Patent Description:
The embodiments herein generally relate to monitoring of wetness of articles such as a diaper, a bandage, or a sanitary napkin; and more particularly to a reusable electronic device that enables remote monitoring of condition of the articles.

Remote monitoring of articles like diapers, bandages, and sanitary napkins, to ensure that they are changed timely, has been in vogue for quite some time. Monitoring is typically based on sensors that are embedded into the diapers or added onto the article to be monitored. Such monitoring means are single use items to be discarded along with the article. A few reusable devices, which have been disclosed in the art, integrate wetness sensors that come in contact with body fluid, and therefore, are undesirable from hygiene point of view.

<CIT> discloses a wetness detector having a pair of spaced electrodes located within an absorbent material of a diaper inside of a sheath of the diaper opposite a pouch within an area subject to wetness. The pouch is located opposite the sheath and contains a sensor capacitively coupled to the electrodes.

discloses a wet diaper detector having an elongated strip of material sized to be positioned in a diaper with a portion of the strip residing in a region of the diaper subject to wetness and an end of the strip protruding from the diaper at the upper rear or front portion thereof. The strip carries a pair of spaced conductors that extend along the length of the strip. A detector and alarm assembly is adapted to be releasably coupled to the protruding end of the elongated strip and is configured to monitor the electrical resistance between the spaced conductors of the strip.

As can be seen, none of the cited reference discloses a device that can detect wetness at multiple locations of an article to which it is coupled. Considering wide acceptance of remote monitoring of articles such as a diaper, a bandage, or a sanitary napkin, there is a need of an improved reusable device for remote monitoring of wetness that takes care of above concern, thereby providing an acceptable and cost effective solution to remote monitoring of wetness.

In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a re-usable electronics device that can be detachably coupled with a harness one or more legs configured to be placed at different locations of an article where wetness condition is to be detected. The harness includes a set of first conductors, and the re-usable electronics device includes a set of second conductors configured on outer surface of the electronic device such that when the re-usable electronics device is operatively coupled with the harness, the set of first conductors make physical contact with the set of second conductors such that change in voltage across at least one pair of first conductors above a threshold value is detected by the electronic device to transmit a notification indicating wetness of said article.

In an aspect, the harness comprises a pouch in which said device is positioned, and the set of first conductors are configured on at least one inner side of the pouch.

In an aspect, the first conductors of the at least one pair of first conductors may be located on opposite inner sides of the pouch, and likewise the second conductors of a pair of second conductors of the device with which the pair of first conductors make contact, may be located on opposite sides of the device.

In an aspect, said wearable article is selected from any or a combination of a diaper, a sanitary napkin, and a bandage.

The harness comprises one or more legs extending from the pouch. The one or more legs may be positioned at different locations in the article for sensing wetness of the article at different locations, while the pouch is located away from locations likely to get wet to prevent soiling of the device. For example, when the article is a diaper, a first leg may be positioned at rear side of the diaper to detect wetness due to poop, and a second leg may be positioned at front side of the diaper to detect wetness due to urine. Alternatively, both the legs may run from front side of the diaper to rear side of the diaper to detect any of urine and poop related event or incrementally both as different thresholds of wetness are crossed.

In an aspect, the harness may be made of any or a combination of a fabric, and a paper that is embedded with at least one pair of conductive path connected to the at least one pair of first conductors. The conductive paths may be provided by painting the at least one leg with conductive material, such as but not limited to, silver ink. In an example implementation, the two conductive paths of the at least one pair of conductive path may be configured on two opposite sides of the at least one leg.

The conductive paths belonging to the at least one pair of conductive path provided on the at least one leg may be connected to two ends of a wetness sensor, thereby connecting the wetness sensor to the at least one pair of first conductors.

In an aspect, the wetness sensor, upon detecting wetness of the article beyond a defined limit, is configured to enable change in voltage across the corresponding pair of first conductors, said change in voltage being greater than said threshold value.

