Absorbent articles comprising sensors

Abstract

A sensor system for detecting a property of or within an absorbent article may comprise an absorbent article and a sensor. The absorbent article may comprise a garment-facing layer and an absorbent assembly. The sensor may be disposed in and / or on the absorbent article. The sensor may be separable from the absorbent article. The sensor may be configured to sense a change in condition within the absorbent article.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13 / 483,456, filed May 30, 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61 / 493,092, 61 / 493,095, and 61 / 493,100, each filed on Jun. 3, 2011, and each of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD[0002]In general, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to sensors for use with absorbent articles. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to sensors designed to lower the potential for accidental choking.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0003]The art discloses many different types of sensors that are integral with an absorbent article (e.g., placed internal of the garment-facing layer or fixed to interior or exterior surfaces of the garment-facing layer). One of the problems with designs having an internal sensor is that most are throw away sensors, i.e. the sensor is a single-use design disposed within the absorbent article pr...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

One of the problems with designs having an internal sensor is that most are throw away sensors, i.e. the sensor is a single-use design disposed within the absorbent article primarily because it is undesirable to reuse them once they become contaminated with fecal waste and urine.

Such an approach can be expensive given the need to incorporate a sensor into every absorbent article, e.g. a diaper.

In addition, products that rely on an electrical circuit as the means for indication on the inside of the product can also expose the wearer to low voltage electrical current.

One of the problems with a sensor fixed to the external surface of the garment-facing layer is creating a means for locating the sensor appropriately and then holding or attaching the sensor to the garment-facing layer.

Another problem with a sensor fixed to the external surface of the garment-facing layer is the potential of the sensor to present potential for accidental choking.

This is also a challenge of sensors designed to be reusable, whether disposed internally of the absorbent article or externally due to their removable / reusable nature.

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