JP7491822B2 - After-sleep care support device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a post-sleep care support device and a post-sleep care support method.

When caring for a care recipient who wears absorbent articles such as diapers, it is desirable to reduce the burden on the caregiver who changes the absorbent article. In addition, various technologies have been proposed to reduce the burden on the caregiver of changing absorbent articles.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a moisture monitoring system that includes an absorbent article equipped with a sensor that detects urination, and a processor that processes the sensor signal to derive a urination pattern, and describes an embodiment in which the system is used to monitor the wetness of the absorbent article (urination pattern) over a period of 3 to 5 days and create an excretion care plan for the wearer. Patent Document 1 also describes attaching another sensor to the absorbent article so that the posture of the wearer, such as sitting or lying on one's side, can be grasped.

Patent No. 5285600

Providing care for care recipients who use absorbent articles such as diapers places an increased burden on the caregiver, especially at night after the wearer has gone to bed. In addition, providing care at night can interfere with the sleep of the care recipient and reduce their alertness during the day. For example, in nursing care facilities, there is a need for the development of a new system that can grasp the status of each wearer when they urinate after going to bed and enable efficient provision of appropriate care to each individual wearer.

The present invention relates to an after-sleep care support device and after-sleep care support method that, for example, in a care facility or the like, allows the situation of each wearer when urinating after going to sleep to be grasped and makes it possible to efficiently provide appropriate care to each wearer.

The present invention provides a post-sleep care support device that includes a urination data storage unit that stores urination data of a wearer based on impedance changes caused by the spreading of urine in an absorbent article that absorbs urine, measured by a urination sensor attached to the absorbent article, together with urination time data; a tilt data storage unit that stores tilt data measured by an acceleration sensor attached to the absorbent article together with time data; and a movement classification determination unit that classifies the wearer's movements when urinating after going to sleep from the data stored in the urination data storage unit and the tilt data storage unit, the movement classification determination unit classifying the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination when urination occurs after going to sleep and determining the type of movement.

The present invention also provides a post-sleep care support method, which includes a urination data storage step of storing urination data of a wearer based on impedance changes caused by the spreading of urine in an absorbent article that absorbs urine, together with urination time data, the urination data being measured by a urination sensor attached to the absorbent article, the urination data being based on impedance changes caused by the spreading of urine in the absorbent article, together with urination time data, a tilt data storage step of storing tilt data measured by an acceleration sensor attached to the absorbent article together with time data, and a movement classification determination step of classifying the wearer's movements during urination after going to sleep from the data stored in the urination data storage step and the tilt data storage step, the movement classification determination step being a step of classifying the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination when urination occurs after going to sleep, and determining the type of movement.

The post-sleep care support device and post-sleep care support method of the present invention can grasp the wearer's condition when they urinate after going to sleep, for example in a care facility, and can efficiently provide appropriate care for each wearer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration including a post-sleep care support device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an absorbent article to be used in combination with the after-sleep care support device. FIG. 3 is a back view of the urine absorption pad shown in FIG. 1 , showing the urination sensor attached thereto with a portion of the cover sheet covering the urination sensor peeled off, as viewed from the side of the urine absorption pad not facing the skin. FIG. 4(a) is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4(b) is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 3, illustrating a urine absorption pad equipped with a urination sensor and a cover sheet. FIG. 5 is a back view of the urine absorption pad and the covering sheet before the covering sheet is attached, illustrating the urination sensor disposed on the urine absorption pad and the covering sheet attached to cover the urination sensor. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a data collection unit that detects and collects impedance changes. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a post-sleep care support device. 8(a) to 8(c) are explanatory diagrams illustrating that the inclination of the directions of the axes of an acceleration sensor attached to an absorbent article differs depending on the posture of a person wearing the absorbent article. FIG. 9 is a chart illustrating a flow of determining the mounting state. 10A to 10D are diagrams showing examples of information on the wearer's movements before and after urination after going to sleep, which is output by the information output unit. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of display of suggested information about a care method that is suggested to a caregiver according to the type of movement of the wearer, which is output by the information output unit. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the after-sleep care support method of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a chart showing an example of a flow from grasping the wearer's condition after going to sleep based on the movements before and after urination to suggesting advice.

Hereinafter, the post-sleep care support device 1 of the present invention will be described based on its preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, the post-sleep care support device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a urination data storage unit 50 that stores urination data of a wearer based on impedance changes caused by the wet spread of urine in the absorbent article 10, measured by a urination sensor 20 (see Figs. 1 and 3) attached to an absorbent article 10 that absorbs urine, and a tilt data storage unit 60 that stores tilt data measured by an acceleration sensor 34 attached to the absorbent article 10. The post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment is used as a device for supporting a caregiver such as a nurse in, for example, a hospital or a care facility to grasp the situation when a wearer who is a care recipient urinates into an absorbent article 10 such as a diaper while sleeping, and to efficiently provide appropriate care to each wearer.

In this embodiment, the absorbent article 10 (see Figures 1 and 2) to which the urination sensor 20 is attached is an absorbent article having absorbency, that is, a urine-absorbing pad 11, to which the urination sensor 20 is attached, and which can be used in combination with a disposable diaper (diaper body) 12.

The absorbent article 10 can be used in combination with a disposable diaper 12, and the disposable diaper 12 combined with the absorbent article 10 can be divided into a ventral region A, a dorsal region B, and a crotch region C as shown in Fig. 2. Here, the ventral region A is a region located on the ventral side of a wearer when worn, the dorsal region B is a region located on the dorsal side of a wearer when worn, and the crotch region C is a region located between the ventral region A and the dorsal region B.
The "Y direction" in the drawing is the direction extending from the ventral region A to the dorsal region B, or from the dorsal region B to the ventral region A, and is the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the urine pad 11 or the disposable diaper 12. The "X direction" in the drawing is the direction perpendicular to the Y direction, and is the same direction as the width direction of the urine pad 11 or the disposable diaper 12. The "Z direction" shown in FIG. 4 is the same direction as the thickness of the urine pad 11 or the disposable diaper 12.
In addition, in this specification, the "skin-facing surface" refers to the surface, of both the front and back sides of each component constituting the urine absorption pad 11, such as the top sheet 11a described below, that is placed against the wearer's skin when worn, and the "non-skin-facing surface" refers to the surface, of both the front and back sides of each component constituting the urine absorption pad 11, such as the top sheet 11a described below, that is faced away from the wearer's skin when worn.

The absorbent article 10 of this embodiment is a urine-absorbing pad 11 to which a urination sensor 20 is attached, and can be used in combination with a diaper body (disposable diaper) 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the diaper body 12 has the same configuration as the disposable diaper described in JP 2015-119784 A. In FIG. 2, the urine-absorbing pad 11 as an inner layer is combined with a diaper body (disposable diaper) 12 as an outer layer. The diaper body 12 has a main body surface sheet 12a on which the urine-absorbing pad 11 is attached on the inner skin-facing side, a main body back sheet 12b arranged on the side closest to the non-skin-facing side, and a main body absorbent body 12c arranged between these two sheets 12a and 12b. In addition, the diaper body 12 has a main body leg elastic member (not shown) for forming leg gathers arranged in a stretched state in the longitudinal direction Y on the outside of the main body absorbent body 12c in the width direction X. The leg gathers 12d are formed by contraction of the main body leg elastic member (not shown). An auxiliary side sheet (not shown) or the like can be further provided on the front side of the main body surface sheet 12a to form, for example, three-dimensional gathers (not shown).

The main body surface sheet 12a and the main body back sheet 12b extend outward from both side edges along the longitudinal direction Y and both end edges along the width direction X of the main body absorbent body 12c, respectively. The main body surface sheet 12a and the main body back sheet 12b are joined to each other by adhesive, heat fusion, etc. at the extensions extending outward from the periphery of the main body absorbent body 12c, and are provided with the main body absorbent body 12c sandwiched and fixed inside.

The diaper body 12 thus formed has a shape in which the central portion in the longitudinal direction Y is narrowed inward. The diaper body 12 is a so-called flat-type diaper, and two pairs of fastening tapes 13 are provided on both the left and right side edges of the back region B, and a landing tape (not shown) for fastening the fastening tapes 13 is provided on the outer surface (non-skin-facing surface) of the ventral region A. The outer combined with the urine-absorbing pad 11 as an inner layer may be a disposable diaper, cloth pants, rehabilitation pants, etc. Furthermore, the absorbent article 10 with a sensor may be a urine-absorbing pad 11 with a sensor sheet, or a disposable diaper with a sensor (taped, rehabilitation pants), etc.