In an aspect, the wetness sensor may be a wetness-based resistor. In an implementation, the entire conductive path may work as wetness sensor, and the two conductive paths painted on two opposite sides of a leg may be electrically connected to each other using a conductive cap at end of the leg.

In an aspect, the device may incorporate an indicator that is configured to indicate that the electrical contact between the set of first conductors and the set of second conductors has been established. The indicator may be an audio indicator or a visual indicator or a combination of two.

In an aspect, said notification may be transmitted by said re-usable electronics device to a remotely located computing device, said computing device being selected from any or a combination of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop, a desktop PC, a server, and a wirelessly connected computing device.

In an aspect, there may be four wetness sensors configured on different legs of the harness such that when the set of first conductors and the set of second conductors establish the electrical contact, the four wetness sensors are configured as four sides of a Wheatstone bridge that is enabled by the device. The Wheatstone bridge enables detection of change in voltage on account of change in resistance of any one of the four wetness sensors.

In an embodiment, the harness can have one leg and a pouch, and can incorporate an adhesive strip to fix the leg with a wearable article. The leg can include a resistance based wetness sensor that gets coupled to the device when the device is inserted in the pouch to form one side of a Wheatstone bridge. Three fixed resistances of the Wheatstone bridge may be provided within the device forming other three sides of the Wheatstone bridge.

In an aspect, upon issuance of the notification, the device is detached from said harness for reuse with a fresh harness that is coupled to a second article.

In an aspect, the notification issued by the device may include indications for any or a combination of wetness of said article, timestamp of said notification, whether said article is soiled, dryness of said article, level of wetness of said article, and other conditions of said article.

In an aspect, the harness may include at least one piezo electric material that when compressed changes capacitance or resistance or frequency of a signal passing through it, based on which the voltage across the at least a first conductor of the first set of conductors and the at least a corresponding second conductor of the second set of conductors changes so as to enable the device to transmit the notification when the voltage change is above the threshold value. An aspect of the present disclosure provides a harness having one or more legs for being placed at different locations of the article where wetness condition is to be detected. The proposed harness is configured to hold a re-usable electronics device that is detachably coupled thereto. In an aspect, the harness includes a set of first conductors, and the reusable electronics device includes a set of second conductors such that when the re-usable electronics device is operatively coupled with the harness, the set of first conductors make electrical contact with the set of second conductors such that change in voltage across at least one pair of first conductor of the set of first conductors above a threshold value transmits a notification indicating wetness of the article with which the harness is physically coupled. In an aspect, the harness comprises a pouch in which said device is positioned for operatively coupling with the harness.

In an embodiment, the harness may have four wetness sensors configured on different legs of the harness, and the device comprises a Wheatstone bridge such that when the first conductors and the second conductors establish the electrical contact, said four wetness sensors are configured as four sides of the Wheatstone bridge for detecting change in resistance of any one of the four wetness sensors.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for remotely monitoring wetness of an article. The proposed method comprises the steps of: (i) providing a harness having one or more legs configured to be placed at different locations of an article where wetness condition is to be detected, and a set of first conductor configured on at least one inner side of a pouch of the harness; (ii) providing a re-usable electronic device having a set of second conductors configured on outer surface of the device; (iii) operatively coupling the device with the harness by inserting the device within a pouch of the harness such that the set of first conductors make electrical contact with the set of second conductors; (iv) positioning the one or more legs of the harness extending from the pouch at different locations in the article for sensing wetness of the article at the different locations; and (v) transmitting, by the device, a notification indicating wetness of said article based on change in voltage across at least one pair of first conductors above a threshold value. In an aspect, the detection in change in voltage is enabled by electric contact between the set of first conductors with the set of second conductors.

In an embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of positioning one or more legs of the harness extending from the pouch at different locations in the article for sensing wetness of the article at the different locations, wherein the at least one leg comprises a providing one or more wetness sensors on the one or more legs of the harness, the one or more wetness sensors being operatively coupled to the at least one pair of first conductors through a pair of conductive path configured on the at least one leg.

In an embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of securing the pouch of the harness at position away from locations in the article that are likely to get wet.

The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:.

