NL1042471B1 - Method for extending usage time in a wearable device - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one aspect of the inventive concept there is provided a system for monitoring incontinence comprising: a urine sensitive circuit that contains a magnet proximity sensor arranged to present a changed electrical state when exposed to the proximity of a magnet; a measurement circuit arranged to perform a electrical characteristic measurement such us for example urine loss and activity of a wearer; and a processing circuit arranged to: determine whether the urine sensitive circuit has been for example exposed to urine, and in response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, record data representing the at least one parameter determined by the measurement circuit.

Description

METHOD FOR EXTENDING USAGE TIME IN A WEARABLE DEVICE

Technical field

The present inventive concept relates to a system for monitoring incontinence.

Background The present invention relates to a method for extending the remaining runtime of a device. In particular, the method can be used in the field of wearable or portable devices.

An energy storage system (ESS), i.e. a battery, supercapacitor or fuel cell, is always needed to release the energy to a load when needed. To extend the remaining run-time an efficient Energy Management (EM) circuitry is very important. In this invention, a new EM circuitry for werable or portable devices is presented. This system makes use of an ‘magnetic switch proximity magnet - low power circuitry’ combination that optimizes the power ON and OFF cycles of any wearable or portable device. The invention applies particularly in the field of urinary incontinence but it is known that the system presented in this invention can be applied to any wearable device such us wearable diabetes device, wearable menstruation device, fertility wearable device, back injury wearable device, automotive, health care, etc.

Urinary incontinence, or an inability to control urinary function, is a common problem affecting both men and women of all ages. Many feel embarrassed and do not dare to visit the doctor for help. This can lead to chronic incontinence. In the prior art, a common way of managing incontinence is to use absorbent articles such as diapers, sanitary napkins or pads, or even catheters. However, this only reduces the inconvenience for a wearer when an incontinence event occurs.

Common types of urinary incontinence include stress incontinence and urge incontinence. There is also a mixed type of incontinence including both stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence may be caused by loss of support of the urethra which is usually a consequence of damage to pelvic support structures because of childbirth, overweight or and some medications. Stress incontinence is typically characterized by a leakage of a relatively small volume of urine during activities which increase abdominal pressure such as coughing, sneezing and lifting, or rapid movements for example during sporting activities. The main treatment for stress incontinence is pelvic floor exercises. Other possibilities would be a surgery to tighten or support the bladder outlet or prescription of medications. Urge incontinence may on the other hand be caused by abnormal bladder contractions. This is sometimes also referred to as an overactive urine bladder. Urge incontinence is typically characterized by a leakage of a relatively large volume of urine in association with insufficient warning to get to the bathroom in time. Possible treatments for urge incontinence are pelvic floor exercises to retrain the bladder or prescription of medications to relax the bladder.

In the prior art, various systems relying on electrical sensors for detecting presence or urine in for example in a diaper are known. Such prior art systems are however often merely able to detect that the diaper has become wet and signal the need to change the diaper to for example the wearer of the diaper or a caretaker. However, this only provides a limited help to people suffering from incontinence in that it mainly makes it easier for the wearer or caretaker to determine that it may be time to change the diaper. Summary of the inventive concept

The inventors have realized that it would be advantageous to provide a long run-time system allowing for an improved monitoring and solving of urinary incontinence. More specifically the inventors have realized that, for a great number of people suffering from incontinence-like problems, it would be helpful to have a system for monitoring incontinence providing monitoring of aspects other than merely the presence of moisture in a diaper.

According to an aspect of the inventive concept there is provided a system for monitoring incontinence comprising:

a urine sensitive circuit containing an magnetic switch, the urine sensitive circuit being arranged to present a changed electrical characteristic when exposed to urine;

a measurement circuit arranged to perform for example a measurement on a activity of a wearer to determine at least one parameter which varies with the activity level of the wearer when the urine sensitive circuit detects urine; and a processing circuit arranged to:

determine whether the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, and in response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, record data representing the at least one parameter determined by the measurement circuit.

