JPH0467863A - Urine incontinence detector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To inform only the nurse of urine incontinence by providing a short detecting circuit for detecting the state that the metallic terminals of a urine incontinence detecting member are shorted from each other by urine and a changeover switch which changes over the output of the short circuit detecting circuit and transmits the detection signal thereof to the outside. CONSTITUTION:The short circuit detecting circuit (5) connected to the urine incontinence detecting member (1) is constituted of resistors (6), (7) for adjusting the sensitivity to short circuiting, a switching transistor (8) and an output transistor (9). The changeover switch (14) is inserted and connected between the output of the short circuit detecting circuit (5) and an oscillation generator (1) and its contacts (14a), (14b) are changed over. The short circuit detecting circuit (5) detects the short circuit when the metallic terminals (1a), (1b) of the urine incontinence detecting member (1) are electrically shorted from each other by the urine. The detection signal thereof is then transmitted via the contact (14a) to output terminals (15a), (15b) to trigger a nurse call device (16).

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a urinary incontinence detector, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a urinary incontinence detector, which allows physically disabled people to recognize the presence or absence of urinary incontinence by themselves, and which can also be used to detect urinary incontinence, which can be used to detect urinary incontinence. The present invention relates to a urinary incontinence detector that allows a caregiver such as a nurse at a nursing center to check the urinary incontinence status of a bedridden patient by connecting it to the device.

[Conventional technology]

Some people with spinal cord injuries caused by traffic accidents, etc., have insufficient function of the bladder neck muscles and external urethral sparing muscles, resulting in urinary incontinence when the urine storage limit is exceeded. In such a case,
If a certain level of upper limb function remains, it is often possible to manage the condition on one's own without turning into a urinary collector with care and effort on the part of the person. In particular, for those who work in jobs that involve many opportunities to come into contact with people, the so-called working physically disabled people, the trouble and odor of wearing and using a urinary collector is a mental burden, and something needs to be done to address this issue. It became.

Therefore, the present applicant applied for the previously filed U.S. Pat.
We have proposed a urinary incontinence detector disclosed in Publication No. 6.

This urinary incontinence detector allows users to identify whether they are incontinent without letting third parties know that they have urinary incontinence. This makes it easier to use as it frees you from the feeling of alienation caused by being incontinent during exercise and from the psychological pressure of having a third party know that you are incontinent during exercise.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, the above-mentioned known urinary incontinence detector is intended for users who are physically disabled people who use wheelchairs, who have a certain level of upper limb function remaining, and who are able to manage their own urinary incontinence. be. However, when used by bedridden patients in hospitals, etc., it is difficult to treat urinary incontinence by themselves, so nurses and other caregivers can use the device without the knowledge of third parties such as other patients in the room. The need to inform only the public arises. In addition, even when used by a patient undergoing functional recovery training, the patient may be in deep sleep or otherwise unable to recognize urinary incontinence. only need to be informed.

Therefore, in order to meet the above-mentioned demands, the present invention has been proposed by improving the existing urinary incontinence detector previously filed by the applicant. In the case of users who are able to detect the presence or absence of urinary incontinence by themselves without the knowledge of third parties, in the case of users such as bedridden patients who have difficulty managing urinary incontinence on their own, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of urinary incontinence by themselves without the knowledge of third parties. To provide a urinary incontinence detector which notifies only a caregiver so that only the caregiver can confirm the urinary incontinence status of a patient.

[Means to solve the problem]

Technical means for achieving the above objects of the present invention include a urinary incontinence detection member having two metal terminals that are short-circuited by urine, and a short circuit that detects a state in which the metal terminals of the urinary incontinence detection member are short-circuited by urine. In a urinary incontinence detector consisting of a detection circuit and a urinary incontinence alarm device that operates a vibration generator based on the detection signal of the short circuit detection circuit to notify the user of the state of urinary incontinence through bodily sensation vibration, the output of the short circuit detection circuit is A changeover switch and an output terminal are provided to switch the urinary incontinence state and send the detection signal to the outside, and the output terminal can be connected to a nurse call device installed in hospitals etc. to notify caregivers of urinary incontinence status. be.

[Effect]

In the urinary incontinence detector according to the present invention, when the user is able to treat urinary incontinence by himself/herself, the vibration generator is activated based on the detection signal of the short circuit detection circuit due to urinary incontinence, and the bodily sensation vibration caused by the urinary incontinence detector activates the vibration generator. To notify only the user of the state of urinary incontinence without the third party knowing.