The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein.

The embodiments herein provide a re-usable electronic device for remote monitoring of wetness of an article such as a diaper, a bandage or a sanitary napkin, and method thereof. In an aspect, the proposed re-usable electronic device is configured for use with a harness that prevents soiling of the device thereby enabling its re-use without any concern for hygiene, while the harness can be discarded after each use.

In an embodiment, the harness may be a separate item that may be coupled with the article which is to be monitored, or may be inbuilt with the article.

In an embodiment, the re-usable electronic device (also referred to as device or pebble and the two terms used interchangeably hereinafter) may be physically coupled with the harness by inserting the device/ pebble in a pouch provided in the harness, wherein insertion of the pebble in the pouch results in electrical coupling between the two. The electrical coupling enables the device to detect wet condition of the harness, which is configured with the article which is to be monitored.

In an embodiment, electrical coupling between the device/ pebble and the harness is enabled by a set of first conductors configured on inner side of the pouch, and a set of second conductors configured on outer surface of the device/ pebble such that when the device is inserted in the pouch, the two sets of conductors automatically come in contact with each other.

In an embodiment, the harness includes at least one leg that extends from the pouch. The legs incorporate wetness sensors that are connected between a pair of the first conductors. Therefore, when the device is electrically coupled to the pouch, the device gains access to the sensors through a pair of second conductors that make electric contact with the pair of first conductors. This enables the device to monitor wetness condition of the article where the legs of the harness may be positioned.

With the arrangement described above, the legs of the harness may be positioned at different locations of the article, where wetness condition is to be monitored, and the pouch located at a location that is not likely to get soiled. Thus, the device/ pebble held within the pouch remains free from any risk of getting contaminated, enabling its re-use. In an alternate configuration, it is possible that the legs are suitably integrated with the article in an in-built fashion so as to reduce efforts required in manual positioning and orienting to the location for effective wetness detection.

In an embodiment, the harness may be made of a fabric, or paper, or a combination of the two, and the electrical connectivity between the sensor and the pair of first conductors may be enabled by painting a conductive paint, such as a silver ink, on the harness. In an embodiment, the painted conductive paint/ink itself may act, using an inkjet printer or any other means, as a resistance-based wetness sensor, wherein wetness of the ink, or wetness of part of article that lies between two conductive paths, alters the resistance between two ends of the conductive path. In such a case, conductive path created by the painted ink may terminate at the pair of first conductors. In an embodiment, the conductive path may be painted on two opposite surfaces of the leg and may be electrically coupled to each other at free end of the leg by a conductive cap provided at the free end of the leg.

In an embodiment, the harness may incorporate four legs, each configured with a resistance based wetness sensor, and the set of first conductors configured in the pouch may be four in numbers, the four resistance based wetness sensors may be connected to the four first conductors such that the four sensors are configured as four sides of a rectangle having four apex points at the four first conductors. The configuration may be used as a Wheatstone bridge such that a voltage may be applied across a first pair of first conductors located at diagonally opposite apexes of the rectangle, and resultant voltage may be measured across a second pair of the remaining two first conductors. As known in the art, the voltage applied across the first pair of first conductors remaining same, any change in resistance of any one of the four resistance-based wetness sensors shall be reflected as change in voltage across the second pair of first conductors.

In an embodiment, the device may comprise a processor, a power storage means, such as a battery, the set of second conductors working as input-output to the processor, a transceiver to transmit notification about condition of the article to a remote host, a reset button to reset the processor to capture reference voltage value indicating dry condition of the article, and a visual indicator configured to indicate, on the device being inserted within the pouch, that electrical contact between the set of first conductors and the set of second conductors has been established.

In an embodiment, the device, in its sleep mode, may be configured to periodically detect if set of second conductors of the device has established electrical contact with the set of first conductors on the pouch of a harness. If it is found that contact has been established, the processor may be woken up from the sleep mode, and the visual indicator may be turned on to indicate to a user/caregiver that device is now in working condition.