According to one embodiment the urine sensitive circuit contains a magnetic switch that optimizes the device power consumption when the device is not in use.

According to one embodiment the urine sensitive circuit is further positioned in the proximity of a magnet that enables the powering-off of the magnetic circuitry.

According to one embodiment the urine sensitive circuit and the measurement circuit and the magnet are galvanically disconnected. This may enable a simple communication between the measurement circuit and processing circuit.

According to one embodiment, which is contemplated to also form a separate inventive aspect there is provided a system comprising: a magnetic proximity sensor arranged to present a first electrical characteristic or response when being proximate to a magnet and a second electrical characteristic or response when being remote from the magnet;

a measurement circuit arranged to perform a measurement on a urine 20 leakage event to determine a parameter which varies with a dry time of an underwear textile; and a processing circuit arranged to:

in response to detecting a separation between the magnet proximity sensor and the magnet based on a changed electrical characteristic 25 or response of the magnet proximity sensor, record data representing a first parameter determined by the measurement circuit and indicating a urine leakage event at a first instant at or prior to the detection of the separation, and record data representing a second parameter determined by the 30 measurement circuit and indicating a user activity level at a second instant which is later than the first instant.

The processing circuit may be arranged to perform a correlation between the first and the second parameter.

The second-time instant may be delayed with respect to the first time 35 instant by a predetermined time interval.

The magnet proximity sensor may be arranged to be attached to e.g. a box. The measurement circuitry could be connected to this box in the same way in which the measurement circuitry is attached in the underwear.

On another embodiment, the magnet could be contained by the snaps of the underwear. In this case, a magnetic switch that is (always) OFF (so closed) when in proximity of the magnetic snaps could be used. This simplifies the manufacturing of the (magnetic/measurement/sensor) circuitryunderwear components and their integration.

Brief description of the drawings

The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present inventive concept, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present inventive concept, regarding the appended drawings, where like reference numerals will be used for like elements, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system in accordance with an embodiment;

Fig. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a urine sensitive circuit;

Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a urine sensitive circuit in which the magnets are integrated into the underwear snaps;

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

Detailed embodiments of aspects of the present inventive concept will now be described regarding the drawings.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a system 100 for monitoring incontinence. The system 100 for monitoring incontinence could be positioned in the proximity of a magnet that enables the powering-off of the system 100. In such case a normally closed switch 150 could be used in the system 100.

On another embodiment, one or more magnets 151 and 152 could be contained by the snaps of the underwear. In this case, a magnetic switch that 30 is (always) OFF (so closed) when in proximity of the magnetic snaps could be used. Such a switch it is known in the state-of-the art as normally open switch.

The system 100 comprises a urine sensitive circuit 110, a measurement circuit 120, a processing circuit 130 and magnetic switch 150.

The urine sensitive circuit 110 is arranged to present a changed electrical characteristic when exposed to urine. In other words, the urine sensitive circuit 110 may, in response to being exposed to urine, present a changed electrical characteristic or electrical property. In use, the urine sensitive circuit 110 may typically be positioned in a crotch region of the wearer, for example at an absorbent article (e.g. a diaper/nappy, a sanitary napkin/pad, or some other article for absorbing urine) or in connection to the underwear or 5 undergarment. The wearer may also be referred to as a user of the system

100. If an incontinence event occurs urine may be released onto the absorbent article or the underwear of the wearer wherein the urine sensitive circuit 110 may be exposed to the urine. The processing circuit 130 is arranged to determine whether the urine sensitive circuit 110 has been exposed to urine. As will be described in further detail below, the processing circuit 130 may be arranged to communicate (e.g. over a wireless or wired interface) with the urine sensitive circuit 110 and determine that the urine sensitive circuit 110 has been exposed to urine by detecting that an electrical characteristic of the urine sensitive circuit 110 has changed. The processing circuit 130 may also give a signal to the user (e.g. over a wireless or wired interface) that the absorbent article (e.g. a diaper/nappy, a sanitary napkin/pad, or some other article for absorbing urine) may be saturated and should be changed. This will avoid leakage of the absorbent article. Meanwhile, the measurement circuit 120 is arranged to perform a measurement on an activity level of the wearer to determine at least one parameter which varies with the wearer activity. The processing circuit 130 is further arranged to, in response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit 110 has been exposed to urine, record data representing the at least one parameter determined by the measurement circuit 120. The parameter(s) determined by the measurement circuit 120 may for example be an accelerometer or gyroscope measurement.