In this embodiment, the urine absorption pad 11 of the absorbent article 10 includes a liquid-permeable top sheet 11a arranged on the skin-facing side, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 11b arranged on the non-skin-facing side, and an absorbent 11c arranged between these two sheets 11a and 11b. To explain the urine absorption pad 11 in detail, the top sheet 11a, the back sheet 11b, and the absorbent 11c have a rectangular shape that is long in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the urine absorption pad 11 or disposable diaper 12, as shown in Figures 2 to 4. The top sheet 11a and the back sheet 11b extend outward from both left and right side edges along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the absorbent 11c, and from both front and rear end edges in the longitudinal direction (Y direction), respectively. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the dimensions of the top sheet 11a in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) and width direction (X direction) are the same as those of the back sheet 11b in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) and width direction (X direction). The top sheet 11a and the back sheet 11b are joined to each other by adhesive or heat fusion directly or through other members at the extension parts extending outward from the periphery of the absorbent body 11c, and the absorbent body 11c is sandwiched and fixed. As shown in Figure 4, the absorbent body 11c is formed by covering an absorbent core 11d, which is made of an aggregate of fibers such as pulp fibers and holds particles of absorbent polymer, with a core wrap sheet 11e.

As shown in Fig. 3, the urine absorption pad 11 includes a vertically long absorbent body 11c (see Figs. 4(a) and (b)). The urination sensor 20 is attached to the back sheet 11b constituting the urine absorption pad 11, more specifically, to the outer side (non-skin facing side) opposite to the skin facing side of the back sheet 11b that contacts the wearer's skin. In this way, the urination sensor 20 is attached to one of the multiple sheets constituting the absorbent article 10.
The urination sensor 20 includes a sensor element 20a made of a plurality of printed electrodes 21 (see FIG. 4(a)) formed by applying a conductive ink to a print substrate 22. The urination sensor 20 can detect the spread of urine absorbed in the urine pad 11 based on the impedance change between the plurality of printed electrodes 21.

2 to 4, the urination sensor 20 includes a printed substrate 22, a plurality of printed electrodes 21 that form a sensor element 20a made of conductive ink applied to the surface of the printed substrate 22, a conductor portion 23 that connects the plurality of printed electrodes 21, and a terminal portion 24 to which the conductor portion 23 is connected. The printed substrate 22 is formed, for example, of a polyethylene terephthalate film that is poorly permeable to liquids and electrically insulating. The printed electrodes 21 are in close contact with the surface of the back sheet 11b of the urine pad 11. The urination sensor 20 is covered with a cover sheet 27 made of a nonwoven fabric to which an adhesive 26 is applied (see Figs. 3 and 5), and is attached to the surface of the back sheet 11b of the urine pad 11 via the adhesive 26 applied to the cover sheet 27. The adhesive 26 is applied in any application pattern, such as a spiral pattern. The cover sheet 27 has a coated portion to which the adhesive 26 is applied and a non-coated portion 26a to which the adhesive 26 is not applied. Since the covering sheet 27 has the non-coated portion 26a, the urination sensor 20 has a ventilation opening 25 that maintains ventilation function in the portion of the printed substrate 22 other than the printed electrodes 21 and the conductor portion 23. The back sheet 11b is an electrically insulating sheet with poor liquid permeability, the printed substrate 22 is an electrically insulating substrate with poor liquid permeability, and the printed electrodes 21 and the conductor portion 23 are covered by the back sheet 11b and the printed substrate 22. An auxiliary side sheet (not shown) for forming a three-dimensional gather (not shown) can be provided on the front side of the urine pad 11. In addition, although the urination sensor 20 of this embodiment has a ventilation opening 25, it is not necessary to have the ventilation opening 25.

The conductive ink is preferably an ink containing metal powder such as silver powder as a conductive material. In this embodiment, the conductor portion 23 is composed of a printed conductive layer 28 (see Figures 4(a) and (b)) made of conductive ink, which is applied to the surface of the printing substrate 22, similar to the printed electrode 21.

In the urination sensor 20 of this embodiment, a plurality of sensor elements 20a are formed by a plurality of printed electrodes 21 made of conductive ink applied to the surface of the print substrate 22. Specifically, the plurality of printed electrodes 21 have a plurality of positive electrodes 21a and a plurality of negative electrodes 21b, and the plurality of positive electrodes 21a and the plurality of negative electrodes 21b constitute a plurality of sensor elements 20a. The urination sensor 20 detects the impedance change of each sensor element 20a using the sensor element 20a consisting of the positive electrode 21a and the negative electrode 21b. Based on the detected impedance change, the post-sleep care support device 1 can detect whether the urine pad 11 is wet due to the wearer's urination and the wet spread of the urine absorbed by the urine pad 11 during urination. In addition, the amount of urine absorbed (amount of urine) can be measured from the wet spread of the urine.
From the viewpoint of improving detection accuracy, it is preferable that the urination sensor 20 has a plurality of sensor elements 20 a formed by a plurality of printed electrodes 21 .

In this embodiment, the multiple printed electrodes 21 are formed in a planar shape by applying a conductive ink to the surface of the printing substrate 22, and are arranged at eight locations at intervals along the longitudinal direction Y of the urine absorption pad 11, as shown in FIG. 5. These eight printed electrodes 21 are also referred to as electrode rows hereinafter. The electrode rows are configured such that positive electrodes 21a and negative electrodes 21b are alternately arranged, and the positive electrodes 21a and negative electrodes 21b adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction Y constitute the above-mentioned sensor element 20a. The electrode rows are arranged in two rows at a predetermined interval in the width direction X. That is, the sensor element 20a is configured such that 16 printed electrodes 21 are evenly distributed in the width direction X and the longitudinal direction Y as a whole. The two printed electrodes 21 adjacent to each other in the width direction X may be arranged in a relationship of a negative electrode relative to a positive electrode and a positive electrode relative to a negative electrode, but in this embodiment, they are arranged in a relationship of a positive electrode relative to a positive electrode and a negative electrode relative to a negative electrode. Furthermore, the number of locations where the printed electrodes 21 are arranged is preferably 6 to 12 in the longitudinal direction Y of the urine pad 11.

As described above, the printed electrodes 21 are arranged in two vertical rows in the longitudinal direction Y of the urine pad 11, with eight electrodes in each row, for a total of 16 electrodes (see FIG. 5). The eight printed electrodes 21 arranged in each electrode row are connected by a conductor 23 to four positive electrodes 21a and four negative electrodes 21b arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction Y. Specifically, the four positive electrodes 21a in each electrode row are connected to a conductor 23a arranged on the inside of the width direction X, i.e., on the center line CL side, which is arranged in a straight line in the longitudinal direction Y, and one end of the conductor 23a is connected to a terminal 24a provided at the end of the longitudinal direction Y. The center line CL shown in FIG. 5 is the center line extending in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the urine pad 11 or the disposable diaper 12.

The four negative electrodes 21b in each electrode row are connected to a conductor portion 23b1 extending linearly in the longitudinal direction Y at both sides along the longitudinal direction Y, and one end of the conductor portion 23b1 in the longitudinal direction Y is connected to one end of a conductor portion 23b2 extending linearly in the width direction X. The other end of the conductor portion 23b2 is connected to a terminal portion 24b provided at an end portion in the longitudinal direction Y. In this way, the positive electrodes 21a, the conductor portion 23a, and the terminal portion 24a are arranged inside the urination sensor 20 (closer to the center line CL) in a plan view of the urination sensor 20. On the other hand, the negative electrodes 21b, the conductor portions 23b1, 23b2, and the terminal portion 24b are arranged outside the positive electrodes 21a so as to surround the positive electrodes 21a in a plan view of the urination sensor 20.
In the urination sensor 20 of this embodiment, the multiple negative electrodes 21b arranged on the outside are grounded. In this way, from the viewpoint of reducing the intrusion of external noise and improving the measurement accuracy, it is preferable that the multiple negative electrodes 21b are grounded via the terminal portion 24b.

In the urination sensor 20 of this embodiment, each printed electrode 21, i.e., the positive electrode 21a and the negative electrode 21b, is formed in the same rectangular shape, but from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of conductive ink used and reducing costs, the printed electrodes 21 can be formed by coating, for example, in a grid pattern so that they have non-coated portions. The shape (design), size, arrangement, etc. of the printed electrodes 21 are not limited to those of this embodiment and can be designed as appropriate.