Simultaneously, the device may apply a predefined voltage across the first pair first conductors through the corresponding pair (referred to as fist pair) of the second conductors, and record voltage across a pair (referred to as second pair) of second conductors that are in contact with the second pair of first conductors. The recorded voltage value may be used as reference voltage indicative of dry condition of the article.

Thereafter, the device may continuously, or periodically, apply the predefined voltage across the first pair of first conductors, and check if change in voltage across the second pair of second conductors over the reference value exceeds a predefined threshold value. If the change is less than the threshold value, periodic checking may continue, and on the other hand, if the change is voltage is found to be more than the threshold value, an alert is sent to a remote host using the transceiver.

In an embodiment, the device may continue to periodically check voltage across the first pair of second conductors and send notifications if the voltage difference is found to be beyond the threshold value. On getting the notifications, the user/caregiver may attend to the requirement of changing the article, which would include removal of the device from the pouch. Once the device has been taken out of the pouch, the detected voltage would be zero, in which case the device may go back to sleep mode.

In an embodiment, the device may be calibrated to indicate extent of wetness, wherein calibration may be done by recording voltage across the second pair of first conductors when the article is dry, and recording the voltage again after soaking the article in water. The difference between the two extreme values may be stored in the host and used to indicate extent of wetness.

It is to be appreciated that though various embodiments have been explained here with reference to remote monitoring of wetness of an article, such as a diaper, bandage or a sanitary napkin, by means of wetness sensors, the concept of a reusable device which incorporates sensor electronics and couples with a pouch can be used for many other applications beyond wetness monitoring. For example, the disclosed concept of a harness having a pouch and a pebble/ device incorporating sensor electronics that operatively couples with the pouch may be used for remote monitoring changes in values including - temperature, pressure, acceleration limits, and cadence to name a few.

Referring to <FIG>, where an example of a side view of the proposed reusable electronic device for remote monitoring of wetness of an article is shown, the device <NUM> includes a printed circuit (PC) board <NUM> housed with a casing <NUM>. The PC board may incorporate sensor electronics embodied within a processor, and other functional modules such as transceiver, memory etc. Other modules such as power storage etc. may also be housed within the casing <NUM> in appropriate manner. Outer surface of the casing <NUM> may be configured with a plurality of conducting tabs, referred to as second conductors, such as second conductors <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> (collectively referred to as <NUM>), that project out of the outer surface of the device <NUM>. As shown, the second conductors <NUM> may be operatively coupled to the PC board <NUM> and work as input-output of the processor configured within the PC board <NUM>.

It is to be appreciated that though the exemplary illustration of <FIG> shows the tabs/ second conductors <NUM> configured on both sides of the device/ pebble <NUM>, it is possible to have the tabs /second conductors <NUM> only on one side depending on shape of the device <NUM>, configuration, including flexibility, of the pouch, and all such variations are well within the scope of the present disclosure without any limitations whatsoever.

<FIG>, with reference to <FIG>, show side and top views respectively of the proposed harness, along with the re-usable electronic device <NUM> physically coupled with the harness. The harness <NUM> includes a pouch <NUM> having a slit <NUM> for physical coupling of the device <NUM> with the harness <NUM> by insertion of the device <NUM> within the pouch <NUM>. The harness <NUM> also includes one or more legs, such as legs <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> (collectively referred to as legs <NUM>), that are physically coupled to the pouch <NUM> at their one end such that they extend outward from the pouch <NUM>.

In an aspect, inner sides of the pouch <NUM> are configured with a set of first conductors, such as first conductors <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> (collectively referred to as first conductors <NUM>) such that when the device <NUM> is held within the pouch <NUM>, the set of second conductors <NUM> configured on the device <NUM> come in contact with the set of first conductors <NUM> configured on inner side of the pouch <NUM>, establishing electrical coupling of the device <NUM> with the harness <NUM>.

