System for monitoring incontinence

Abstract

According to one aspect of the inventive concept there is provided a system for monitoring incontinence comprising: a urine sensitive circuit arranged to present a changed electrical characteristic when exposed to urine; a measurement circuit arranged to perform a measurement on a urine bladder of a wearer to determine at least one parameter which varies with a fill level of the urine bladder; a sensor arranged to determine an orientation and/or a movement of the sensor; and a processing circuit arranged to: determine whether the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine; estimate an amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit; andin response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, record data representing said at least one parameter determined by the measurement circuit, an estimated movement and/or posture of the wearer based on an orientation and/or a movement determined by the sensor, and an estimate of the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit.

1 . A system for monitoring incontinence comprising:
 a urine sensitive circuit arranged to present a changed electrical characteristic when exposed to urine;   a measurement circuit arranged to perform a measurement on a urine bladder of a wearer to determine at least one parameter which varies with a fill level of the urine bladder;   a sensor arranged to determine an orientation and/or a movement of the sensor; and   a processing circuit arranged to:
 determine whether the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, 
 estimate an amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit, and 
 in response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, record data representing said at least one parameter determined by the measurement circuit, an estimated movement and/or posture of the wearer based on an orientation and/or a movement determined by the sensor, and an estimate of the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit. 
   
     
     
         2 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the changed electrical characteristic of the urine sensitive circuit is indicative of the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit. 
     
     
         3 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the urine sensitive circuit is arranged to present an electrical response when exposed to urine which is indicative of an amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit, and wherein the processing circuit is arranged to determine that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine by detecting the electrical response of the urine sensitive circuit and to estimate the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit based on the electrical response of the urine sensitive circuit. 
     
     
         4 . A system according to  claim 3 , wherein the changed electrical characteristic or the electrical response of the urine sensitive circuit includes one or more selected from the group comprising: a changed resistance, a changed capacitance, a changed inductance, a changed impedance, a changed resonance frequency, a changed voltage generated by the urine sensitive circuit, a changed current generated by the urine sensitive circuit, a changed resonance frequency of the urine sensitive circuit. 
     
     
         5 . A system according to  claim 4 , wherein the processing circuit is arranged to estimate the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit by determining a size of the change. 
     
     
         6 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the urine sensitive circuit includes a portion arranged to generate a current when exposed to urine to power a transmission of a signal from the urine sensitive circuit, and wherein the processing circuit is arranged to record said data in response to receiving the signal from the urine sensitive circuit. 
     
     
         7 . A system according to  claim 6 , wherein the signal transmitted from the urine sensitive circuit is indicative of the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit, and wherein the processing circuit is arranged to estimate the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit based on the signal received from the urine sensitive circuit. 
     
     
         8 . A system according to  claim 6 , wherein the current generated by the portion is proportional to a surface area of the portion being exposed to urine. 
     
     
         9 . A system according to  claim 6 , wherein the portion includes a first conducting path arranged to act as an anode and a second conducting path arranged to act as a cathode when the portion is exposed to urine. 
     
     
         10 . A system according to any one of  claims 1 , wherein the urine sensitive circuit portion includes a portion arranged to generate a current when exposed to urine for powering an increment of a counter stored in a memory of the urine sensitive circuit. 
     
     
         11 . A system according to  claim 10 , wherein the processing circuit is arranged to estimate the amount of urine released on to the urine sensitive circuit based on the counter. 
     
     
         12 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further arranged to, in response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine, record time data. 
     
     
         13 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is arranged to provide a signal which is indicative of a urine bladder fill level based on the at least one determined parameter. 
     
     
         14 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is arranged to provide an alarm signal in response to determining that the urine sensitive circuit has been exposed to urine. 
     
     
         15 . A system according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one or a combination of a microphone, a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, an altimeter or a skin contact sensor.