In the urination sensor 20 of this embodiment, the conductor parts 23 (conductor parts 23a, 23b) for connecting each electrode group of the four printed electrodes 21 to the terminal parts 24 (terminal parts 24a, 24b) are formed by a printed conductive layer 28 (see Figures 4(a) and (b)) made of conductive ink applied to the surface of the printing substrate 22, similar to the printed electrodes 21. From the viewpoint of easy installation on the back sheet 11b of the urine absorption pad 11, it is preferable to form the conductor parts 23 by the printed conductive layer 28 in this manner.

In the urination sensor 20 of this embodiment, the number of terminals 24a connected to the positive electrode 21a is the same as the number of terminals 24b connected to the negative electrode 21b. The terminals 24a and 24b are preferably designed to keep the orientation of the data collection unit 30 attached to the urine absorption pad 11 constant. Examples of such a design include making the number or shape of the terminals 24a and 24b different from each other, and making the arrangement of the terminals 24a and 24b asymmetrical (rotationally symmetrical about the terminal 24a).
In this embodiment, the terminal portion 24 (terminal portions 24a, 24b) is a known terminal portion, and a conductive metal snap 24 is used. As shown in Fig. 4B, the metal snap 24 is composed of a female hook 241 and a male hook 242, and these metal hooks 241, 242 are fitted together in a state in which the covering sheet 27, the conductor portion 23, and the printing base material 22 are sandwiched between the female hook 241 and the male hook 242 in the thickness direction Z. The terminal portion 24 (terminal portions 24a, 24b) may be a metal connector, a fastener, a hook-and-loop fastener (such as Magic Tape (registered trademark)), a screw, a hook, a bite-type fastener, or the like.

In this embodiment, the printed electrodes 21 and conductor portions 23 (printed conductive layer 28) that constitute the urination sensor 20 are formed by applying conductive ink to the surface of the printing substrate 22 in a predetermined arrangement shape (see FIG. 5).

The printing substrate 22 is preferably one that has physical properties that prevent it from shrinking when the applied conductive ink dries, and is more preferably an electrically insulating resin film. Examples of such materials include polyethylene terephthalate and polyimide, which have a melting point of 200°C or higher. The thickness of the printing substrate 22 is preferably 35 to 75 μm.

The conductive ink applied to the printing substrate 22 may be an ink mixture of, for example, a dispersant, binder, resin, hardener, etc., mixed with, for example, carbon powder or metal powder such as silver or copper as a conductive material. It is preferable that the conductive ink contains silver powder as the metal powder.

When applying conductive ink to the printing substrate 22 to form the printed electrodes 21 and the conductive wire portion 23 made of the printed conductive layer 28, the conductive ink may be printed (applied) only once, but from the viewpoint of increasing the sensitivity for detecting urination, it may also be printed (applied) multiple times. The number of times of printing is preferably 1 to 10 times. As a method for applying and printing the conductive ink, a known method such as inkjet printing, rotary printing, flexographic printing, screen printing, gravure printing, etc. can be used.

In the printing substrate 22 of this embodiment, the portion of the printing substrate 22 where the conductive ink is not applied, i.e., the entire area other than the printed electrode 21 and the conductor portion 23, is missing. Specifically, the area between the positive electrode 21a and the negative electrode 21b forming the sensor element 20a, i.e., the portion of the printing substrate 22 other than the printed electrode 21 and the conductor portion 23, is missing, and thus a ventilation opening 25 that functions as a ventilation area is formed through the adhesive non-applied portion 26a (see FIG. 5). From the viewpoint of maintaining the breathability of the back sheet 11b of the urine absorption pad 11 to which the urination sensor 20 is attached, it is preferable that the printing substrate 22 has a ventilation opening 25 as shown in FIG. 5. The printed electrodes 21 and the conductor portion 23 can be formed by printing them on the printing substrate 22 in a desired printing pattern, and then cutting the portion where the conductive ink is not applied, or by printing the conductive ink on the entire surface of the printing substrate 22 made of a resin film in advance, and then cutting the printing substrate 22 on which the conductive ink is printed into a shape that forms a desired electrode pattern. In addition, the ventilation opening 25 that serves as the ventilation area only needs to be substantially surrounded by edges, and some of the edges of the periphery do not need to be continuous.

In this embodiment, the printed electrode 21 and the printed conductive layer 28 formed by applying conductive ink to the printing substrate 22 are attached to the back sheet 11b using a cover sheet 27 made of breathable nonwoven fabric that covers the urination sensor 20 and is attached to the back sheet 11b of the urine absorption pad 11. It is preferable that the non-skin-facing side of the back sheet 11b (the side to which the cover sheet 27 is attached) has a marking printed thereon for accurately attaching the cover sheet 27 to the back sheet 11b at the intended attachment position of the cover sheet 27.

The printed electrodes 21 and the printed conductive layer 28 are attached to the back sheet 11b together with the printed substrate 22 by using a cover sheet 27, with the printed electrodes 21 and the printed conductive layer 28 in close contact with the surface (the surface opposite the skin-facing surface) of the back sheet 11b of the urine absorption pad 11. The cover sheet 27 has an adhesive 26 applied to the inner surface of the skin-facing surface. The adhesive is applied to the back sheet 11b of the urine absorption pad 11 at the ventilation openings 25 formed in the chipped portions where the printed substrate 22 has been removed, and outside the outer periphery of the printed substrate 22, and the cover sheet 27 is attached to cover the urination sensor 20 with the urination sensor 20 sandwiched between the cover sheet 27 and the back sheet 11b. As a result, the urination sensor 20, which includes the printed substrate 22, multiple printed electrodes 21 made of conductive ink, a conductor section 23 consisting of a printed conductive layer 28 made of conductive ink, and a terminal section 24, is arranged along and overlapping the back sheet 11b of the urine pad 11, with the printed electrodes 21 in close contact with the surface of the back sheet 11b of the urine pad 11.

The back sheet 11b, the top sheet 11a, and the absorbent 11c of the urine pad 11 can be any of those used in absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, urine pads 11, and sanitary napkins without any particular restrictions. The back sheet 11b can be, for example, a liquid-impermeable insulating sheet (e.g., moisture-permeable resin film, etc.) used in absorbent articles, or a laminated sheet in which the insulating sheet is laminated with nonwoven fabrics (e.g., air-through nonwoven fabrics, spunbond nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics, needle punch nonwoven fabrics, etc.) made by various manufacturing methods. The top sheet 11a can be, for example, a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable nonwoven fabric or a three-dimensional perforated film. The absorbent core constituting the absorbent 11c can be, for example, a fiber aggregate such as pulp fiber holding particles of an absorbent polymer, and the core wrap sheet constituting the absorbent 11c can be, for example, a hydrophilic sheet, such as a core wrap sheet made of water-permeable thin paper (tissue paper) or water-permeable nonwoven fabric.
In this embodiment, the nonwoven fabric constituting the covering sheet 27 may be made of a material that has been conventionally used in absorbent articles such as diapers.
In this embodiment, an adhesive for skin or underwear can be preferably used as the adhesive 26 applied to the covering sheet 27. Examples of adhesives include acrylic and rubber-based adhesives, and preferably rubber-based adhesives can be used.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the adhesive 26 can be applied in a known pattern, such as a spiral pattern, summit pattern, omega pattern, curtain pattern, stripe pattern, etc., in order to maintain breathability in the sheet to which the urination sensor 20 is attached. However, from the viewpoint of maintaining breathability, it is preferable that the adhesive 26 has a pattern in which the non-applied portion 26a exists in the missing portion of the printing substrate 22, and it is more preferable that the adhesive 26 has a spiral pattern.

As shown in FIG. 5, the urination sensor 20 of this embodiment includes a data collection unit 30 that applies a voltage that changes periodically over time, for example a voltage that forms a rectangular wave of a predetermined frequency, to multiple positive electrodes 21a and multiple negative electrodes 21b (multiple sensor elements 20a) and collects changes in impedance (capacitance).

As shown in FIG. 6, the data collection unit 30 includes an impedance detection unit 31 that detects impedance changes, a data logger 32 that stores impedance change data detected by the impedance detection unit 31, a timer 33 that outputs time data, and an acceleration sensor 34 that detects the wearing state of the absorbent article 10, more specifically, the urine absorption pad 11. The wearing state of the absorbent article 10 (urine absorption pad 11) means, for example, the inclination and positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 when worn.

The impedance detection unit 31 detects the impedance change of the multiple sensor elements 20a by applying a voltage to the entire circuit of the multiple sensor elements 20a of the urination sensor 20 attached to the urine absorption pad 11. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the impedance detection unit 31 includes an oscillator 31a that oscillates a predetermined frequency signal, an impedance change detection circuit 31b that detects the total amount of impedance change of the multiple sensor elements 20a using the frequency signal from the oscillator 31a, and an impedance change voltage conversion unit 31c that converts the total amount of impedance change detected by the impedance change detection circuit 31b into voltage change data.