It is to be appreciated that though the exemplary illustrations of <FIG> show the harness <NUM> having four legs <NUM>, it is possible to have any number of legs - lesser or more- without any limitation. For example, there may be just one leg <NUM>, and accordingly the pouch <NUM> and the device <NUM> may have just two of the first conductors <NUM> and the second conductors <NUM> respectively. The electronic circuit within the device <NUM> may be configured to cater to the given number of legs <NUM> and the corresponding sensors provided on the legs <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the first conductors <NUM> may be configured to cover a substantial area so that contact between the set of second conductors <NUM> and the set of first conductors <NUM> is ensured. In an embodiment, the first conductors <NUM> may be made of flexible foils of a conducting material, and may be fixed to inner surface of sides of the pouch <NUM>, such as by pasting. In an alternate embodiment, the first conductors <NUM> may be configured by painting a conducting paint, such as silver ink, on inner surface of the pouch <NUM>.

It is to be appreciated that while embodiments described herein show the first conductors <NUM> configured with the pouch <NUM> in form of conducting surfaces, and the second conductors <NUM> configured on the device <NUM> in form of protruding conductors/ pin shaped conductors, it is possible to have the second conductors <NUM> configured on the device <NUM> as surface conductors, and the first conductors <NUM> configured with the pouch <NUM> in form of protruding conductors/ pin shaped conductors, or both the first conductors <NUM> and the second conductors <NUM> may be in form of surface conductors, without effecting functioning of the proposed device <NUM> and the harness <NUM>. Therefore, all such variations are well within the scope of the present disclosure without any limitation whatsoever.

In an embodiment, the pouch <NUM> may be configured for snug fit around the device <NUM>. The snug fit may be ensured by providing one or more elastic bands (not shown here) on the sides of the pouch <NUM>, or by making the pouch using an elastic material.

In an embodiment, the pouch <NUM> and the device <NUM> may be shaped so that the device <NUM>, after it has been physically coupled with the pouch <NUM>, does not change its orientation relative to the sides of the pouch <NUM>. This can be achieved by making the device rectangle/square/oval shaped with the pouch <NUM> having a matching shape.

<FIG>, with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, show use of the proposed re-usable electronic device <NUM> and the harness <NUM> with a diaper for remotely monitoring the condition of the diaper <NUM>. As shown, one of the legs, such as leg <NUM>-<NUM> of the harness <NUM> may be positioned at front side of the diaper <NUM> to detect wetness due to urine and another leg, such as leg <NUM>-<NUM> may be positioned at rear side of the diaper <NUM> to detect wetness due to poop. After the diaper <NUM> has been tied, the pouch <NUM> of the harness <NUM> may be positioned near the waist band on front side of the diaper <NUM> and harnessed. Thereafter, the device <NUM> may be inserted within the pouch <NUM>. Once an electric coupling of the device <NUM> with the harness <NUM> is complete, a visual indicator, such as a LED <NUM>, provided on the device <NUM> shall light up to indicate that the electric coupling has been established. In an embodiment, the pouch <NUM> may be made of a translucent material so that the visual warning is visible to the caregiver.

<FIG>, with reference to <FIG>, shows a harness with four legs <NUM>, wherein the harness <NUM> may be made of a fabric, such as but not limited to TPE, or paper, or a combination of the two, and the electrical connectivity between the sensors <NUM> and the pair of first conductors <NUM> provided in the pouch <NUM> by conductive paths such as <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> (collectively referred to as <NUM>). In an embodiment, the conductive paths <NUM> may be created by painting a conductive paint, such as a silver ink, on the legs <NUM>. In an embodiment, two conductive paths, such as <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, may be painted on two opposite surfaces of the legs <NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> shown in solid line being configured on upper surface and <NUM>-<NUM> shown in phantom line being configured on the opposite surface of the leg <NUM>. To complete the circuit, the conductive paths <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be electrically coupled to each other at free end of the leg <NUM> by a conductive cap, such as cap <NUM>, provided at the free end of the legs <NUM>. Other ends of the conductive paths <NUM> created by the painted ink may terminate at two different first conductors <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the painted conductive paint/ink itself may act as a resistance based wetness sensor <NUM>, wherein wetness of the ink determines resistance of the painted ink.

