Wetness detection sensor sheet, wetness detection sensor sheet set, and wetness detection system

Abstract

To provide a technique of providing a comfortable fit and capable of reliably detecting wetness of an absorbent article.SOLUTION: A wetness detection sensor sheet (1) to be worn as a part of an absorbent article (50) or to be worn together with the absorbent article (50) and used for detecting wetness of the absorbent article, comprises: a sheet-like sensor unit (10) including an antenna part (11) and a communication part (15), and causing a detection device to detect wetness of the absorbent article by wireless communication; and a water guide sheet (4) provided to extend from a ventral-side specific portion to a dorsal-side specific portion via a crotch part of a wearer when worn, wherein the water guide sheet (4) is disposed, with it superposed on one side or both sides of the sensor unit (10), and the sensor unit (10) is provided in an area closer to a ventral-side end or dorsal-side end than a crotch area corresponding to the crotch part of the wearer in a longitudinal direction of the water guide sheet (4) in a plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for detecting wetness in an absorbent article. [Background technology]

[0002] There are sensors that have a wireless communication function and can detect wetness of an absorbent article such as a diaper. The following Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid detection sensor including a sheet substrate formed using a material that deforms in response to liquid, an antenna formed on the sheet substrate, and a communication circuit connected to the antenna and performing wireless communication via the antenna. The following Patent Document 2 discloses a urination detection tag having a hygroscopic substrate, a loop-shaped wiring formed on the substrate and having a broken portion in one part, a communication antenna formed on the substrate, and a detection means connected to the wiring and the communication antenna, which detects the electrical continuity of the wiring and transmits the detection result non-contact via the communication antenna. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-38971 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-165653 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the liquid detection sensor disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the sheet substrate deforms in response to liquid, causing a change in the characteristics or breakage of the antenna formed on the sheet substrate, which is detected by the wireless communication device, thereby detecting wetness of the diaper. Therefore, this liquid detection sensor needs to be placed in the crotch area of ​​the diaper wearer so that urine can reliably reach the sheet substrate. The urination detection tag disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 is also expected to be placed in the crotch area of ​​the diaper wearer. However, when the liquid detection sensor is placed in the crotch area, not only does it cause discomfort to the wearer due to a foreign body sensation, but it also poses the problem of limiting the direction of wireless communication with the liquid detection sensor.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a technology that provides a comfortable fit and enables reliable detection of wetness in an absorbent article. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a wetness detection sensor sheet that is worn as part of an absorbent article or worn together with an absorbent article and is used to detect wetness of the absorbent article, the wetness detection sensor sheet comprising: a sheet-like sensor unit including an antenna unit and a communication unit that enables a detection device to detect wetness of the absorbent article by wireless communication; and a water-conducting sheet that is arranged to extend from a specific ventral region to a specific dorsal region via the crotch region of the wearer when the absorbent article is worn, the water-conducting sheet being arranged to overlap one or both sides of the sensor unit, and the sensor unit being arranged in a region of the water-conducting sheet that is closer to the ventral end or dorsal end than the crotch region that corresponds to the crotch region of the wearer in the longitudinal direction in a plan view.

[0007] In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided a wetness detection sensor sheet set including a plurality of the above-mentioned wetness detection sensor sheets, wherein each water-absorbing member of each wetness detection sensor sheet has a different amount of water absorption at which the sensor portion becomes disconnected.

[0008] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a wetness detection system capable of wireless communication with the above-mentioned wetness detection sensor sheet, comprising: a communication processing means for wirelessly communicating with the sensor unit via an antenna; a judgment means for judging the wetness of the absorbent article depending on the wireless communication state with the sensor unit in the communication processing means; and a display processing means for displaying an alert display on a display unit regarding the relationship between the position of the antenna and the position of the sensor unit relative to the absorbent article when the wireless communication state indicates a specific communication state corresponding to the disconnected state of the sensor unit, wherein the judgment means judges the wetness of the absorbent article depending on a user operation on the alert display displayed on the display unit when the wireless communication state indicates the specific communication state.