The impedance change detection circuit 31b, for example, forms a bridge circuit with the impedance Zx of the sensor element 20a and the impedance elements Z1 to Z3 whose values are known. The impedance detection unit 31 uses the oscillator 31a to apply a predetermined frequency signal (for example, a rectangular wave of 1.0 to 1.8 V and 300 to 1300 kHz) to the input terminal of the impedance change detection circuit 31b. The impedance change voltage conversion unit 31c then detects the difference voltage between the divided voltage due to the impedance elements Z1 and Z2 and the divided voltage due to the impedance element Z3 and the impedance Zx of the sensor element 20a, and outputs voltage data of a voltage value according to the magnitude of the impedance Zx to the data logger 32.

It is preferable to use a known three-axis acceleration sensor as the acceleration sensor 34. The three-axis acceleration sensor detects tilt data in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction related to the tilt and positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 to which the sensor is attached, and outputs the data to the data logger 32 together with the time data output from the timer 33. As such a three-axis acceleration sensor, for example, a micropower, three-axis, digital output MEMS acceleration sensor with the product name "ADXL362" (manufactured by ANALOG DEVICES) can be used. By using the three-axis acceleration sensor, it becomes possible to easily and accurately determine the tilt and positional deviation of the absorbent article by utilizing the fact that the output values (tilt data of the acceleration sensor) in three directions of the X, Y, and Z axes related to the tilt of the absorbent article and the movement of the wearer change with the change in the posture of the wearer.

The voltage data and acceleration sensor tilt data output to the data logger 32 are preferably repeatedly output at regular intervals and stored together with the time data output from the timer 33. The time interval at which the data is output is preferably 0.1 to 60 seconds, and more preferably 0.1 to 10 seconds.

The data logger 32 is an electronic device that stores the voltage data acquired from the impedance detection unit 31 and the tilt data acquired from the acceleration sensor 34. In response to a request from the data acquisition unit 41 described later, or when the data logger 32 detects that it is connected to the data acquisition unit 41, the data logger 32 transmits the stored data to the data acquisition unit 41 wirelessly or via a wire. In this embodiment, the data logger 32 wirelessly transmits voltage data of a voltage value corresponding to the magnitude of the impedance Zx, and tilt data of the acceleration sensor 34 in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction related to the wearing state of the absorbent article 10, more specifically the urine absorption pad 11, together with the respective time data, to the information processing device 400 that forms the data acquisition unit 41.
The data collection unit 30 also has a power source (a battery in this embodiment) for applying a voltage to the printed electrodes 21 (the positive electrode 21a and the negative electrode 21b). As shown in Fig. 4(b) , the data collection unit 30 is attached to the urination sensor 20 so as to cover the terminals 24a and 24b, and the data collection unit 30 in this embodiment is connected to the positive electrode 21a and the negative electrode 21b via the terminals 24a and 24b, respectively, and applies a voltage between the positive electrode 21a and the negative electrode 21b.

The data transmitted from the data logger 32 to the data acquisition unit 41 is voltage data of a voltage value corresponding to the magnitude of the impedance Zx, tilt data of the data collection unit 30 (acceleration sensor 34) related to the wearing state of the absorbent article 10, and time data. Hereinafter, the tilt data of the data collection unit 30 (acceleration sensor 34) is also simply referred to as "tilt data." The voltage data and tilt data are transmitted to the data acquisition unit 41 wirelessly or via wire, together with the time data. Hereinafter, the voltage data is also referred to as data on the amount of change in impedance.
The data acquisition unit 41 acquires the impedance change amount data and slope data stored together with time data in the data logger 32 of the data collection unit 30 at predetermined time intervals, and temporarily stores these data in the acquisition database 42. Then, the data acquisition unit 41 supplies the acquired impedance change amount data, slope data, and time data to the urination data storage unit 50. The data acquisition unit 41 supplies the acquired impedance change amount data and slope data to the urination data storage unit 50 at least once an hour, preferably multiple times an hour, more preferably once every 15 minutes, and even more preferably once every 1 to 10 seconds.

As shown in FIG. 1, the data acquisition unit 41 of this embodiment is an information processing device 400 that is a tablet-type personal computer. The information processing device 400 has an LCD as a display device and a touch panel as an input device. In this way, a known general-purpose computer can be used as the data acquisition unit 41. The general-purpose computer has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a display unit 401, an input unit, etc., and examples of such a computer include a PC (Personal Computer), a server machine, and a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone). The display unit 401 is, for example, composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube), an EL display (Electroluminescence display), etc. The input unit is, for example, composed of a keyboard, a touch panel, etc.

In this embodiment, the after-sleep care support device 1 is configured by an information processing device 100 having a urination data storage unit 50, a tilt data storage unit 60, a posture determination unit 70, and a movement classification determination unit 80, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 7. Preferably, the movement classification determination unit 80 further includes a after-sleep care method suggestion unit 81, which is configured to suggest to the caregiver a care method according to the type of movement classified by the movement classification determination unit 80. In this embodiment, the information processing device 100 constituting the after-sleep care support device 1 is a device different from the information processing device 400 constituting the data acquisition unit 41. The information processing device 100 constituting the after-sleep care support device 1 is a notebook PC, which is one of the above-mentioned general-purpose computers, and is equipped with an LCD as a display device and a keyboard as an input device.
The information processing device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a post-sleep care support device 1 having a urination data storage unit 50, a tilt data storage unit 60, a posture determination unit 70, and a movement classification determination unit 80 shown in FIG. 7 by incorporating a predetermined program. In this way, the post-sleep care support device 1 can be configured by incorporating a predetermined program into the information processing device 100. When the information processing device 100 has an input/output interface, the predetermined program may be read from another device via a medium that can be used by the input/output interface and the information processing device 100 when necessary. Here, the medium refers to, for example, a recording medium that is detachable from the input/output interface, or a communication medium, i.e., a network such as a wired, wireless, or optical network, or a carrier wave or digital signal that propagates through the network. In addition, a part or all of the functions realized by the program may be realized by a hardware circuit or the like.

The post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment includes a urination data storage unit 50 that stores the wearer's urination data based on the impedance change due to the wet spread of urine in the absorbent article 10 measured by the urination sensor 20 attached to the absorbent article 10 that absorbs urine, together with urination time data; a tilt data storage unit 60 that stores the tilt data measured by the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30 attached preferably to the ventral side of the absorbent article 10, together with time data; a posture determination unit 70 that determines the posture of the wearer at the time of urination from the data stored in the urination data storage unit 50 and the tilt data storage unit 60; and a movement classification determination unit 80 that classifies the wearer's movement at the time of urination after going to sleep from the data stored in the urination data storage unit 50 and the tilt data storage unit 60. The movement classification determination unit 80 classifies and determines the type of the wearer's movement before and after urination when urination occurs after going to sleep. Preferably, the movement classification determination unit 80 further includes a post-sleep care method proposal unit 81 that proposes a care method. The after-sleep care method suggestion unit 81 determines the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination when urination occurs after sleep, and suggests to the caregiver a care method according to the type of movement determined by the movement classification determination unit 80. It is preferable that the data collection unit 30, i.e., the acceleration sensor 34, is attached to the abdominal side, because this makes it easier to maintain a constant positional relationship between the main body absorbent 12c in the absorbent article 10 and the acceleration sensor 34.

In addition, in this embodiment, the types of wearer's movements before and after urination that are classified and determined by the movement classification determination unit 80 preferably include three types: movement before urination, no movement before urination but movement after urination, and no movement before or after urination.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the post-sleep care support device 1 preferably includes an advice item storage unit 85 in the movement classification determination unit 80 that stores advice items regarding the care method for the wearer that correspond to the determined type of movement of the wearer before and after urination. The post-sleep care method suggestion unit 81 selects an advice item stored in the advice item storage unit 85 and advises the caregiver on the care method according to the determined type of movement of the wearer.