In an embodiment, the harness <NUM> having four legs <NUM>, each leg <NUM> having a resistance based wetness sensor <NUM>, may incorporate four first conductors <NUM>. The four resistance-based wetness sensors <NUM> may be connected to the four first conductors <NUM> such that the four sensors <NUM> are configured as four sides of a rectangle having four apex points at the four first conductors <NUM>. The configuration may be used as a Wheatstone bridge, as shown in <FIG>, to detect any change in resistance of any one of the four resistance-based wetness sensors <NUM>.

<FIG> with reference to <FIG> shows configuration of the Wheatstone bridge formed by the four resistance-based wetness sensors <NUM>, wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 stand for resistances of the four resistance based wetness sensors <NUM> configured with four legs <NUM> of the harness <NUM>, and A, B, C and D indicate four apexes of the Wheatstone bridge formed at the four first conductors <NUM>. As shown, a known voltage may be applied diagonally opposite apexes A and C, i.e. at the first pair of first conductors <NUM> corresponding to apexes A and C, and resultant voltage may be measured across remaining two apexes B and D, i.e. at the second pair of first conductors <NUM> corresponding to apexes B and D. As known in the art, the voltage applied across the first pair of first conductors remaining same, any change in resistance of any one of the four resistance=based wetness sensors <NUM> shall be reflected as change in voltage across the second pair of first conductors.

In an embodiment, the harness <NUM> can have only one leg. Thus, the harness <NUM> can take a shape of a long strip with pouch <NUM> provided at one end of the leg. <FIG> shows use of the proposed re-usable electronic device and the harness with single leg with a diaper. As shown the leg <NUM> of the harness <NUM> may be positioned in the diaper <NUM> to cover a plurality of locations where wetness is to be monitored. For example, leg <NUM> may be positioned in the diaper <NUM> to cover front side of the diaper <NUM> as well as rear side of the diaper <NUM> to detect wetness due to urine and poop respectively. The leg <NUM> of the harness <NUM> can be held with the diaper <NUM> by adhesive strip <NUM> on one side of the lag <NUM>, and the device <NUM> may be located at a dry place such as naval button of the wearer. The adhesive strip <NUM> can be a Velcro strip or a strip of suitable glue.

<FIG> shows Wheatstone bridge A-B-C-D configured across points A-B-C-D with resistance R1, R2, R3 and R4, wherein resistances R1, R2 and R3 are fixed resistances which may be configured within the device <NUM>, and resistance R4 is configured over leg <NUM> of the harness <NUM> and coupled to the device <NUM> through a set of two first conductors on the harness <NUM> and a set of two second conductors on the device <NUM>. Also shown therein is a power source, which is configured within the re-usable electronic device <NUM> and is coupled to the Wheatstone bridge across points A-C. Voltage may be sensed across points B-D. Voltage-sensing mechanism V is also configured within the re-usable electronic device <NUM> and gets coupled to the Wheatstone bridge through physical contact between the first conductors <NUM> and the second conductors <NUM>.

<FIG> further shows two conductive paths <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>. In an embodiment, the leg <NUM> can be made of any one or a combination of fabric, paper or any natural or synthetic material providing the comfort of a fabric at the same time suitable for conductive ink printing so that the two conductive paths may be provided by a conductive ink. In another embodiment, the two conductive paths <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> can be painted on two opposite surfaces of the legs <NUM>. To complete the circuit, the conductive paths <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be electrically coupled to each other at free end of the leg <NUM> by a conductive cap (not shown here) provided at the free end of the leg <NUM>. Other ends of the conductive paths <NUM> created by the painted ink may terminate at two different first conductors <NUM>. In the event of wetting of the leg <NUM> at any place along its length, two opposite sides shall get electrically connected in between, changing resistance across the two first conductors <NUM> to which the conductive paths <NUM> are coupled.

<FIG> shows different functional modules of the re-usable electronic device <NUM>, wherein the device <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, a power storage means <NUM>, such as a battery, input-output <NUM> of the device <NUM>, a transceiver <NUM>, a reset button <NUM>, and an indicator <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may be incorporated on a PC board, such as PC board <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and may be configured to execute various embedded software algorithms resulting in executing different steps involved in working of the re-usable electronic device <NUM>.

