Sensor system, diaper and urination detection system

Abstract

To detect liquid using a compact and low-cost liquid detection sensor.SOLUTION: A sensor system for being attached to a diaper includes: an RFID tag for detecting urination which is attached to a crotch part of a diaper and uses a UHF band frequency; and an RFID tag for detecting a posture of a wearer wearing the diaper which is attached to a part different from the crotch part and uses a UHF band frequency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor system, a diaper, and a urination detection system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the aging population in Japan has been progressing rapidly, and it is said that the elderly population will exceed 30% in 2025. Along with this, the number of care recipients is increasing, and the shortage of care facilities and personnel has become a serious social problem. Burdens in the caregiving field include excretion, bathing, and meals. In particular, excretion places a burden not only on care facility staff but also on care recipients. Burdens on care staff include diaper checks every two hours, toilet guidance, handling of excrement leaks, and a shortage of staff at night. On the other hand, for care recipients, being disturbed from getting a good night's sleep due to excretion checks early in the morning and having their dignity hurt also cause mental burdens. Therefore, there is a need for a system that detects excretion and notifies care facility staff in order to reduce the burden on care facility staff and care recipients.

[0003] Also, a liquid detection sensor including a sheet substrate formed of a material that deforms in response to a liquid, an antenna formed on the sheet substrate, and a communication circuit connected to the antenna and performing wireless communication via the antenna is known (Patent Document 1). This liquid detection sensor is attached inside a diaper, and the antenna laid on the bed and the liquid detection sensor attached inside the diaper continue to communicate, and urination is detected based on a change in communication intensity.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the liquid detection sensor described in Patent Document 1 is attached inside the diaper and swells with water to disconnect the antenna. Since it is greatly affected by the moisture of the human body inside the diaper, its operation becomes unstable, and the detection accuracy of urination decreases.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a sensor system, a diaper, and a urination detection system that can detect urination accurately with a low-cost configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The sensor system according to the first aspect is a sensor system for attaching to a diaper, and includes an RFID tag for urination detection, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is attached to the crotch portion of the diaper, and an RFID tag for detecting the posture of the wearer wearing the diaper, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is attached to a portion different from the crotch portion.

[0008] The sensor system according to the second aspect is the sensor system according to the first aspect, wherein the RFID tag for posture detection is attached to the outside of the diaper.

[0009] The sensor system according to the third aspect is the sensor system according to the second aspect, wherein the RFID tag for urination detection is attached to the outside of the diaper.

[0010] The sensor system according to the fourth aspect is the sensor system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the RFID tag for posture detection is a plurality of RFID tags.

[0011] The sensor system according to the fifth aspect is the sensor system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the plurality of RFID tags for posture detection are attached to the left and right side portions of the waist of the diaper.

[0012] The sensor system according to the sixth aspect is a sensor system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the RFID tag for urine detection is attached to the diaper such that the normal direction of the wearer's back intersects the longitudinal direction of the RFID tag for urine detection.

[0013] The sensor system according to the seventh aspect is a sensor system according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the RFID tag for posture detection is attached to the diaper such that the normal direction of the wearer's back corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the RFID tag for posture detection.

[0014] The sensor system according to the eighth aspect is a sensor system according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, further including a deformable T-shaped belt having a detachable part detachable from the diaper, wherein the RFID tag for urine detection and the RFID tag for posture detection are arranged on the T-shaped belt.

[0015] The diaper according to the tenth aspect includes an RFID tag for urine detection, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is provided at the crotch portion of the diaper, and an RFID tag for detecting the posture of the wearer of the diaper, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is provided at a portion different from the crotch portion.

[0016] The urine detection system according to the tenth aspect is a urine detection system for detecting urine of a wearer wearing a diaper, including a sensor system according to any one of the first to eighth aspects attached to the diaper, and a communication device that performs wireless communication with each of the RFID tag for urine detection and the RFID tag for posture detection.

[0017] The urination detection system according to the 11th aspect is the urination detection system according to the 10th aspect, and is a case where the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication between the communication device and the RFID tag for urination detection decreases, and based on the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication between the communication device and the RFID tag for posture detection. When it is detected that the posture of the wearer is the reference posture, it further includes an information processing device that determines that the urination of the wearer has been detected.

Effect of the Invention

[0018] As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, an effect is obtained in that urination can be accurately detected with a low-cost configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the case where the present invention is applied to a urine detection system for detecting the presence or absence of urine in a diaper will be described as an example.

[0021] <Overview of Embodiments of the Present Invention> In the sensor system according to the embodiment of the present invention, as a water-sensitive sensor, an RFID tag using a frequency in the UHF band is used, and the RFID tag is attached to the outside of the diaper, and urine is detected by a change in communication intensity. At this time, since the distance between the RFID tag and the human body is far, the operation is stable.