The urination data storage unit 50 constituting the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment acquires urination data of the wearer based on impedance changes due to the spreading of urine in the absorbent article 10, measured by the urination sensor 20 attached to the absorbent article 10, together with urination time data by the wetness data acquisition unit 51, and stores the data in the database 90. The urination data storage unit 50 determines the time when the impedance change is equal to or greater than a specific value as the time when the absorbent article 10 is wetted by urine. That is, the wetness data acquisition unit 51 determines whether the absorbent article 10 is wet based on the amount of change in impedance, and determines the time when it is determined that the absorbent article 10 is wet as the wetness time.
The urination data storage unit 50 of this embodiment includes a wetness detection unit 54 that determines whether or not wetness occurred, a wetness time calculation unit 52 that specifies the wetness time, and a urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 that calculates the amount of urine absorbed by the urine absorption pad 11 at the wetness time (see FIG. 7). Hereinafter, data on whether or not wetness occurred, the wetness time when wetness occurred, and the urine absorption amount are collectively referred to as wetness data.
The wetness detection unit 54 detects whether wetness exists or not from the change in impedance. Specifically, the wetness detection unit 54 judges whether the measured impedance change amount is due to wetness due to urination or noise. In this embodiment, whether wetness due to urination or noise is judged based on whether the impedance change amount is equal to or greater than a specific value. An example of noise is an impedance change caused by an event other than urination, such as sweat. When it is determined that urination has occurred, the wetness detection unit 54 supplies the impedance change amount determined to be due to urination to the wetness time calculation unit 52 and the urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 as urination data of the wearer.
The wetness time calculation unit 52 determines the time when the impedance change amount that is determined to be wet is measured as the wetness time, and stores the wetness time in the wetness time accumulation table 92 in the database 90 as urination time data.
The urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 calculates the urine absorption amount at each wetness time from the impedance change amount measured by the urination sensor 20. The urine absorption amount is the amount of urine absorbed by the absorbent article per urination, which is found by calculating the impedance change amount. The urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 calculates the urine absorption amount using the impedance change amount at the wetness time, and stores the urine absorption amount as the calculation result in a urine absorption amount accumulation table 93 in the database 90 as the wearer's urination data.
In order to improve the accuracy of calculation when estimating the amount of urine excreted, the urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 detects the posture of the wearer using an acceleration sensor and estimates the distribution of urine within the urine absorption pad 11. It is preferable that the urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 calculates the amount of urine excreted by taking into consideration, for example, selecting a calculation formula suitable for the estimated distribution and multiplying by a coefficient according to the estimated distribution.

The urination data storage unit 50 does not need to include a urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 that calculates the amount of urine absorbed at each wetness time as the wearer's urination data. However, in order to effectively prevent urine leakage, it is preferable that the urination data storage unit 50 includes a urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 from the viewpoint of grasping the wetness pattern of the absorbent article.

As shown in FIG. 7, the database 90 has a wetness time accumulation table 92 that stores wetness times (urination time data) that are the results of the wetness time calculation unit 52 for each wearer, and a urine absorption amount accumulation table 93 that stores the urine absorption amount (urination data) that is the results of the calculation by the urine absorption amount calculation unit 53 for each wearer, which are stored by the urination data storage unit 50. The urine absorption amount accumulation table 93 is configured to reset the urine absorption amount to zero when the urine pad 11, i.e., the absorbent article 10, is replaced. Specifically, when the data collection unit 30 is removed from the terminals 24a and 24b of the urination sensor 20 having an electrode group, the urine absorption amount accumulation table 93 detects that the voltage application between the electrodes by the impedance change detection circuit 31b has been cut off, and the accumulated data of the urine absorption amount, i.e., the urine absorption amount and the total urine absorption amount, are reset to zero. Of the information in the wetness time accumulation table 92 and the urine absorption amount accumulation table 93, the wetness time and urine absorption amount are stored in the wetness information accumulation table 95 in the database 90 before being reset to zero. That is, the wetness information accumulation table 95 stores information on the urine absorption amount for each wetness time.

The tilt data storage unit 60 constituting the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment acquires tilt data measured by the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30 attached to the absorbent article 10 together with time data by the tilt data acquisition unit 61, and stores the data in the database 90. The tilt data storage unit 60 acquires tilt data in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction related to the wearing state of the absorbent article 10 and the urine absorption pad 11 measured by the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30 attached to the urination sensor 20, sent from the information processing device 400 forming the data acquisition unit 41, together with the respective time data from the timer 33, by the tilt data acquisition unit 61, and stores the data in the tilt data accumulation table 94 in the database 90 as tilt data of the data collection unit 30.

As a result, the posture determination unit 70 and the movement classification determination unit 80 (described later) can compare the urination time data stored in the urination data storage unit 50 with the time data stored in the tilt data storage unit 60, and can determine the wearer's posture and movement at each urination time, before and after that time, or during a specified time period from the tilt data in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions.

The posture determination unit 70 constituting the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment determines the posture of the wearer when urinating from the data stored in the urination data storage unit 50 and the tilt data storage unit 60. The posture determination unit 70 includes a wearing state determination unit 71 that determines the wearing state regarding the tilt and positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 based on the tilt data from the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30 attached to the absorbent article 10, and an information output unit 72 that outputs information on the wearing state at each urination time and a specified time period.

The wearing state determination unit 71 determines the wearing state of the absorbent article 10 from the tilt data of the acceleration sensor measured by the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30. The wearing state of the absorbent article 10 means the tilt and positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 (the urine absorption pad 11) to which the acceleration sensor 34 is attached.
The wearing state determination unit 71 determines the inclination of the acceleration sensor 34 based on the output values of the acceleration sensor 34 in the directions of the X, Y and Z axes, thereby determining the inclination of the absorbent article 10 to which the acceleration sensor 34 is attached. The acceleration sensor 34 is arranged, for example, as shown in Figs. 8(a) to 8(c), so that the X axis is aligned along the waist width direction on the abdominal side of the wearer wearing the absorbent article 10, the Y axis is aligned along the height direction, and the Z axis is aligned along the front-rear direction. The inclination of each of the X, Y and Z axes indicates the inclination of the absorbent article 10, and one factor that influences the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is the influence of the posture of the wearer wearing the absorbent article 10. For example, the inclination of each of the X, Y and Z axes in the case where the absorbent article 10 is worn in a straight direction relative to the body direction is different for each of a sitting posture (see Fig. 8(a)), a supine posture (see Fig. 8(b)), and a supine posture facing to the side (left) (see Fig. 8(c)). The state where the absorbent article 10 is worn in a straight direction relative to the body direction refers to a state where the absorbent article 10 is worn with the front-back direction of the wearer and the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 10 aligned. On the other hand, even if the posture when the absorbent article 10 is worn is the same, for example, depending on the way the absorbent article 10 is placed, the absorbent article 10 may be worn in a state where the absorbent article 10 is placed diagonally to the left or right relative to the body direction. In this case, the inclination in each axial direction of the XYZ axis differs depending on the direction in which the absorbent article 10 is placed (how the absorbent article 10 is placed). The wearing state determination unit 71 specifies the inclination of the acceleration sensor 34 based on the output value of each axial direction of the XYZ axis of the acceleration sensor 34. That is, the inclination data of the acceleration sensor 34 is the output value of the inclination in each axial direction of the XYZ axis.
The method by which the wearing state determination unit 71 identifies the inclination of the absorbent article 10 using the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30 is not limited to the methods shown in Figures 8 (a) to (c), and any method can be used.

The wearing state determination section 71 of the posture determination section 70 determines the inclination of the absorbent article 10, taking into consideration the influence of the posture when the absorbent article 10 is worn. Specifically, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is determined according to a wearing state determination table shown in Table 1, which was created after verifying the relationship between the inclination of the acceleration sensor 34, i.e., the output values of the acceleration sensor 34 in three axes, the XYZ axes, and the posture of the wearer when the absorbent article 10 is worn straight with respect to the direction of the body, and a wearing state determination flow shown in Fig. 9. In Table 1 and Fig. 9, the "upper horizontal" inclination of the absorbent article 10 refers to a state in which the urine absorption pad 11 is placed so that the abdominal region A of the back sheet 11b is located on the "upper" side in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the urine absorption pad 11 is approximately horizontal (horizontal) with respect to the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. In addition, "upwardly inclined" refers to a state in which the urine pad 11 is placed so that the abdominal region A of the back sheet 11b is located on the "upper" side of the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the urine pad 11 is inclined with the head side of the Y axis along the height direction raised with respect to the vertical direction. In addition, "downwardly inclined" refers to a state in which the urine pad 11 is placed so that the abdominal region A of the back sheet 11b is located on the "upper" side of the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the urine pad 11 is inclined with the head side of the Y axis along the height direction lowered with respect to the vertical direction. In addition, "downwardly horizontal" refers to a state in which the urine pad 11 is placed so that the abdominal region A of the back sheet 11b is located on the "lower" side of the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the urine pad 11 is approximately horizontal (horizontal) with respect to the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The inclination of the absorbent article 10 (urine pad 11) is further classified as leftward or rightward depending on the output value of the X-axis. In this embodiment, when the absorbent article 10 is worn straight with respect to the body, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 tends to correspond to each posture, such that "upper horizontal" corresponds to lying on one's back, "upper oblique" corresponds to sitting, "lower oblique" corresponds to bending the knees, and "lower horizontal" corresponds to lying face down.
For example, when the absorbent article 10 is worn straight in relation to the orientation of the body, and the inclination (output value) of the acceleration sensor 34 is 170 on the X-axis, 170 on the Y-axis, and 125 on the Z-axis, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 (urine absorption pad 11) is "upper side", and when the absorbent article 10 is in this manner, the wearer is wearing the absorbent article in a position generally lying on their back. That is, the wearing state determination unit 71 of this embodiment determines the above-mentioned "upper side" to be "the inclination of the absorbent article when worn by the wearer lying on their back" based on the output value of 170 on the X-axis, 170 on the Y-axis, and 125 on the Z-axis.