The power storage means <NUM> may be a battery, such as a rechargeable battery to meet electric power requirement of the device <NUM>, and may be located with the housing of the device <NUM>, such as casing <NUM> shown in <FIG>. In case the power storage means is a rechargeable battery, the device <NUM> may incorporate a charging port coupled ton the casing <NUM>. In an embodiment, the device <NUM> may also incorporate a low battery charge alert, such as a visual and/or visual alert.

The input-output <NUM> of the device <NUM> work to apply a known voltage across the first pair of first conductors, and to detect voltage across the second pair of first conductors, as explained against <FIG>. The set of second conductors, such as second conductors <NUM> shown in <FIG>, that establish physical coupling with the first conductors <NUM>, work as input-output <NUM> of the device <NUM>.

The transceiver <NUM> may be located on the PC board <NUM> and may be operatively coupled to the processor <NUM> to transmit notification about condition of the article and/or about condition of the device itself, to a remote host, wherein the remote host may be located in a computing device, such as any or a combination of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop, a desktop PC, a server, and a wirelessly connected IOT edge computing device.

The reset button <NUM> may be optionally provided on the casing <NUM> of the device <NUM> and may be operatively coupled to the processor <NUM>. Actuating the reset button <NUM> may reset the processor <NUM> to capture the reference voltage value that is indicative of dry condition of the article. The reset button <NUM> may be used by user after he has replaced a soiled article with a fresh article.

The indicator <NUM> may be an audio indicator, a visual indicator or a combination of two, and may be provided on the casing <NUM> of the device <NUM>, and as explained earlier, is configured to indicate to a caregiver, on the device <NUM> being inserted within the pouch, such as pouch <NUM> of the harness <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, that electrical contact between the set of first conductors <NUM> and the set of second conductors <NUM> has been established.

<FIG>, with reference to <FIG>, shows various steps involved in working of the re-usable electronic device <NUM> for remote monitoring an article, wherein at step <NUM> , the device <NUM> when it is in sleep mode, may periodically detect if set of second conductors of the device <NUM>, such as second conductors <NUM> shown in <FIG>, have established electrical contact with the set of first conductors on the pouch of a harness, such as first conductors <NUM> provided on the pouch <NUM> of the harness <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

If it is found that contact between the set of second conductors <NUM> and the first conductors <NUM> has been established, at step <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may be woken up from the sleep mode, and the visual indicator, such as indicator <NUM> shown in <FIG> may be turned on to indicate to a user/caregiver that device <NUM> is now in working condition.

Simultaneous to the indicator <NUM> being turned on, at step <NUM>, the device <NUM> may apply a predefined voltage across the first pair of the first conductors <NUM> through the corresponding pair of the second conductors <NUM>, and record voltage across pair of second conductors <NUM> that are in contact with the second pair of first conductors <NUM>. In an aspect, the recorded voltage is use as reference voltage value indicative of dry condition of the article, such as diaper <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

As shown at step <NUM>, the device <NUM> may periodically apply the predefined voltage across the first pair first conductors <NUM>, and check, as at step <NUM>, if change in voltage across the second pair of second conductors <NUM> over the reference voltage value exceeds a predefined threshold value. If the change is less than the threshold value, periodic checking may continue by going back to the step <NUM>. On the other hand, if the change is voltage is found to be more than the threshold value, an alert is sent, as shown at step <NUM>, to a remote host using the transceiver, such as transceiver <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

In an embodiment, the device may continue to periodically check voltage across the second pair of second conductors <NUM>, as shown at step <NUM>, and send notifications if the voltage difference continues to be beyond the threshold value. In an embodiment, the notification may include the actual voltage value, and based on stored extreme voltage values, i.e. voltage under dry condition and voltage under condition when the article is fully soaked, the host may indicate extent of wetness.