The electrical characteristic of the urine sensitive circuit 110 may change from a first characteristic to a second characteristic when the urine exposure is increased (i.e. due to an incontinence event). It should be understood that a changed electrical characteristic may occur as a result of the urine sensitive circuit 110 changing from a relatively dry condition (e.g. before occurrence of an incontinence event) to a relatively moist condition (e.g. upon occurrence of an incontinence event). The changed characteristic may also occur as a result of the urine sensitive circuit 110 changing from an already moist condition (e.g. as a result of a first incontinence event) to an even more moist condition (e.g. as a result of a second incontinence event, subsequent to the first incontinence event). Thus, the electrical characteristic may change in a manner which is proportional to the amount of urine to which the urine sensitive circuit 110 is exposed.

Moreover, an exposure to urine for the urine sensitive circuit 110 may in this context not necessarily imply a direct contact with the urine. In fact, the urine sensitive circuit 110 may be embedded in the absorbent material and thus not come into direct contact to urine released by the wearer. However, the presence of urine proximate to the urine sensitive circuit may nevertheless cause a changed electrical characteristic.

According to some embodiments the urine sensitive circuit 110 may be arranged to present an electrical response when exposed to urine, and wherein the processing circuit 130 is arranged to determine that the urine sensitive circuit 110 has been exposed to urine by detecting the electrical response of the urine sensitive circuit 110.

The changed electrical characteristic or the electrical response of the urine sensitive circuit 110 may for example include a changed electrical parameter of the urine sensitive circuit 110. The particular type of electrical parameter which is changed may depend on the actual design of the urine sensitive circuit 110 (e.g. which circuit elements are included in the circuit 110) and may for example include one or a combination of a changed resistance, a changed inductance, a changed capacitance or a changed impedance.

With reference to Fig. 1, the magnetic switch 150 is arranged to present a changed electrical characteristic when exposed to magnetic field.

With reference to Fig. 1, the system 100 may further include an optional sensor 140 which is arranged to be attached on the wearer, and determine an orientation and/or a movement of the sensor 140. The sensor 140 may be provided in a same unit as the measurement circuit and/or the processing circuit 130. The sensor 140 may include an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope, for example in the form of MEMS devices. The accelerometer may be a single-axis accelerometer, a dual axis accelerometer or a three-axis accelerometer. The accelerometer may provide measurements of the orientation and/or movement, e.g. by storing the measurements in a memory or buffer accessible by to the processing circuit 130 or to a memory which is accessible by the processing circuit 130. The sensor 140 may be arranged to store a predetermined number of measurements and start discarding the oldest measurement when the predetermined number is exceeded. This may for example be conveniently implemented using a first-in-first-out buffer (i.e. a

FIFO-buffer). The processing circuit 130 may based on the orientation and/or movement measurements, estimate a movement and/or posture of the wearer of the sensor 140. By comparing movement measurements during a time interval, the processing circuit 130 may determine whether the wearer was moving during the time interval and/or estimate a posture of the wearer. The processing circuit 130 may optionally also characterize the type of movement as movement by walking, by running, or by the wearer changing orientation or posture. As a non-limiting example, if an axis of an accelerometer is oriented along the length direction of the body, the accelerometer may provide a signal corresponding to the acceleration due to gravity when the user is standing up, and a signal close to zero when the user is lying down. This concept may be expanded to be able to identify further postures.