Regarding the determination of the inclination of the absorbent article 10 performed by the wearing state determination unit 71 of the posture determination unit 70, a case where the absorbent article 10 is worn straight with respect to the orientation of the body will be described using the wearing state determination flow shown in FIG. 9. For example, the Z-axis output value is compared with the wearing state determination table in Table 1, and if it is 218 or more, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is determined to be "downward horizontal". In this case, the posture of the wearer tends to be prone. If the Z-axis output value of the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is 217 or less, the Y-axis output value is compared with the wearing state determination table in Table 1, and if it is 160 or less, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is determined to be "upward oblique", and the X-axis output value is further compared with the wearing state determination table in Table 1. As a result, if the X-axis output value is 150 or less, it is determined to be "upward oblique right", and if the X-axis output value is 180 or more, it is determined to be "upward oblique left". If the output value of the X-axis is neither below 150 nor above 180, it is determined to be "upward tilt." In this embodiment, when the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is "upward tilt right," the wearer's posture tends to be sitting sideways and facing right. Also, when the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is "upward tilt left," the wearer's posture tends to be sitting sideways and facing left.

In addition, if the Z-axis output value is 217 or less, the Y-axis output value is compared with the wearing state determination table in Table 1, and if it is 181 or more, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is determined to be "downwardly slanting", and the X-axis output value is compared with the wearing state determination table in Table 1. As a result, if the X-axis output value is 150 or less, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is determined to be "downwardly slanting to the right", and if the X-axis output value is 180 or more, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is determined to be "downwardly slanting to the left". If the X-axis output value is neither 150 or less nor 180 or more, the inclination is determined to be "downwardly slanting" when the wearer is in a forward posture with bent knees. In this embodiment, if the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is "downwardly slanting to the right", the wearer's posture tends to be with bent knees sideways and facing right. In addition, if the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is "downwardly slanting to the left", the wearer's posture tends to be with bent knees sideways and facing left.

Furthermore, when the output value of the Z axis is 217 or less, the output value of the Y axis is compared with the wearing state determination table of Table 1, and when it is not 160 or less or 181 or more, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is determined to be "upper horizontal", and the output value of the X axis is compared with the wearing state determination table of Table 1. As a result, when the output value of the X axis is 150 or less, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 when lying on its back sideways and facing right is determined to be "upper horizontal right". When the output value of the X axis is 180 or more, the inclination of the absorbent article 10 when lying on its back sideways and facing left is determined to be "upper horizontal left". When the output value of the X axis is not 150 or less or 180 or more, the inclination when lying on its back front is determined to be "upper horizontal". In this embodiment, when the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is "upper horizontal right", the posture of the wearer tends to be lying on its back sideways and facing right. Furthermore, when the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is "upper side, facing left", the posture of the wearer tends to be on his back, facing sideways, and facing left.
In this way, the wearing state determination unit 71 of the posture determination unit 70 can determine whether the inclination of the absorbent article 10 is "downward horizontal", "upward horizontal", "upward horizontal horizontal", "upward diagonal", "upward diagonal horizontal", "downward diagonal" or "downward diagonal horizontal". "Horizontal" in each posture such as "upward horizontal horizontal" and "upward diagonal horizontal" means facing right or facing left. In addition, in this embodiment, the wearing state determination unit 71 makes a determination taking into consideration the posture of the wearer as one of the factors that affect the inclination of the absorbent article 10. However, since the absorbent article 10 is not always always worn straight with respect to the body depending on the way the diaper pad is applied, etc., the wearing state determination unit 71 can accurately determine the actual inclination of the absorbent article 10 by also taking into consideration the influence of the orientation of the absorbent article 10 with respect to the orientation of the body when worn, etc.

The wearing state determination unit 71 of the posture determination unit 70 can determine the inclination of the absorbent article 10 as well as the positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 due to the movement of the wearer. The positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 means, for example, a state in which the absorbent article 10 is shifted in the front-back direction (longitudinal direction Y) or left-right direction (width direction X) or in the thickness direction of the absorbent article 10 from a position where the crotch region C of the absorbent article 10 (urine absorption pad 11) is worn so as to abut against the excretory part (crotch part) of the wearer. The positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 occurs when the absorbent article 10 moves while worn due to the wearer's body movement or the wearer's movement such as fiddling with the diaper. In this way, the positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 is calculated by the following formula (1), and it is determined that the absorbent article 10 is shifted when the movement K of the absorbent article 10 is 2 or more. That is, the wearing state determining section 71 determines, based on the movement K of the absorbent article 10 during measurement by the acceleration sensor 34, whether or not there is any positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 (movement of the wearer) during the measurement.
In the following formula (1), n is the number of data points for each output value (tilt data) in the three directions of the X, Y and Z axes measured at a predetermined time interval. Specifically, the movement K of the absorbent article 10 is calculated from the following formula (1) based on 90 data points for each output value in the three directions. In this embodiment, each output value in the three directions of the X, Y and Z axes is measured 90 times in 15 minutes. That is, in this embodiment, each output value in the three directions is measured once at 10 second intervals. The time interval for this measurement can be set arbitrarily, and the number of measurements n can also be set arbitrarily.

Data on the inclination and positional deviation (wearer's movement) of the absorbent article 10 is stored in the wetness information accumulation table 95 of the database 90. More specifically, these data are supplied from the wearing state determination unit 71 to the wetness information accumulation table 95, and are stored in the wetness information accumulation table 95 in association with the above-mentioned wetness time (urination time data) and urine absorption amount (urination data) stored in the wetness information accumulation table 95. Hereinafter, information on the wetness time and the presence or absence of the inclination and positional deviation of the absorbent article 10 at that time is also referred to as information on the wearing state when wet. In addition, the information output unit 72 of the posture determination unit 70 outputs information on the wearing state of the absorbent article 10 at the time of urination.

The movement classification determination unit 80 constituting the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment determines the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination when urination occurs after going to sleep from the data stored in the urination data storage unit 50, the tilt data storage unit 60, and the posture determination unit 70, and preferably proposes a care method to the caregiver according to the determined type of movement by the post-sleep care method suggestion unit 81. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the movement classification determination unit 80 includes a post-sleep care method suggestion unit 81, an information output unit 82, and an advice item storage unit 83, and classifies the wearer's movement based on the relationship between the data related to urination after going to sleep stored in the urination data storage unit 50, the data related to the tilt stored in the tilt data storage unit 60, and the data stored in the posture determination unit 70 for each wearer, and is preferably able to propose (advise) an appropriate care method for each wearer whose movement is classified.

More specifically, the movement classification determination unit 80, preferably by the information output unit 82, is able to display, in the same chronological order, information on the wetness of the absorbent article after going to sleep stored in the urination data storage unit 50 for each of the wearers A to D, and information on the inclination and movement of the absorbent article and the wearer after going to sleep stored in the inclination data storage unit 60 and the posture determination unit 70, as shown in Figures 10(a) to (d), and classify and determine the type of movement of the wearer based on this information. Note that in Figures 10(a) to (d), each of the wearers A to D is sleeping on their backs and facing forward without tilting to the left or right. Also, in Figures 10(a) to (d), in the wetness column, the time period when urination occurred and urine was absorbed by the absorbent article 10 is indicated by diagonal lines, and the time period when the absorbent article 10, i.e., the diaper, is changed is indicated by black. In the tilt column, time periods when the wearer's movement is large (high) are indicated by a grid, and time periods when the wearer's movement is small (low) are indicated by gray.

