Abstract:
Sensor device and an analyzing device specifically adapted to be used in conjunction with diapers for incontinent patients, is adapted to transmit the sensed data to a remote analyzing system, the monitoring can be performed with the patient in various situations and positions, the sensor is adapted to be coupled to a computer system which can monitor and analyse the various data so as to manipulate the information and extract various types of valuable data, the sensor is adapted to sense both variations in moisture and in temperature as well as other physiological data such as the glucose level of the urine from the patient, or other biochemical data emanating from the patient.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of sensor devices and is particularly concerned with a sensor device and an analyzing device specifically adapted to be used in conjunction with diapers for incontinent patients detecting the presence of urine or fecal matter, and other physiological or biochemical data emanating from the patient.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    The demographical trend towards an older population has created a situation wherein a relatively large number of individuals suffers from incontinence. Furthermore, some of these patients have lost at least a portion of their cognitive functions. Such patients are often found in institutions where they are left alone for a relatively long period of time.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, some of these patients wearing adult diapers are left for a relatively long period of time with the diaper soiled and unchanged.  
           [0006]    Indeed, it is logistically relatively difficult for the personnel of such institutions to monitor the state of the patient&#39;s diaper on a continuous basis.  
           [0007]    A search amongst the prior art has revealed one system adapted to monitor the state of a patient lying in a bed. The device consists in a sheet of material having an electric sensor which sounds off an alarm when moisture is detected. However, the device must be embedded into a bed sheet and thus is not functional when the patient is not lying in the bed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sensor device in conjunction with diapers for incontinent patients.  
           [0009]    Advantages of the present invention include the fact that the sensor device in accordance with the present invention can be readily mounted to conventional diapers so that the monitoring can be performed with the patient in various situations and positions.  
           [0010]    Another advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the sensor device in accordance with the present invention is adapted to transmit the sensed data to a remote analyzing system.  
           [0011]    A further advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the sensor device in accordance with the present invention is adapted to be coupled to a computer system that can monitor and analyse the various data so as to manipulate the information and extract various types of valuable data.  
           [0012]    A still further advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the sensor device in accordance with the present invention is adapted to sense both variations in moisture and in temperature as well as other physiological data such as the glucose level of the urine from the patient or other biochemical data emanating from the patient. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS (S)  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sensor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention mounted inwardly from a conventional diaper shown in phantom lines;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a sensor sending a signal to a remote receiver which sends a signal to a central computer system;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective and partly exploded view, showing a sensor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a top view showing a sensor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a sensor device ( 4 ) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The sensor device ( 4 ) includes a sensing strip ( 1 ), a transmitting component ( 3 ) and a releasable locking means ( 8 ).  
         [0018]    As illustrated in FIG. 3, the sensing strip ( 1 ) is typically made of a set of juxtaposed elongated and relatively thin metallic strips ( 11 ). A set of connecting clips ( 12 ) is positioned in an overlapping configuration at one terminal end of the metallic strips ( 11 ). The connecting clips ( 12 ) are adapted to act as transmitting contacts for transmitting the electrical data emanating from the metallic strips ( 11 ) to the transmitting component ( 3 ), as will be hereinafter described.  
         [0019]    The metallic strips ( 11 ) are preferably coated with an adhesive material or covered by an adhesive strip. The adhesive material or strip covering the metallic strips ( 11 ) is itself covered by a protective strip of material ( 13 ) releasably secured to the metallic strips ( 11 ). The strip of material ( 13 ) is adapted to act as a peal-off protective strip allowing the sensing strip ( 1 ) to be conveniently stored and carried when in place and once removed allowing the metallic strips ( 11 ) to be adhesively and releasably secured to the interior surface of a diaper ( 2 ), as illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0020]    A set of coupling apertures ( 14 ) extends through the metallic strips ( 11 ) adjacent one of the longitudinal ends of the sensing strip ( 1 ). The coupling apertures ( 14 ) are adapted to be used to connect the sensing strip ( 1 ) to the metallic strips ( 11 ).  
         [0021]    The transmitting component ( 3 ) typically has a generally parallelepiped-shaped general configuration. The transmitting component ( 3 ) typically consists in a first panel ( 9 ) hinged connected to a second panel ( 10 ) by a hinge component ( 15 ). The second panel ( 10 ) is provided with a strip receiving recess formed therein. A set of connecting prongs ( 16 ) extends integrally from the hinge component ( 15 ). The prongs ( 17 ) are adapted to be slidably inserted into the coupling apertures ( 14 ) of the sensing strip ( 1 ) in order to facilitate the proper alignment of the terminal end of the sensing strip ( 1 ) inside the hinge component ( 15 ).  