The movement pattern and posture of the wearer of the sensor 140 and the urine loss event may give an indication of the part in the pelvic floor muscles which is responsible for the urine loss event. In such case, these parts of the pelvic floor muscles could be trained by using a separate provided application which will lead to faster curing results when compared with a more general pelvic floor training program.

For example, instead of being wireless connected (and thus galvanically disconnected) the urine sensitive circuit 110 may be galvanically connected by wire to the processing circuit 130. The wires may for example be integrated in the undergarment or in the absorbent article. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 2 a urine sensitive circuit similar to the urine sensitive circuit 210 however without the transmitter 216 could be used wherein a current or voltage generated at the electrodes 214, 215 could be directly detected and measured by the processing circuit 130 using techniques which are well-known in the art. In this example, the electrodes 214, 215 of the urine sensitive circuit from Fig. 1 can for example be formed as thin layers on the substrate 218 or by conductive threads. The layers may for example be of a micrometer thickness, wherein the electrodes may be flexible and thus may minimize discomfort for the wearer. To further reduce the weight of the electrodes 214, 215 they may be perforated.

Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a urine sensitive circuit in which the magnetic switch is near one or more magnets 151 and 152 which are integrated or part of the underwear snaps. The advantage of this embodiment is that there is no need for an additional device or box for connecting the system 100. In such case a normally open switch could be integrated in the urine sensitive device.

It is known that the system presented in this invention can be applied to any wearable device such us wearable diabetes device, wearable menstruation device, fertility wearable device, back injury wearable device, etc.

Claims (10)

1. A wearable system comprising:

a magnetic proximity sensor arranged to present a first electrical characteristic or response when being proximate to a magnet and a second electrical characteristic or response when being remote from the magnet;

a measurement circuit arranged to perform a measurement on a electrical event to determine a parameter which varies with the electrical event; and a processing circuit arranged to:

in response to detecting a separation between the magnet proximity sensor and the magnet based on a changed electrical characteristic or response of the magnet proximity sensor, record data representing a first parameter determined by the measurement circuit and indicating a electrical event at a first instant at or prior to the detection of the separation, and record data representing a second parameter determined by the measurement circuit.

2. A system in which the wearable system could be used for monitoring incontinence comprising:

a magnetic proximity sensor arranged to present a first electrical characteristic or response when being proximate to a magnet and a second electrical characteristic or response when being remote from the magnet;

a measurement circuit arranged to perform a measurement on a urine leakage event to determine a parameter which varies with a dry time of the underwear textile; and a processing circuit arranged to:

in response to detecting a separation between the magnet proximity sensor and the magnet based on a changed electrical characteristic or response of the magnet proximity sensor, record data representing a first parameter determined by the measurement circuit and indicating a urine leakage event at a first instant at or prior to the detection of the separation, and record data representing a second parameter determined by the measurement circuit and indicating a user activity level at a second instant which is later than the first instant.

3. A system according to claims 1-2, further comprising a sensor arranged to determine an orientation or a movement of the sensor, and the processing circuit being further arranged to, in response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, record data representing an estimated movement and/or posture of the wearer based on an orientation and/or a movement determined by the sensor.

4. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing circuit and magnet are galvanically separated.

5. A system according to any of the claims 1 - 4, in which the magnet proximity sensor may be arranged to be attached to a box.

6. A system according to any of the claims 1 - 5, in which the measurement circuitry could be connected to this box in the same way in which the measurement circuitry is attached in the underwear.

7. A system according to any of the claims 1 - 6, in which the movement pattern and posture of the wearer of the sensor and the urine loss event may give an indication of the part in the pelvic floor muscles which is responsible for the urine loss event.

8. A system according to any of the claims 1 - 7, in which the magnet proximity sensor may be arranged to be contained by the snaps of an underwear or the snaps of any other clothing article.

9. A system according to any of the claims 1 - 8, in which the measurement circuitry could be connected to these snaps and attached in the underwear.

10. A system according to any of the claims 1 - 9, in which the movement pattern and posture of the wearer of the sensor and the urine loss event may give an indication of the part in the pelvic floor muscles which is responsible for the urine loss event.