[0022] Here, the RFID tag is more affected by water as the frequency used becomes higher. In this embodiment, an RFID tag using a frequency in the UHF band, whose communication intensity decreases due to the influence of water, is used.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, when there is moisture between the RFID tag and the antenna, or when the RFID tag is in contact with moisture, the communication is interrupted. Also, when moisture is close to the RFID tag, the communication intensity decreases. Therefore, it is possible to detect urination by utilizing the fact that the communication intensity of the wireless communication with the RFID tag decreases due to moisture.

[0024] Next, the influence of the angle of the RFID tag with respect to the antenna surface will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, when the normal vector of the antenna surface and the longitudinal vector of the RFID tag are perpendicular, the communication intensity is the highest. On the other hand, when the normal vector of the antenna surface and the longitudinal vector of the RFID tag are parallel, communication becomes impossible.

[0025] Here, the results of attaching a test RFID tag to a human body model and performing a turning-over operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication intensity also fluctuates when performing a turning-over operation. When detecting urination triggered by a decrease in communication intensity during urination, it is necessary to detect a turning-over and confirm that it is not due to a decrease in communication intensity caused by the turning-over.

[0026] Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to detect a turning-over in addition to urination, urination is detected using a urination detection RFID tag and a posture detection RFID tag.

[0027] <Configuration of the liquid detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention> As shown in FIG. 4, the urination detection system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a sensor system 10, a wireless communication device 50, and an information processing device 70. The sensor system 10 and the wireless communication device 50 are connected wirelessly (for example, in the UHF band). The wireless communication device 50 and the information processing device 70 are connected via a network N such as a LAN (Local Area Network), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the Internet.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor system 10 is attached to the outside of the diaper 20. The wireless communication device 50 is installed on the back side of the bed 30 and performs wireless communication with the sensor system 10 attached to the diaper 20 worn by a person lying on the bed 30.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, the sensor system 10 includes an RFID tag 10A for urine detection, RFID tags 10B and 10C for posture detection, and a deformable T-shaped belt 12. As shown in FIG. 7(A), the RFID tag 10A for urine detection and the RFID tags 10B and 10C for posture detection are arranged on the T-shaped belt 12.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 7(B), a plurality of detachable portions 14 that can be attached to and detached from the diaper 20 are provided on the back surface of the T-shaped belt 12. The detachable portion 14 is, for example, a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0031] When the T-shaped belt 12 is attached to the diaper 20 by the detachable portion 14, the RFID tag 10A for urine detection is attached to the crotch portion of the diaper 20, and the RFID tags 10B and 10C for posture detection are attached to the left and right side portions of the waist of the diaper 20.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1 above, the wireless communication device 50 includes a reading unit 52 and a communication unit 54.

[0033] In response to a command from the information processing device 70, the reading unit 52 communicates with the communication circuit 16 of the sensor system 10 by wireless communication (for example, UHF band), and transmits the communication result (whether the communication is successful or interrupted, and the radio wave intensity) to the information processing device 70 via the communication unit 54.

[0034] The communication unit 54 transmits and receives data to and from the information processing device 70 via the network N.

[0035] The wireless communication device 50 is supplied with power from a power supply unit 51 including, for example, a battery. The power supply unit 51 is installed, for example, on the back side of the bed 30.

[0036] The information processing device 70 is composed of a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a display, etc., which are not shown in the figure. A urination detection processing program is stored in the ROM. The urination detection processing program is read from the ROM, expanded in the RAM, and executed by the CPU to perform urination detection processing.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4 above, the information processing device 70 includes a communication unit 72, a control unit 74, and a display unit 76.

[0038] The communication unit 72 transmits and receives data to and from the wireless communication device 50 via the network N.

[0039] The control unit 74 transmits a command to perform wireless communication with the communication circuit of the sensor system 10 to the wireless communication device 50 via the communication unit 72 at regular intervals, and acquires the communication result received from the wireless communication device 50 via the communication unit 72.

[0040] The RFID tag 10A for urination detection is attached to the crotch portion of the diaper 20 so that the normal direction of the wearer's back intersects with the longitudinal direction of the RFID tag 10A for urination detection. Therefore, in the supine position, which is the reference posture as shown in FIG. 8(A), the longitudinal directions of the left and right posture detection RFID tags 10B and 10C are almost parallel to the normal direction of the antenna surface of the wireless communication device 50, so the wireless communication between the left and right posture detection RFID tags 10B and 10C is interrupted (see FIG. 10).

[0041] Also, before urination, the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10A for urination detection is successful, but as shown in FIG. 9, when urination occurs, moisture approaches the RFID tag 10A for urination detection, so the radio wave intensity of the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10A for urination detection decreases (see FIG. 10).