[0009] Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a wetness detection system capable of wireless communication with the above-mentioned wetness detection sensor sheet, comprising: a communication processing means for wirelessly communicating with the sensor unit; a determination means for determining wetness of the absorbent article depending on the wireless communication state with the sensor unit in the communication processing means; and an information management means capable of accessing an information storage unit that stores wearer identification information, wearing time information, sensor identification information, and position information of the sensor unit in the absorbent article for each wearer of the absorbent article, wherein the sensor unit holds the sensor identification information, the communication processing means is capable of acquiring the sensor identification information from the sensor unit by wireless communication, and the information management means, when the absorbent article is worn, identifies the wearer identification information of the target wearer and causes the communication processing means to acquire the sensor identification information from the sensor unit, and stores the acquired sensor identification information, wearing time information, and position information of the sensor unit in the absorbent article in association with the identified wearer identification information in the information storage unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that provides a comfortable fit and enables reliable detection of wetness in an absorbent article. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an example of attachment of a wetness detection sensor sheet (the sensor sheet) according to the present embodiment to an absorbent article. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a laminated structure of a wetness detection sensor sheet (present sensor sheet) according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sensor unit as viewed from the wearer's side. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram selectively showing the antenna section, the conductor section, and the communication section of the sensor section as viewed from the wearer's side. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram selectively showing the conductor portion 13 in the sensor portion as viewed from the wearer side. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the hardware configuration of a wetness detection system (the present system). [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the software configuration of the wetness detection system (the present system). [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wearer information table stored in a wearer management database. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the wetness detection system (the present system) when checking wetness. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the wetness detection system (the present system) when wearing or changing a mask. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the present embodiment) will be described. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the following embodiments.

[0013] First, an outline of the configuration of the wetness detection sensor sheet according to this embodiment (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as this sensor sheet) will be described. The sensor sheet is worn as part of an absorbent article or together with an absorbent article and is used to detect wetness of the absorbent article. "Absorbent article" means an article capable of absorbing liquid, such as a disposable diaper, a urine absorption pad, a sanitary napkin, a panty liner, or a pet toilet sheet. Therefore, the term "wearer" refers to a human or animal (pet) wearing the absorbent article or the sensor sheet. However, the absorbent article for which wetness is detected by the sensor sheet is not limited to this example.

[0014] The sensor sheet may be incorporated into such an absorbent article in advance as a part thereof, or may be formed separately from the absorbent article and attached to the absorbent article when in use. For example, if the absorbent article is a urine absorption pad, the sensor sheet may be housed inside the urine absorption pad, or may be attached to the surface of the urine absorption pad (the surface facing the wearer when worn) or between the back surface of the urine absorption pad and underwear or a diaper so that it fits within the surface of the urine absorption pad in a plan view.

[0015] The sensor sheet includes at least a sheet-like sensor portion and a water-guiding sheet. The water-conducting sheet is arranged to overlap one or both sides of the sensor section, and is arranged to extend from a specific abdominal region to a specific dorsal region through the crotch region of the wearer when worn. The "specific abdominal region" refers to a specific region on the abdominal side of the wearer, which is lower than the crotch area, and is any position on the lower abdomen below the navel. For example, the specific abdominal region is near the bladder. The "specific back region" refers to a specific region on the back side of the wearer's crotch area, and is any position on the buttocks. For example, the specific back region is the vicinity of the sacrum. The water-guiding sheet preferably has a length that extends from the bladder position on the body surface of an adult of average build, through the crotch area, to the sacrum.

[0016] The sensor unit includes an antenna unit and a communication unit, and is configured to enable the detection device to detect wetness of the absorbent article by wireless communication. The communication unit is a circuit for transmitting radio waves of a predetermined frequency from the antenna unit, and includes, for example, an IC chip for an RFID tag. The communication unit may include a power source, but it is preferable that it does not include a power source in order to reduce costs. The sensor unit is provided in a region of the water-guiding sheet described above that is closer to the ventral end or the dorsal end than the crotch region, which corresponds to the wearer's crotch area in the longitudinal direction in a plan view. The region closer to the ventral end than the crotch region refers to the inside of the ventral end, as well as the region between the crotch region and the ventral end in the longitudinal direction that is closer to the ventral end. The same applies to the dorsal end, and the region closer to the dorsal end than the crotch region refers to the inside of the dorsal end and the region between the crotch region and the dorsal end that is closer to the dorsal end. The crotch region of the water guide sheet is a region of the water guide sheet that is positioned under the crotch of the wearer, and has a predetermined size in the width and length directions of the water guide sheet so as to cover the crotch of the wearer. The ventral end and the dorsal end of the water guide sheet are both longitudinal ends of the water guide sheet and are regions that respectively extend over a certain range from each longitudinal end. The ventral end and the dorsal end do not overlap with the crotch region.