The device <NUM>, as shown at step <NUM>, may continue to transmit the alert to the remote host as long as difference between the checked voltage and the reference voltage exceeds the predefined threshold value. Duration for which the device <NUM> continues to send notification may be exponential, self-configurable based on battery condition and computing capacity of the device <NUM>.

On getting the notifications, the user/caregiver may attend to the requirement of changing the article, which would include removal of the device <NUM> from the pouch <NUM>. Once the device <NUM> is taken out of the pouch <NUM>, the detected voltage would be zero. Therefore, the device <NUM> may check if the detected voltage across the pair of second conductors <NUM> is zero, as shown at step <NUM>, and if it is so, the device <NUM> may go back to sleep mode, as shown at step <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the device <NUM> may be calibrated to indicate extent of wetness, wherein calibration may be done by recording voltage across the second pair of first conductors when the article is dry, and recording the voltage again after soaking the article in water. The difference between the two extreme values may be stored in the host and used to indicated extent of wetness.

<FIG>, with reference to <FIG>, shows various steps involved in the proposed method of remote monitoring of condition of an article using the proposed reusable electronic device and the harness. The method of remote monitoring of condition of an article includes at step <NUM>, providing a harness, such as harness <NUM> shown in <FIG>, having a set of first conductors, such as first conductors <NUM> shown in <FIG>, configured on at least one inner side of a pouch, such as pouch <NUM> shown in <FIG>, of the harness <NUM>. Step <NUM> of the method is to provide a re-usable electronic device, such as device <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, having a set of second conductors, such as second conductors <NUM> shown in <FIG>, configured on outer surface of the device <NUM>. At step <NUM>, the device <NUM> may be operatively coupled with the harness <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, by inserting the device <NUM> within a pouch <NUM> of the harness <NUM> such that the set of first conductors <NUM> make electrical contact with the set of second conductors <NUM>. Step <NUM> of the method may be positioning one or more legs, such as legs <NUM> shown in <FIG>, of the harness <NUM>, extending from the pouch <NUM>, at different locations in an article, such as the diaper <NUM> shown in <FIG>, for sensing wetness of the diaper/ article <NUM> at the different locations. At step <NUM>, the pouch <NUM> may be secured at a position away from locations in the article <NUM> that are likely to get wet. This ensures that the device <NUM> does not get soiled, and therefore can be reused without any concerns of hygiene.

In an aspect, it may be ensured at step <NUM> that contact between the set of first conductor <NUM> and the set of second conductors <NUM> has been established. This can be ensured by observing a visual indication from an indicator, such as indicator <NUM> shown in <FIG>, of the device <NUM>, which lights up on the contact being established. Subsequent to the contact between the set of first conductor <NUM> and the set of second conductors <NUM>, at step <NUM>, the device <NUM> may record a reference voltage value that is indicative of dry condition of the article <NUM>. This may be done by applying a preset voltage across at least one pair of first conductors <NUM>. Thereafter, voltage across the at least one pair of first conductors <NUM> may be periodically checked, and at step <NUM> of the method, if change in voltage across the at least one pair of first conductors <NUM> is found to be above a threshold value, a notification indicating wetness of said article may be issued through a transceiver, such as transceiver <NUM> of the device <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

Claim 1:
A re-usable electronics device detachably coupled with a harness, said harness having one or more legs configured to be placed at different locations of an article where wetness condition is to be detected, said harness comprising a set of first conductors, wherein said reusable electronics device comprises a set of second conductors such that when the re-usable electronics device is operatively coupled with the harness, the set of first conductors make electrical contact with the set of second conductors such that change in voltage across at least one pair of the first conductor above a threshold value transmits a notification indicating wetness of said article;
wherein said harness comprises a pouch in which said device is positioned for operatively coupling with the harness; and
wherein the harness comprises four wetness sensors configured on different legs of the harness, and said device comprises a Wheatstone bridge such that when the first conductors and the second conductors establish the electrical contact, said four wetness sensors are configured as four sides of the Wheatstone bridge for detecting change in resistance of any one of the four wetness sensors.