[0042] In addition, the RFID tags 10B and 10C for posture detection are attached to the left and right sides of the waist of the diaper 20 so that the normal line direction of the wearer's back corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the RFID tags 10B and 10C for posture detection. Therefore, in the left lateral position as shown in Fig. 8(A), wireless communication with the left RFID tag 10B for posture detection is successful, but wireless communication with the right RFID tag 10C for posture detection is interrupted (see Fig. 10).

[0043] In addition, in the right lateral position as shown in Fig. 8(A), wireless communication with the right RFID tag 10C for posture detection is successful, but wireless communication with the left RFID tag 10B for posture detection is interrupted (see Fig. 10).

[0044] Note that in Fig. 8(A), cross-section A shown in Fig. 8(B) shows a cross-sectional view of the wearer seen from the head side.

[0045] Therefore, when the acquired communication result indicates that the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10A for urination detection has been interrupted, or when the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10A for urination detection has decreased below the threshold value, and it is detected that the posture of the wearer is the supine position based on the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tags 10B and 10C for posture detection, the control unit 74 determines that urination has been detected in the diaper 20 and causes the display unit 76 to display a message indicating that urination has been detected.

[0046] <Operation of the Urination Detection System> Next, the operation of the urination detection system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0047] First, as shown in Fig. 6, a caregiver attaches the sensor system 10 to the outside of the diaper 20. At this time, the T-shaped belt 12 of the sensor system 10 is attached to the outside of the diaper 20 so that the RFID tag 10A for urination detection is arranged at the crotch portion of the diaper 20, and the left and right RFID tags 10B and 10C for posture detection are arranged at the left and right side portions of the waist of the diaper 20.

[0048] Then, the cared-for person wears the diaper 20 with the sensor system 10 attached. And when the wearer, who is the cared-for person wearing the diaper 20, is lying on the bed 30, in response to the operator's operation, the information processing device 70 repeatedly executes the urination detection process shown in FIG. 11.

[0049] In the urination detection process, the control unit 74 transmits a command to perform wireless communication between the RFID tag 10A for urination detection and the RFID tags 10B and 10C for detecting the left and right postures to the wireless communication device 50 via the communication unit 72 at each predetermined period, and acquires the communication result received from the wireless communication device 50 via the communication unit 72.

[0050] First, in step S100, the control unit 74 determines whether the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10A for urination detection is less than the threshold value. If the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10A for urination detection is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the urination detection process ends. On the other hand, if the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10A for urination detection is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0051] In step S102, the control unit 74 detects the posture of the wearer.

[0052] In step S104, the control unit 74 determines whether the posture of the wearer detected in step S102 is the right lateral decubitus position or the left lateral decubitus position. If the posture of the wearer detected in step S102 is the right lateral decubitus position or the left lateral decubitus position, the urination detection process ends. On the other hand, if the posture of the wearer detected in step S102 is neither the right lateral decubitus position nor the left lateral decubitus position, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0053] In step S106, the control unit 74 determines that urination has been detected in the diaper 20, and causes the display unit 76 to display a message indicating that urination has been detected.

[0054] The caregiver can check the message displayed on the display unit 76, know that the care recipient has urinated in the diaper 20, and immediately perform the operation of replacing the diaper 20. At this time, the sensor system 10 can be removed from the used diaper 20 and reused.

[0055] The above step S102 is realized by the left lateral position detection process shown in FIG. 12 and the right lateral position detection process shown in FIG. 13.

[0056] In step S110 of the left lateral position detection process shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 74 determines whether the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10B for left posture detection is equal to or greater than a threshold value. If the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10B for left posture detection is less than the threshold value, the left lateral position detection process ends. On the other hand, if the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10B for left posture detection is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S112.

[0057] In step S112, the control unit 74 determines whether the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10C for right posture detection is less than the threshold value. If the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10C for right posture detection is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the left lateral position detection process ends. On the other hand, if the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10C for right posture detection is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S114.

[0058] In step S114, the control unit 74 detects that the posture of the wearer is the left lateral position and ends the left lateral position detection process.

[0059] In step S120 of the right lateral position detection process shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 74 determines whether the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10C for right posture detection is equal to or greater than a threshold value. If the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10C for right posture detection is less than the threshold value, the right lateral position detection process ends. On the other hand, if the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10C for right posture detection is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S122.

[0060] In step S122, the control unit 74 determines whether the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10B for left posture detection is less than the threshold value. If the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10B for left posture detection is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the right lateral position detection process ends. On the other hand, if the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication with the RFID tag 10B for left posture detection is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S124.

[0061] In step S124, the control unit 74 detects that the wearer's posture is the right lateral position and ends the right lateral position detection process.