[0017] In this way, in this sensor sheet, the sensor portion is located in a region closer to the longitudinal ventral end or dorsal end of the water-conducting sheet than the crotch region when viewed in a plane, and the water-conducting sheet is arranged to extend from a specific ventral area to a specific dorsal area through the wearer's crotch area. As a result, when the absorbent article is worn, the sensor unit is located more ventrally or dorsally than the crotch area of ​​the wearer, which increases the range of wireless communication between the sensor unit and the detection device compared to when the sensor unit is located in the crotch area, and also reduces the foreign body sensation and discomfort felt by the wearer by the sensor unit. Furthermore, the water-conducting sheet extending from a specific part on the wearer's ventral side to a specific part on the back side ensures that liquids discharged from the wearer, such as urination, reach the sensor unit regardless of the wearer's gender or position, thereby ensuring that wetness of the absorbent article can be detected.

[0018] The wetness detection sensor sheet according to this embodiment (the present sensor sheet) will be described in detail below using specific examples. In the following specific examples, the absorbent article is a urine absorption pad, and the present sensor sheet is attached to the surface of the urine absorption pad (the surface facing the wearer when worn). In the following explanation, the positions and orientations of the components of the sensor sheet and the absorbent article will be indicated based on the state in which the absorbent article is worn correctly. Specifically, the side that comes into contact with the wearer's skin will be referred to as the "wearer side," the opposite side as the "outside," the left-right direction of the wearer as the "left-right direction," and the front-to-back direction of the wearer as the "front-to-back direction."

[0019] [Wetness detection sensor sheet] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of attachment of a wetness detection sensor sheet (present sensor sheet) 1 according to this embodiment to an absorbent article. In the example of Fig. 1, the sensor sheet 1 is attached to an absorbent article, a urine absorption pad 50. In Fig. 1, the surfaces of the sensor sheet 1 and the urine absorption pad 50 facing the wearer are shown.

[0020] The urine absorption pad 50 has a ventral portion 51, a dorsal portion 52, and a connecting portion 53 that connects the ventral portion 51 and the dorsal portion 52. The urine absorption pad 50 is attached to the surface of underwear or a diaper facing the wearer, and is worn so that the ventral portion 51 is located on the wearer's ventral side, the dorsal portion 52 is located on the wearer's dorsal side, and the connecting portion 53 is located in the wearer's crotch area. Since the connecting portion 53 is positioned in the wearer's crotch area, it is formed to be narrower than the ventral portion 51 and the dorsal portion 52.

[0021] The urine absorption pad 50 has an absorbent body 55 on its wearer-facing surface that is configured to absorb liquids such as urine excreted by the wearer. The absorbent body 55 extends in the front-to-rear direction (longitudinal direction) from the ventral portion 51, via the dorsal portion 52, to the connecting portion 53. Furthermore, the urine absorption pad 50 has a pair of three-dimensional gathers 57 that extend in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 55 at both left-to-right (widthwise) end portions of the absorbent body 55. These three-dimensional gathers 57 prevent leakage in the widthwise direction of the urine absorption pad 50.

[0022] The sensor sheet 1 is attached to the wearer-facing surface of the absorbent body 55 so that it fits within the surface of the absorbent body 55 and extends from one longitudinal end (the end of the ventral portion 51) to the other longitudinal end (the end of the dorsal portion 52) of the absorbent body 55. 1, as indicated by the dashed line, the sensor unit 10 of the sensor sheet 1 is disposed on the ventral portion 51 of the urine absorption pad 50. In the example of FIG. 1, the sensor unit 10 is disposed so as to be positioned above the bladder on the ventral side of the wearer when worn.