In addition, when used in hospitals by bedridden patients who have difficulty managing urinary incontinence on their own, or when patients who are undergoing functional recovery training are deep asleep, the switch can be used to switch the output of the short circuit detection circuit. By connecting the output terminal to a nurse call device installed in a hospital or the like, the detection signal of the short circuit detection circuit due to urinary incontinence is directly sent to the nurse call device via the output terminal. This allows the nurse call device to notify only caregivers, such as caregivers, of urinary incontinence without letting third parties know.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the urinary incontinence detector according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

In the urinary incontinence detector shown in Fig. 1, (1) is a urinary incontinence detection member for detecting the presence or absence of urinary incontinence, which is made of soft rubber or plastic, such as urethane, and connected to two metal terminals made of metal rods or metal plates. (1a) Produce by pouring into (lb). These two metal terminals (la) and (lb) are electrically short-circuited by urine, and (2) is a urinary incontinence alarm device that is electrically connected to the urinary incontinence detection member (1) through a connector (3). As shown in FIG. 2, this urinary incontinence alarm device (2) is incorporated into a case (4). In the urinary incontinence alarm device (2), (5) is the urinary incontinence detection member (1).
A short-circuit detection circuit connected to the resistor (6) (7) and switching transistor (8) to adjust the short-circuit sensitivity.
and an output transistor (9). (1
0) is a vibration generator connected to the output of the short circuit detection circuit (5), which uses a small motor with a pendulum or an electromagnet used in a buzzer, etc.
vibrate the parts. (11) is a power source such as a battery connected to the vibration generator (1o), and operates the vibration generator (10) by applying a voltage. (12) is the short circuit detection circuit (5)
The operation f! is connected in parallel to the output of f! By turning on this switch (12), a pseudo short circuit is created using the verification switch, and it is confirmed whether or not the device operates normally. (13) is a stop switch connected in series between the vibration generator (10) and the power source (II), and when this switch (13) is turned off, the operation of the vibration generator (1o) is stopped midway. (14), (15a) and (15b) are a changeover switch and an output terminal, which are features of the present invention, and the changeover switch (14) is inserted and connected between the output of the short circuit detection circuit (5) and the vibration generator (10). , this causes the contacts (14a) (14b)
can be switched.

In addition, the output terminals (15a) (15b) are connected to the output of the short circuit detection circuit (5) through the contacts (14) of the changeover switch (14).
14a). The above urinary incontinence alarm device (2
), the input terminal (3a) of the connector (3), the operation check switch (12), the stop switch (13), and the changeover switch (14) are connected to the case (4) as shown in Figure 2.
) is arranged on one end surface (4a) of the output terminal (15a
) (15b) is arranged on the other end surface (4b) of the case (4).

A usage example of the urinary incontinence detector having the above configuration will be specifically explained below.

First, when used in a hospital by bedridden patients who have difficulty managing urinary incontinence on their own or patients undergoing functional recovery training, the urinary incontinence detector is connected to a nurse call device installed at the hospital. . In addition, as a nurse call device, there is a commercially available ■Carecom product name rSYSCALL.
It is possible to use J, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the urinary incontinence detection member (1) is placed at a body part where urinary incontinence can be detected most accurately (specifically, near the genitals), and the urinary incontinence detection member (1)
) is inserted into the input terminal (3a) on the end face (4a) of the case (4) in which the urinary incontinence alarm device (2) is incorporated. On the other hand, the case (4) may be worn by the patient himself or may be attached to a predetermined location near the patient, such as the bed.

In addition, the output terminals (15a) (15b) of the short circuit detection circuit (5) provided on the end face (4b) of the case (4)
Nurse call equipment installed in hospitals etc. (16
) are inserted and connected to the bin jacks (17a) (17b) extending from the terminal. At this time, set the changeover switch (14) on the end face (4a) of the case (4) to the nurse call connection side, that is,
Switch to the contact (14a) side in Figure 1 and use the vibration generator (
10) is set to an inoperable state. Incidentally, at this time, the vibration generator (10) may be set to an operable state, and at the time of urinary incontinence, the vibration generator (10) is activated at the same time as the nurse call device n (16) is activated. You can do it like this.

Due to this state, when the metal terminals (la) and (lb) of the urinary incontinence detection member (1) are electrically shorted by urine during urinary incontinence, the short circuit detection circuit (5) detects this and sends a detection signal. Output terminal (15a) via contact (14a)
(15b), and this output terminal (15a) (
A nurse call device (16) is activated by the detection signal output from the device 15b), and notifies a nurse stationed at a nurse center or the like. When used by a bedridden patient like this, or when a patient is deep asleep during functional recovery training, a nurse call device connected to a urinary incontinence detector can be used! (
16) allows the state of urinary incontinence to be notified only to caregivers such as nurses without the knowledge of third parties such as other patients in the hospital room.

Next, there are cases of people with physical disabilities who use wheelchairs who have some remaining upper limb function and are able to manage their own urinary incontinence, and those who use wheelchairs who are able to manage their own urinary incontinence. Even if the patient is a difficult patient, if the patient is able to manage urinary incontinence on his or her own as a result of treatment, the urinary incontinence detector may be used alone without being connected to the nurse call device (16). is also possible.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the output terminal (15) of the short circuit detection circuit (5) located on the end surface (4b) of the case (4)
a) From (15b), +-s:2-lIt
(17a) extending from (16) (
17b), and remove the end face (4) of the case (4).
The vibration generator (10) is set to the operable state by switching the changeover switch (14) in a) to the nurse call non-connection side, that is, to the contact (14b) side in FIG. 1. In this case, the user must carry the case (4) by storing it in a pocket, etc., and before use, make sure to use the operation check switch (12) to ensure that it is short-circuited. Check that the vibration generator (10) operates normally.

