waves, and when the amount of the surrounding liquid increases due to the characteristic that it is difficult to pass the radio waves of the liquid, at least one radio waves are shielded, and I C tag provided on said one paper diaper,
While transmitting a radio wave to I C tag of the one paper diaper, before SL and receives radio waves I C tag or et outgoing, first communication for transferring specific information for each of the previous SL I C Tag A reader having a
Whether the one paper diaper is in a wet state based on a second communication unit that receives the unique information transferred from the first communication unit of the reader and whether or not the second communication unit can receive the unique information An external device having a notification unit for notifying the outside of wetness information indicating whether or not it is;
A symbol readable by the external device associated with unique information of an IC tag provided in the one disposable diaper in the one disposable diaper;
Wetting detection system for disposable diapers. The wetness detection system for a disposable diaper according to claim 4, wherein
The said IC tag is a wetness detection system of the paper diaper arranged in multiple numbers by the said one paper diaper.

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