[0023] By wearing the urine absorption pad 50 with the sensor sheet 1 attached in this manner, when the wearer urinates, the urine passes through the sensor sheet 1 and is absorbed by the absorbent body 55 of the urine absorption pad 50, and is also guided to the sensor unit 10 by the sensor sheet 1. As a result, the wetness of the urine absorption pad 50 can be detected by a detection device that wirelessly communicates with the sensor unit 10. In other words, the sensor sheet 1 can be used as a urination sensor that can detect the wetness of an absorbent article such as the urine absorption pad 50 and notify the caregiver when it is time to replace it.

[0024] However, the urine absorption pad 50 to which the sensor sheet 1 is attached is not limited to the configuration shown in the example in Fig. 1. The sensor sheet 1 can be used together with urine absorption pads of various configurations that have an absorbent body 55. Furthermore, the absorbent article to which the sensor sheet 1 is attached is not limited to a urine absorption pad, and may be a disposable diaper, as described above. In the example of FIG. 1, the sensor section 10 is provided on the ventral side section 51 of the sensor sheet 1, but it may be provided on the dorsal side section 52.

[0025] Next, the detailed configuration of the sensor sheet 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the laminated structure of the wetness detection sensor sheet (present sensor sheet) 1 according to this embodiment.

[0026] The sensor sheet 1 is a flat laminate formed by laminating, from the wearer side toward the outside, a wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2, a water-conducting sheet 4, a water-absorbent sheet 5, a water-absorbing swelling material 6, a sheet-like sensor unit 10, an outer water-permeable sheet 3, and a slip-prevention sheet 7 in the order listed. More specifically, in the sensor sheet 1, the water-conducting sheet 4, the water-absorbent sheet 5, the water-absorbing swelling material 6, and the sensor unit 10 are sandwiched between the wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2 and the outer water-permeable sheet 3, and a slip-prevention sheet 7 is provided on the surface of the outer water-permeable sheet 3 opposite to the water-conducting sheet 4 (outside).

[0027] The outer shapes of the wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2 and the outer water-permeable sheet 3 are the same and coincide with each other in a plan view, forming the outer shape of the sensor sheet 1. An adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive (not shown) is applied to at least one of the surface of the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2 facing away from the wearer (the bottom surface in FIG. 2 ) or the surface of the outer water permeable sheet 3 facing the wearer (the top surface in FIG. 2 ), and the peripheral edges of the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2 and the outer water permeable sheet 3 are joined together by pressure bonding. Alternatively, the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2 and the outer water permeable sheet 3 may be joined together by heat fusion. This allows the peripheries of the water-conducting sheet 4, water-absorbent sheet 5, water-absorbing swelling material 6, and sensor unit 10, which are layered therebetween, to be restrained by the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2 and the outer water permeable sheet 3. In other words, the water-conducting sheet 4, water-absorbent sheet 5, water-absorbing swelling material 6, sensor unit 10, and slip-prevention sheet 7 are shaped and sized to fit within the planes of the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2 and the outer water permeable sheet 3 in a plan view.

[0028] The wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2 and the outer water-permeable sheet 3 may be made of any material or by any method as long as they have good water permeability. However, the material for the wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2 and the outer water-permeable sheet 3 is preferably a synthetic fiber such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate, which does not retain moisture. The wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2 and the outer water-permeable sheet 3 are preferably made of a nonwoven fabric made entirely of synthetic fibers with low water retention, such as a spunbond nonwoven fabric, a thermal-bond nonwoven fabric, or an air-through nonwoven fabric, and are preferably treated to be hydrophilic to improve water permeability. Furthermore, it is preferable that the outer water-permeable sheet 3 has higher toughness than the wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2. The wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2 does not need to have very high toughness because it is supported by other nonwoven fabrics and the like and in order to maintain a pleasant feel against the skin.

[0029] In this example, the water-conducting sheet 4 is disposed between the wearer-side water-permeable sheet 2 and the outer water-permeable sheet 3, overlapping one side (wearer side) of the sensor unit 10. The water-conducting sheet 4 may be disposed overlapping both sides of the sensor unit 10, but by disposing it only on one side as in this example, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0030] The water guide sheet 4 has a substantially rectangular planar shape and is sized to fit within the planes of the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2 and the outer water permeable sheet 3 in a plan view. Specifically, the planar size of the water guide sheet 4 is smaller than the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2 and the outer water permeable sheet 3 by the size of the peripheral edges where they are connected to each other. Therefore, when the sensor sheet 1 is attached to the urine absorption pad 50, the water guide sheet 4 extends from the ventral portion 51 of the urine absorption pad 50 via the connecting portion 53 to the dorsal portion 52. In other words, as described above, the water guide sheet 4 is arranged to extend from a specific ventral region to a specific dorsal region via the crotch region of the wearer when worn.