Due to this state, when the metal terminals (la) and (lb) of the urinary incontinence detection member (1) are electrically shorted by urine during urinary incontinence, the short circuit detection circuit (5) detects this and sends a detection signal. The vibration generator (10) is activated. The user is notified of the state of urinary incontinence by the body vibration generated by the vibration generator (10). In this way, the user can only recognize the state of urinary incontinence without it being known to a third party. In addition, the user should press the stop switch (1) as soon as he/she notices the above vibration.
3) to stop the vibration.

Finally, in the above embodiment, the urinary incontinence detection member (1), the urinary incontinence notification bag W (2), and the nurse call group! Although the case where the connection with (16) is made in a wired manner has been described, it is also possible to make the above connection in a wireless manner.

As shown in Fig. 6, this wireless urinary incontinence detector includes a urinary incontinence detection member (1), a short circuit detection circuit (5), a transmission circuit (
18) and a transmitting antenna (19), and a vibration generator (10), a power source (11), an operation check switch (12), a stop switch (13), and a changeover switch (14) are installed in the case (4). Built-in urinary incontinence alarm device (2
) is provided with a receiving antenna (20), a receiving circuit (21), and an output circuit (22), and is also provided with a transmitting circuit (23) and a transmitting antenna (24), and also in the nurse call device F (16). A receiving antenna (25) is provided with a receiving circuit and an output circuit (not shown).

When the short-circuit detection circuit (5) detects that the metal terminals (la) and (lb) are short-circuited by urine, the transmission circuit (18) of the urinary incontinence detection member (1) transmits a wireless high-frequency signal ' The signal is transmitted from the transmitting antenna (19). 7
In the urinary incontinence notification device (2), the radio high frequency signal is received by a receiving circuit (21) via a receiving antenna (20). Here, as explained in the case of using the wired method, there is a changeover switch (14 ) has been switched. When using the urinary incontinence detector by connecting it to the nurse call device (16), the changeover switch (4) is switched to the contact (14a) side, so the transmission circuit (23) transmits the wireless high-frequency signal. The radio frequency signal is transmitted from the transmitting antenna (24) and received via the receiving antenna (25) of the nurse call device t (16), thereby causing the nurse call device (16) to perform a notification operation.

Furthermore, when the urinary incontinence detector is used alone, the changeover switch (14) is switched to the contact (14b) side, so the vibration generator (10) is operated by the output circuit (22).

Such a wireless urinary incontinence detector is preferable in terms of use since it can avoid wiring during use.

In the above embodiment, a vibration generator (10) was used as a means for notifying the state of urinary incontinence. However, depending on the usage situation, a sound generator such as an electronic buzzer or the like may be used instead of the vibration generator (10). Sound or light notification means may be adopted using a light generator such as a light emitting device or light emitting dynamite.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, it is possible to connect an existing urinary incontinence detector to a nurse call device, and when used in a hospital etc., urinary incontinence detectors can be detected only by caregivers such as nurses without the knowledge of third parties. The patient does not have to be present with the patient at all times, and the burden on the caregiver can be significantly reduced.

In addition, it is also possible to use the above urinary incontinence detector alone without connecting it to a nurse call device, and in that case, it can be recognized by yourself without being known by a third party. People with urinary incontinence can lead an active social life by being freed from the feeling of isolation from being the only one using the device and the psychological pressure of having a third party know that they are incontinent during movement. It can provide a versatile and practical urinary incontinence detector.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 6 are for explaining the present invention in detail, FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of the urinary incontinence detector, and FIG.
Figure 3 is a front view showing the end of the case of the urine incontinence detector in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is the urine incontinence detector in Figure 1. A schematic configuration diagram showing the state in which the incontinence detector is used alone, FIG.
FIG. 6 is a front view showing the end face of the case of the urinary incontinence detector, and FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the wireless urinary incontinence detector and the nurse call device. (1) - Urinary incontinence detection member, (la) (1bL - Metal terminal, (2) - Urinary incontinence alarm device, (5) - Short circuit detection circuit, (10) - Vibration generator, (1
4) - Selector switch, (15a), (15b) - Output terminal, (16)
・-Squall device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A urinary incontinence detection member having two metal terminals that are short-circuited by urine, a short-circuit detection circuit that detects a state in which the metal terminals of the urinary incontinence detection member are short-circuited by urine, and a detection signal from this short-circuit detection circuit. In a urinary incontinence detector consisting of a urinary incontinence alarm device that activates a vibration generator to notify the user of the state of urinary incontinence through bodily sensations of vibration, the output of the short circuit detection circuit is switched and the detection signal is sent to the outside. A changeover switch and an output terminal are provided,
A urinary incontinence detector characterized in that its output terminal can be connected to a nurse call device installed in a hospital or the like to notify a caregiver of a state of urinary incontinence.