Here, whether the wearer's movement during sleep is large or small can be determined based on data sent from the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30 attached to the absorbent article 10. That is, for example, based on data sent from the acceleration sensor 34 of the data collection unit 30, similar to the determination of the presence or absence of the positional deviation (wearer's movement) of the absorbent article 10 described above, it can be determined that the wearer's movement is small when the value of the movement K of the absorbent article 10 obtained by the above-mentioned formula (1) is below 2, and it can be determined that the wearer's movement is large when the value is 2 or more. These values when determining whether the wearer's movement is large or small can be used as an index for determining the wearer's movement in each time period, for example, by calculating the average of how much the measurement results every 10 seconds deviate from the average value for each 15-minute time period. Also, if it is determined that the wearer's movement is small, it can be determined that the wearer is not moving, and if it is determined that the wearer's movement is large, it can be determined that the wearer is moving.

For example, in the case of wearer A shown in FIG. 10(a), the movement of wearer A in the time period before and after urination (wetness) is confirmed from 0:30 to 0:45 or 5:45 to 6:00 can be determined to determine the type of movement by determining that wearer A moves before urination but does not move after urination. For example, in the case of wearer B shown in FIG. 10(b), the movement of wearer B in the time period before and after urination (wetness) is confirmed from 0:30 to 0:45 or 5:45 to 6:00 can be determined to determine that wearer B moves before urination and also moves after urination. For example, in the case of wearer C shown in FIG. 10(c), the movement of wearer C in the time period before and after urination (wetness) is confirmed from 0:30 to 0:45 or 5:45 to 6:00 can be determined to determine that wearer C does not move before urination but moves after urination. For example, in the case of wearer D shown in FIG. 10(d), the movement of wearer D in the time periods before and after urination (wetting) from 0:30 to 0:45 and 0:45 to 06:00 can be determined, and the type of movement can be determined by determining that there was no movement before urination and no movement after urination.

In the present embodiment, the post-sleep care support device 1 preferably includes an advice item storage unit 85 in the movement classification determination unit 80, which stores advice items on the care method of the wearer corresponding to the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination determined by the movement classification determination unit 80 (see FIG. 7). The post-sleep care method suggestion unit 81 of the movement classification determination unit 80 selects advice items stored in the advice item storage unit 85 to advise the wearer on the care method. The advice item storage unit 85 stores advice information on the care method for the determined type of movement of the wearer before and after urination in the care method information table 96 of the database 90. The post-sleep care method suggestion unit 81 of the movement classification determination unit 80 selects one or more appropriate pieces of advice from the multiple pieces of advice information stored in the care method information table 96, and outputs them to the information output unit 82. The care method information table 96 stores multiple pieces of advice information on the care method for performing appropriate care corresponding to the determined type of movement of the wearer before and after urination.
For example, when it is determined that the type of the wearer's movement is to move before urination, as shown in Fig. 11(a), information such as "there is movement before urination, and there is a possibility that the wearer has a need to urinate" is output by the information output unit 82 as wearer information, and advice information such as "consider calling out to the wearer to confirm the need to urinate, or calling out to the wearer periodically" is extracted from the care method information table 96 of the database 90 stored by the advice item storage unit 85 as suggested information, and is output by the information output unit 82. Also, for example, when it is determined that the type of the wearer's movement is to not move before urination but to move after urination, as shown in Fig. 11(b), information such as "there is movement after urination, and it seems that the wearer cannot sleep because he feels sick" is output by the information output unit 82 as wearer information, and advice information such as "consider reviewing the time of changing diapers and using a pad with a large absorption capacity" is extracted from the care method information table 96 of the database 90 stored by the advice item storage unit 85 as suggested information, and is output by the information output unit 82.

In other words, when the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination after going to sleep is determined by the movement classification determination unit 80, the post-sleep care method suggestion unit 81 of the movement classification determination unit 80 selects an advice item corresponding to the classified movement from the selectable advice items stored in the advice item storage unit 85, and outputs the selected advice item to the display unit 101 of the information processing device 100, etc., by the information output unit 82.

In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of easily managing the care of the care recipient, the post-sleep care support device 1 may display wearer information about the wearer and lifestyle information about the wearer's lifestyle, in addition to information about the care method according to the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination. In this case, it is preferable that the database 90 having the wetness information accumulation table 95 and the like described above has a lifestyle information table 97 in which lifestyle information is accumulated, in addition to the wearer information table 98 in which wearer information is accumulated, as shown in FIG. 7. It is preferable that the wearer information table 98 stores the wearer information provided from the wearer information storage unit 86, and that the lifestyle information table 97 further stores the lifestyle information input by the lifestyle information storage unit 87.

The wearer information is mainly input by a nurse or a caregiver via an input unit such as a keyboard, and is provided to the wearer information storage unit 86.
Examples of wearer information include the wearer's gender, age, height, weight, an ID number for identifying and specifying the wearer (which can be combined with letters), level of care required, the wearer's bed number, room number (hospital room number), room name (hospital room name), etc. Examples of lifestyle information include information about physical condition such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, etc.; information about mood such as joy, anger, sadness, and happiness; information about defecation such as whether or not the patient has defecates in the toilet, urine pad, diaper, cloth pants, etc., the characteristics, amount, and time of defecation; information about urination such as whether or not the patient has urinated in the toilet, the characteristics, amount, and time of urination; whether or not the patient has urinated in a diaper, urine pad, etc.; the weight of the urine pad measured with a balance, etc., the weight of the urine pad containing urine, etc., information about the characteristics of urine, etc.; information about the characteristics and amount of residual urine, etc.; information about the time of catheterization, the amount and characteristics of urine, information about whether or not cloth pants, diapers, urine pads, etc. have been changed and the time of change; information about the type of outerwear (what is worn outside the urine pad) such as diapers or cloth pants, whether the diaper is a tape-fastened type or a pants type, and the size of the diaper or cloth pants; information about the type of urine pad, the size of the urine pad, etc.; urine pads, information on leakage of urine, stool, etc. from diapers, cloth pants, etc., such as the presence or absence of leakage of urine, stool, etc., and the amount of leakage; bathing information on whether or not a bath or foot bath was taken, the time and timing of the bathing or foot bathing, etc., and the time spent on the bath or foot bath, etc.; meal information on the time and duration of meals, the amount of food, the type of food, and the amount of water; drink information on the time, amount, and type of drink such as drinking water, etc.; information on drinking water, such as the amount and time of water consumed; IV drip information on the time, type, and amount of IV drip administered; sleep information on the time of going to bed, the time of going to sleep, the time of waking up, the time of going to bed, and the amount of sleep; information on physical movement, etc.; activity status for exercise such as rehabilitation and recreation, and activities to maintain and improve cognitive function, such as the time, duration, and type of exercise; visiting status information on the time and duration of visits, and visitors, etc.; information on the temperature and humidity of the environment; information on the date and time when this lifestyle information was recorded, and the date and time when recording ended, etc., and can be appropriately selected from these, but are not limited to these. When the lifestyle information table 77 is provided, the lifestyle information, like the wearer information, is mainly input by a nurse or a caregiver via an input unit such as a keyboard and provided to the lifestyle information storage unit 87 .

From the viewpoint of sharing data on the wetness pattern of the care recipient among caregivers and providing more appropriate care for the care recipient, it is preferable that the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment is configured to be capable of outputting at least one of information on the absorbent article, wearer information, and lifestyle information to the display unit 101, etc. of the information processing device 100 constituting the post-sleep care support device 1, in addition to information on the wetness time, the inclination of the absorbent article 10, and the positional deviation due to the wearer's movement stored in the database 90.

The information output unit 82 of this embodiment displays information on the wearing state of the absorbent article 10 when wet on the display unit 101 of the information processing device 100, but may output information on the wearing state of the absorbent article 10 when wet by emitting light-emitting elements of different colors for each inclination of the absorbent article 10. Examples of light-emitting elements include LEDs. The information output unit 82 may also be a sound generating device such as a speaker, and output the information by outputting a voice guide or the like. In this way, the information output unit 82 may output information on the wearing state when wet in a visual manner such as an image, text, or light emission, as well as an auditory manner such as audio, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the information may be output in any manner that can be recognized by the user of the post-sleep care method support 1 of the present invention, without being limited to a visual or auditory manner, such as a tactile manner such as vibration.