[0031] The water-conducting sheet 4 may be formed in any manner so long as it can guide a portion of the liquid that has permeated the outer water-permeable sheet 3 toward the front (ventral side) of the sensor unit 10. The water-conducting sheet 4 may be formed from a highly water-retentive nonwoven fabric such as cotton, pulp, rayon, or cupra. Furthermore, the water-conducting sheet 4 is preferably manufactured using a manufacturing method such as spunlace or needle punch so that the fiber orientation is in the water-conducting direction (the forward direction where the sensor unit 10 is located). This ensures that liquid discharged into the crotch region of the sensor sheet 1 can be reliably guided to the sensor unit 10 located away from the crotch region.

[0032] The sensor section 10 is formed in a sheet shape, and has a substantially rectangular planar shape that is short in the longitudinal direction of the sensor sheet 1 and long in the width direction. The sensor unit 10 is located near the front longitudinal end (ventral end) of the outer water permeable sheet 3, and is superimposed via an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive on the wearer-facing surface of the outer water permeable sheet 3. In other words, the sensor unit 10 is provided in a region of the water guide sheet 4 described above that is closer to the abdominal end than the crotch region corresponding to the crotch area of ​​the wearer in the longitudinal direction in a plan view. By positioning the sensor part 10 away from the crotch area in this manner, the discomfort felt by the wearer due to the sensor part 10 is reduced, and the discomfort felt when wearing the sensor sheet 1 is reduced. The detailed structure of the sensor unit 10 itself will be described later.

[0033] A water-absorbing swelling material 6 is provided on a specific region (a region including at least the region where the below-described missing portions 14a and 14b are provided) on the wearer-facing surface of the sensor unit 10. The water-absorbing swelling material 6 is configured to expand by absorbing water, thereby pressing the specific region of the sensor unit 10 in the direction perpendicular to the surface. The function of the water-absorbing swelling material 6 will be described later. The water-absorbing swelling material 6 may be made of any material or method as long as it is capable of expanding by absorbing water. For example, the water-absorbing swelling material 6 may be made of compressed cellulose sponge, water-absorbent polymer, or the like.

[0034] Between the water-absorbing expansion material 6 and the water-conducting sheet 4, a water-absorbing sheet 5 is provided. The water absorbent sheet 5 has substantially the same shape and size as the sensor section 10 described above, and is disposed so as to overlap the sensor section 10 in plan view. The water-absorbent sheet 5 absorbs and retains the liquid guided by the water-guiding sheet 4. The liquid seeping out from the water-absorbent sheet 5 reaches the water-absorbing swelling material 6 and the sensor unit 10. The water-absorbent sheet 5 may be formed to be capable of absorbing and retaining a certain amount of liquid, and there are no limitations on its manufacturing method or material. For example, the water-absorbent sheet 5 may be formed from a nonwoven fabric containing fibers containing superabsorbent polymer (SAP) or a SAP-mixed nonwoven fabric.

[0035] Due to the laminated structure of this sensor sheet 1, urine is excreted in the crotch area of ​​the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2, and most of the urine passes through the wearer-side water permeable sheet 2, the water-conducting sheet 4, and the outer water permeable sheet 3 in that order, before being absorbed by the absorbent body 55 of the urine absorption pad 50. Meanwhile, part of the urine is guided forward (towards the ventral side) by the water-conducting sheet 4 and is absorbed and retained by the water-absorbent sheet 5, while the liquid seeping out from the water-absorbent sheet 5 causes the water-absorbing swelling material 6 to expand and also reaches the sensor unit 10. Therefore, the sensor sheet 1 can reliably deliver liquid excreted from the wearer to the sensor section 10 located away from the crotch region.