[0062] As described above, according to the liquid detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the sensor system for attaching to a diaper is an RFID tag for urine detection, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is attached to the crotch portion of the diaper, and an RFID tag for detecting the posture of the wearer wearing the diaper, which is attached to a portion different from the crotch portion and uses a UHF band frequency. Further, the wireless communication device attached to the bed and the RFID tag attached to the outside of the diaper continue to communicate, and urination is detected by a change in the communication strength. At this time, when the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the RFID tag for urine detection decreases, and when the posture of the wearer is detected to be the reference posture based on the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the RFID tag for posture detection, it is determined that the wearer's urination has been detected. Thereby, urination can be detected accurately with a low-cost configuration. In addition, the workload of the caregiver can be reduced.

[0063] Further, by attaching the sensor system to the outside of the diaper, discomfort to the wearer can be suppressed, and the accuracy of urine detection can be improved. In addition, since the sensor system can be reused, the usage cost can be suppressed.

[0064] Further, the wireless communication device installed on the bed performs wireless communication with the RFID tag of the sensor system attached to the diaper, and by remotely notifying the information processing device of the communication result, the state inside the diaper (presence or absence of urination) can be remotely confirmed without checking the inside of the diaper.

[0065] In addition, the sensor system can be easily attached to an existing diaper.

[0066] <Modification Example> As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0067] For example, although the case where the RFID tag of the sensor system is attached to the outside of the diaper has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. At least a part of the RFID tag of the sensor system may be attached inside the diaper. For example, the RFID tag for urine detection of the sensor system may be attached inside the diaper, and the RFID tag for posture detection may be attached outside the diaper.

[0068] In addition, although the case where the sensor system includes two RFID tags for posture detection has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. The sensor system may include three or more RFID tags for posture detection. Further, the RFID tag for posture detection may be attached to a portion other than the crotch portion, for example, a portion other than the left and right sides of the waist.

[0069] Further, the information processing device 70 may perform urine excretion prediction by AI (artificial intelligence) using data on the urine excretion interval obtained by collecting the detection results of urine excretion detection.

[0070] In addition, although the case where the wireless communication device is provided on the back side of the bed has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the wireless communication device may be provided near the bed. Further, a wireless communication device may be provided at the entrance of the room to detect the entry and exit of the care recipient wearing the diaper equipped with the sensor system, thereby preventing wandering. Further, a wireless communication device may be provided on a shelf for storing diapers or the like to detect the number of diapers equipped with the sensor system, thereby performing inventory management of the diapers.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0071] 10 Sensor system 10A RFID tag for urine detection 10B, 10C RFID tags for posture detection 12 T-shaped belt 14 Detachable part 16 Communication circuit 30 Bed 50 Wireless communication device 51 Power supply unit 52 Reading unit 54 Communication unit 70 Information processing device 72 Communication unit 74 Control unit 76 Display unit 100 Urination detection system

Claims

1. A sensor system for attachment to a diaper, comprising: an RFID tag for urine detection, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is attached to the crotch portion of the diaper; an RFID tag for detecting the posture of a wearer wearing the diaper, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is attached to a portion different from the crotch portion; a sensor system including the above.

2. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag for posture detection is attached to the outside of the diaper.

3. The sensor system according to claim 2, wherein the RFID tag for urine detection is attached to the outside of the diaper.

4. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag for posture detection is a plurality of RFID tags.

5. The sensor system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of RFID tags for posture detection are attached to the left and right side portions of the waist of the diaper.

6. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag for urine detection is attached to the diaper such that the normal direction of the wearer's back intersects the longitudinal direction of the RFID tag for urine detection.

7. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag for posture detection is attached to the diaper such that the normal direction of the wearer's back corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the RFID tag for posture detection.

8. The sensor system according to claim 1, further comprising a deformable T-shaped belt having a detachable portion for detaching from the diaper, wherein the RFID tag for urine detection and the RFID tag for posture detection are disposed on the T-shaped belt.

9. A diaper including: an RFID tag for urine detection, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is provided in the crotch portion of the diaper; an RFID tag for detecting the posture of a wearer of the diaper, which is an RFID tag using a UHF band frequency and is provided in a portion different from the crotch portion. a diaper including the above.

10. A urine detection system for detecting urine of a wearer wearing a diaper, comprising: the sensor system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is attached to the diaper; a communication device that performs wireless communication with each of the RFID tag for urine detection and the RFID tag for posture detection. a urine detection system including the above.

11. The urination detection system according to claim 10, further comprising an information processing device that determines that urination of the wearer has been detected when the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication between the communication device and the RFID tag for urination detection has decreased and the posture of the wearer is detected to be a reference posture based on the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication between the communication device and the RFID tag for posture detection.

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