         [0022]    A set of contact prongs ( 16 ) is embedded in the second panel ( 10 ) and extends into the hinge component ( 15 ). The contact prongs ( 16 ) are positioned so as to be in register with the connecting clips ( 12 ) of the sensing strip ( 1 ). Each connecting clip ( 12 ) is thus adapted to be put in contact with a corresponding contact prong ( 16 ) when the terminal end of the sensing strip ( 1 ) is positioned inside the hinge component ( 15 ). The connecting clips ( 12 ) is thus adapted to transmit the electrical data signal from the sensing strip ( 1 ) to the contact prongs ( 16 ).  
         [0023]    The contact prongs ( 16 ) are electrically coupled to a surface mount micro chip ( 18 ) embedded in the first panel ( 9 ) by a set of connecting wires ( 19 ). A battery source typically consisting of a set of lithium flat cells ( 20 ) is also enclosed in the first panel ( 9 ). The distal peripheral edges of both the second panel ( 10 ) and the first panel ( 9 ) are provided with a set of gripping teeth ( 21 ). The gripping teeth ( 21 ) are adapted to cooperate for fixing the transmitting component ( 3 ) to the peripheral edge of the diaper ( 2 ) when the first panel ( 9 ) and the second panel ( 10 ) are pivoted towards one another.  
         [0024]    A set of resilient gripping tongues ( 22 ) extends from the second panel ( 10 ). A corresponding pair of tongue receiving slots ( 23 ) is formed in the first panel ( 9 ). The gripping tongues ( 22 ) are adapted to be snappingly inserted into the tongue receiving slots ( 23 ) in order to releasably secure the transmitting component ( 3 ) in an overriding relationship over the peripheral edge of the diaper ( 2 ).  
         [0025]    As illustrated more specifically in FIG. 1, a releasable locking means ( 8 ) is adapted to be optionally used for locking the transmitting component ( 3 ) to the diaper ( 2 ) in order to prevent the unwanted removal of the transmitting component ( 3 ) from the diaper ( 2 ) for example when the patient is demential or otherwise uncooperative. The locking means ( 8 ) can take various conventional forms such as an electromagnetic lock, a mechanical lock or the like.  
         [0026]    The surface micro chip ( 18 ) includes a microprocessor adapted to analyze the various electrical data emanating from the metallic strips ( 11 ) in the form of current or potential variation between the various metallic alloys from which the metallic strips ( 11 ) are made. The micro chip ( 18 ) is preferably programmed so as to compute and store the data emanating from the sensing strip ( 1 ). Typically, the micro chip ( 18 ) is adapted to store the time of day at which the diaper was soiled by biological fluids. The micro chip ( 18 ) is also adapted to analyze the biochemical properties of the biochemical fluids that are put into contact with the metallic strips ( 11 ) in order for example to determine the sugar level in the urine of the diabetic patients.  
         [0027]    The data emanating from the metallic strips ( 11 ) and sent to the micro chip ( 18 ) is also adapted to be transmitted to a receiver schematically illustrated and designated by the reference numeral ( 5 ) in FIG. 2. The data ( 7 ) sent by the transmitter ( 3 ) to the receiver ( 5 ) could be in various forms such as a numeric form and could be sent by radiowaves, microwaves or any other suitable medium. The receiver ( 5 ) is adapted to be connected to a central computer system schematically illustrated and designated by the reference numeral ( 6 ) in FIG. 2.  
         [0028]    The data ( 7 ) emanating from the sensor device ( 4 ) could be stored by the central computer system ( 6 ) for a number of patients. A cyclic pattern for each patient and each department could thus be elaborated taking into account the record of diaper soiling collected by the various sensor devices ( 4 ) for various patients. For a given patient, the collection of data ( 7 ) could lead to the establishment of a time pattern at which a given patient typically wets the diaper ( 2 ). This information can prove to be very valuable for the personnel allowing the latter to attend to a given patient recording to the predicted time of need.  
         [0029]    The sensor devices ( 4 ) could also be used in order to monitor the time period between the soiling of the diaper and the changing of the latter by the personnel in order to evaluate the efficiency of the personnel. Also, the data ( 7 ) could allow to optimize the work of the personnel by grouping patients according to their estimate time of need. The various types of data ( 7 ) hereinabove mentioned are only given as example and should not limit the scope of the invention since various other biological data such as the temperature of the patient, the loss of weight, the biochemical contents of the urine or fecal matter, or any suitable data could be monitored by using the sensor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0030]    The sensing strip ( 1 ) could be manufactured using conventional manufacturing process in which a continuous strip is processes in order to cut down on manufacturing time and cost.