[0036] Furthermore, an anti-slip sheet 7 is provided on the surface of the outer water-permeable sheet 3 opposite the wearer side (outer side). The anti-slip sheet 7 prevents the sensor sheet 1 from shifting relative to the urine absorption pad 50. The anti-slip sheet 7 prevents the sensor sheet 1 from shifting relative to the urine absorption pad 50. The anti-slip sheet 7 prevents the sensor sheet 1 from shifting relative to the absorbent article because, compared to when the sensor sheet 1 is directly superimposed on the absorbent article, the sensor sheet 1 is indirectly superimposed on the absorbent article via the anti-slip sheet 7, making it less likely for the sensor sheet 1 to move along the surface of the absorbent article. For this reason, one surface (the wearer side) of the anti-slip sheet 7 in this embodiment is bonded to the outer surface of the outer water-permeable sheet 3 via an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, and the other surface (outer surface) has an adhesive or bonding layer (not shown) that secures the sensor sheet 1 to the urine absorption pad 50 via the adhesive or bonding layer. In cases where the sensor sheet 1 is formed separately from the urine absorption pad 50, a release sheet that can be peeled off from the adhesive or bonding layer is provided on the outer surface of the anti-slip sheet 7. In this case, a release layer laminated with a resin such as polyethylene or silicone may be provided between the release sheet and the adhesive or bonding layer to ensure ease of release. Alternatively, a large number of fine protrusions may be arranged on the surface of the anti-slip sheet 7, and these protrusions may be engaged with the surface of the sensor sheet 1 or the absorbent article to prevent the sensor sheet 1 from shifting.

[0037] In this specific example, the anti-slip sheet 7 has substantially the same shape and size as the above-described sensor unit 10, and is arranged so as to overlap at least a portion of the sensor unit 10 in a planar view. More specifically, the anti-slip sheet 7 is arranged so that its center coincides with that of the sensor unit 10 in a planar view, and the entire anti-slip sheet 7 overlaps with the sensor unit 10. In this way, the anti-slip sheet 7 is preferably arranged so as to fit within the plane of the sensor unit 10 in a planar view. Here, it is important for an absorbent article to reliably absorb liquids such as urine and not return them to the wearer, and the sensor sheet 1 worn together with such an absorbent article must be configured so as not to impede this function as much as possible. Meanwhile, the sensor sheet 1 includes the sensor unit 10 and the anti-slip sheet 7 as components that block the penetration of liquids into the urine absorption pad 50. Therefore, by arranging the anti-slip sheet 7 so that it fits within the surface of the sensor unit 10 when viewed in a plane, the area of ​​the components that block liquid penetration can be minimized, and the disruption of important functions of the absorbent article can be minimized. However, in order to obtain the above-mentioned effect, although the effect will be somewhat reduced, some areas of the anti-slip sheet 7 may not overlap with the sensor section 10, and other areas that overlap with the sensor section 10 in a planar view may be formed to have an area that occupies more than half of the anti-slip sheet 7.

[0038] <Sensor unit 10> Fig. 3 is a partial end view of the sensor unit 10, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the sensor unit 10 as viewed from the wearer's side, Fig. 5 is a diagram selectively showing the base material 100 of the sensor unit 10 as viewed from the wearer's side, and the antenna unit 11, conductor unit 13, and communication unit 15 provided on the wearer's side surface of the base material 100, and Fig. 6 is a diagram selectively showing the base material 103 of the sensor unit 10 as viewed from the wearer's side, and the conductor unit 13 provided on the surface of the base material 103 opposite to the wearer's side. Fig. 3 shows a cut end surface along line BB in region A (region surrounded by a two-dot chain line frame) shown in Fig. 4.

[0039] The sensor unit 10 in this specific example is configured so that the conductor unit 13 becomes disconnected depending on the water absorption state of the water-absorbent sheet 5 or the water-absorbing swelling material 6. When the conductor unit 13 becomes disconnected, the detection device is unable to properly communicate wirelessly with the sensor unit 10 or the characteristics of wireless communication with the sensor unit 10 change, and therefore the detection device is able to detect wetness of the absorbent article. In this specific example, the detection device is able to detect wetness when the conductor portion 13 breaks or is damaged, but the broken state may be in part of the antenna portion 11, or in both the antenna portion 11 and the conductor portion 13. Furthermore, the disconnection state of the antenna part 11 or the conductor part 13 is not limited to breakage or damage, but may also be achieved by dissolution or weakening, as long as the wireless communication state or wireless communication characteristics between the detection device and the sensor part 10 change.