Next, a method for proposing a post-sleep care method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 12, taking as an example an embodiment performed using the above-mentioned post-sleep care support device 1. The post-sleep care support method of this embodiment includes a urination data storage step S1 for storing urination data of the wearer based on impedance changes due to the wet spread of urine in the absorbent article 10, measured by a urination sensor 20 attached to the absorbent article 10 that absorbs urine, together with urination time data, a tilt data storage step S2 for storing tilt data measured by an acceleration sensor 34 attached to the absorbent article 10 together with time data, and a movement classification determination step S3 for classifying the wearer's movement during urination after going to sleep from the data stored in the urination data storage step S1 and the tilt data storage step S2. The movement classification determination step S3 is configured to classify and determine the type of wearer's movement before and after urination when urination occurs after going to sleep. It also includes a step S4 of proposing a care method after going to sleep, which is configured to suggest to the caregiver a care method according to the type of movement classified in the movement classification determination step S3.

In addition, in the post-sleep care support method of this embodiment, the types of movement of the wearer before and after urination, which are preferably classified and determined in the movement type determination step S3, include three types: moving before urination, not moving before urination but moving after urination, and not moving before or after urination.

Furthermore, the post-sleep care support method of this embodiment includes an advice item storage step S5 that stores advice items regarding the care method for the wearer that correspond to the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination determined in the movement type determination step S3, and the post-sleep care method suggestion step S4 selects an advice item stored in the advice item storage step S5 and advises the caregiver on the care method according to the type of movement of the wearer determined in the movement type determination step S3.

In the post-sleep care support method of this embodiment, in post-sleep care method suggestion step S4, the urge to urinate and nausea of the wearer after going to sleep are judged, for example, according to a flow as shown in FIG. 13, and a care method for the wearer is suggested according to these. For example, to judge the urination situation after going to sleep and suggest a care method according to the judgment flow as shown in FIG. 13, first, it is judged whether or not urination occurred after going to sleep, and if urination occurred after going to sleep, it is next judged whether or not the wearer moved before urination. If urination did not occur after going to sleep, the same judgment is repeated until urination is confirmed.

If it is determined that urination occurred after going to sleep, it is next determined whether the wearer moved before urination. If it is determined that the wearer moved before urination, preferably when it is determined that the same wearer moved again after a period of time, a message is displayed on the information output unit 82 indicating, for example, that the wearer may have an urge to urinate, to alert the caregiver. In addition, by selecting an appropriate advice item from the advice item storage step S5 and displaying it on the information output unit 82, it becomes possible to encourage the caregiver to consider care methods such as, for example, confirming the need to urinate or calling out to the wearer.

If it is determined that urination occurred after going to sleep, and that the wearer did not move before urination, it is further determined whether or not the wearer moved after urination. If it is determined that movement occurred after urination, for example, a message that the wearer may have a nauseous sensation is displayed on the information output unit 82 to attract the caregiver's attention. In addition, by selecting appropriate advice items from those stored in the advice item storage step S5 and displaying them on the information output unit 82, it is possible to encourage the caregiver to consider, for example, the time to change the diaper or to consider how to allow the wearer to sleep as a care method.

Similarly, it is further determined whether the wearer has moved after urination, and if it is determined that there has been no movement after urination, for example, a message is displayed on the information output unit 82 indicating that the wearer may be able to sleep without worrying about urination, to attract the caregiver's attention. In addition, by selecting appropriate advice items from those stored in the advice item storage step S5 and displaying them on the information output unit 82, it is possible to encourage the caregiver to consider prioritizing the wearer's sleep and using a pad with a high absorption capacity as a care method.

The urination data storage step S1 is performed by the urination data storage unit 50 of the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment. The tilt data storage step S2 is performed by the tilt data storage unit 60 of the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment. The movement type determination step S3 is performed by the movement classification determination unit 80 of the post-sleep care support device 1. The post-sleep care method proposal step S4 is performed by the post-sleep care method proposal unit 81 of the movement classification determination unit 80 of the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment. The advice item storage step S5 is performed by the advice item storage unit 85 of the movement classification determination unit 80 of the post-sleep care support device 1 of this embodiment.

As a result, the post-sleep care support device 1 and the post-sleep care support method of this embodiment make it possible to grasp the wearer's condition when they urinate after going to sleep, for example in a care facility, and to efficiently provide appropriate care to each wearer.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, the post-sleep care support device 1 of the present invention does not include a data acquisition unit 41, and the impedance change amount data is acquired by an information processing device 400 separate from the information processing device 100 that forms the post-sleep care support device 1. However, the post-sleep care support device 1 itself may include a data acquisition unit 41, and the post-sleep care support device 1 may acquire the impedance change amount data. In addition, the urination data storage unit 50 and the tilt data storage unit 60 may not record the time individually, but may be configured to integrate both storage units and store the urination data and tilt data corresponding to each time as a single unit.

1 Post-sleep care support device 10 Absorbent article 11 Urine absorption pad 11a Top sheet 11b Back sheet 11c Absorbent body 11d Absorbent core 11e Core wrap sheet 12 Diaper body (disposable diaper)
12a Main body surface sheet 12b Main body back sheet 12c Main body absorbent body 12d Leg gathers 13 Fastening tape 20 Urination sensor 20a Sensor element 21 Printed electrode 21a Positive electrode 21b Negative electrode 22 Printed substrate 23 Conductive wire portion 24, 24a, 24b Terminal portion 25 Ventilation opening 26 Adhesive 26a Non-coated portion 27 Covering sheet (non-woven fabric)
28 Printed conductive layer 30 Data collection section 31 Impedance detection section 32 Data logger 33 Timer 34 Acceleration sensor 41 Data acquisition section 42 Acquisition database 50 Urination data storage section 51 Wetness data acquisition section 52 Wetness time calculation section 53 Urine absorption amount calculation section 54 Wetness detection section 60 Tilt data storage section 61 Tilt data acquisition section 70 Posture determination section 71 Wearing state determination section 72 Information output section 80 Movement classification determination section 81 After-sleep care method suggestion section 82 Information output section 85 Advice item storage section 86 Wearer information storage section 87 Lifestyle information storage section 90 Database 92 Wetness time accumulation table 93 Urine absorption amount accumulation table 94 Tilt data accumulation table 95 Wetness information accumulation table 96 Care method information table 97 Lifestyle information table 98 Wearer information table

Claims (8)

a urination data storage unit that stores urination data of a wearer based on an impedance change caused by the wetting and spreading of urine in an absorbent article, the impedance change being measured by a urination sensor attached to the absorbent article, together with urination time data;
a tilt data storage unit that stores tilt data measured by an acceleration sensor attached to the absorbent article together with time data;
a movement classification determination unit that classifies the wearer's movement during urination after sleeping based on the data stored in the urination data storage unit and the tilt data storage unit,
The movement classification determination unit is a unit that classifies the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination when urination occurs after going to sleep, and determines the type of the movement. The after-sleep care support device according to claim 1, further comprising a after-sleep care method suggestion unit, which is a unit that suggests to a caregiver a care method according to the type of movement classified by the movement classification determination unit. The post-sleep care support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the types of movement classified and determined by the movement classification determination unit include three types: movement before urination, no movement before urination and movement after urination, and no movement before or after urination. 3. The post-sleep care support device of claim 2, further comprising an advice item memory unit that stores advice items regarding care methods for the wearer corresponding to the type of movement determined by the movement classification determination unit, and the post-sleep care method suggestion unit selects an advice item stored in the advice item memory unit and advises a caregiver on a care method corresponding to the determined type of movement of the wearer. The method includes a urination data storage step of storing urination data of a wearer based on an impedance change caused by the wetting and spreading of urine in an absorbent article, the data being measured by a urination sensor attached to the absorbent article, together with urination time data; a tilt data storage step of storing tilt data measured by an acceleration sensor attached to the absorbent article, together with time data; and a movement classification determination step of classifying the wearer's movement during urination after going to sleep from the data stored in the urination data storage step and the tilt data storage step,
The movement classification determination step is a step of classifying the type of movement of the wearer before and after urination when urination occurs after going to sleep, and determining the type of movement. The after-sleep care support method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of proposing a care method after going to sleep, the step of proposing a care method to a caregiver according to the type of movement classified in the movement classification determination step. The post-sleep care support method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the types of movement classified and determined in the movement classification determination step include three types: movement before urination, no movement before urination and movement after urination, and no movement before or after urination. 7. The after-sleep care support method of claim 6, further comprising an advice item storing step for storing advice items regarding a care method for the wearer corresponding to the type of movement determined by the movement classification determination unit, and the after-sleep care method proposing step is a step of selecting an advice item stored in the advice item storing step and advising a caregiver on a care method corresponding to the determined type of movement of the wearer.

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