[0040] In the following, the X and Y directions shown in each drawing will be used to explain the positional relationship between the components of the sensor unit 10. The X and Y directions in each drawing are parallel (horizontal) to the surface direction of the sensor unit 10. The Y direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the sensor sheet 1, and the X direction coincides with the width direction of the sensor sheet 1. In addition, the direction toward +X in the X direction is referred to as the +X direction or +X side, the direction toward -X is referred to as the -X direction or -X side, the direction toward +Y in the Y direction is referred to as the +Y direction or +Y side, and the direction toward -Y is referred to as the -Y direction or -Y side.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sensor section 10 includes an antenna section 11, a conductor section 13, and a communication section 15, which are configured by overlapping a substrate 100 and a substrate 103. The antenna section 11 is connected to the communication section 15 via the conductor section 13 , and the conductor section 13 connects the antenna section 11 and the communication section 15 .

[0042] Antenna unit 11 is composed of two antenna units 11a and 11b that are arranged symmetrically on both sides of conductor unit 13 and communication unit 15. Antenna unit 11a is arranged on the -X side of conductor unit 13 and communication unit 15, and antenna unit 11b is arranged on the +X side of conductor unit 13 and communication unit 15. Hereinafter, unless otherwise required, antenna units 11a and 11b will be collectively referred to as antenna unit 11.

[0043] Antenna unit 11 performs wireless communication with a detection device as an external device. Radio waves output from the detection device are received by antenna unit 11, and a signal corresponding to the radio waves is sent to communication unit 15 via conductor unit 13. The communication unit 15 receives the signal received by the antenna unit 11 via the conductor unit 13, and also transmits the signal to the detection device via the antenna unit 11. In this specific example, the communication unit 15 is an IC chip for an RFID tag, and is a passive IC chip that operates using power excited from the detection device via the antenna unit 11.

[0044] The antenna unit 11 has wide portions 111a and 111b formed in a generally rectangular shape elongated in the Y direction in a plan view, and zigzag portions 112a and 112b formed narrower than the wide portions 111a and 111b, zigzag in the Y direction, and extending in the X direction. One end of the zigzag portions 112a and 112b is connected to the wide portions 111a and 111b, and the other end is connected to the conductor unit 13.

[0045] The conductor section 13 is a wiring that connects the antenna section 11 and the communication section 15, and is configured by connecting a wiring provided on the surface of the substrate 100 facing the substrate 103 and a wiring provided on the surface of the substrate 103 facing the substrate 100. First, the configuration of the conductor portion 13 provided on the substrate 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The conductor portion 13 has a straight pattern component 131a connected to one end of the zigzag portion 112a and extending in the X direction, a straight pattern component 132a arranged on an extension of the straight pattern component 131a with the missing portion 14a sandwiched therebetween and extending in the X direction, a straight pattern component 132b connected to the straight pattern component 132a and extending in the X direction, and a straight pattern component 131b arranged on an extension of the straight pattern component 132b with the missing portion 14b sandwiched therebetween and extending in the X direction.

[0046] Furthermore, the conductor portion 13 has a connecting portion 133 and annular pattern components 134a, 135a, 136a, 137a, 138a, 134b, 135b, 136b, 137b, and 138b. One end of the connecting portion 133 is connected to the boundary between the linear pattern components 132a and 132b, and the connecting portion 133 extends from the boundary in the Y direction. The annular pattern component 134a is connected to the other end of the connecting portion 133 and extends from the other end of the connecting portion 133 in the X direction. The annular pattern component 135a is disposed on an extension of the annular pattern component 134a with the missing portion 14a sandwiched therebetween, and extends in the X direction. One end of the annular pattern component 136a is connected to one end of the annular pattern component 135a, and the annular pattern component 136a extends in the Y direction from the other end of the annular pattern component 135a. The annular pattern component 137a is connected to the other end of the annular pattern component 136a, and extends in the X direction from the other end of the annular pattern component 136a. The annular pattern component 138a is disposed on an extension of the annular pattern component 137a, with the missing portion 14a sandwiched therebetween, and extends in the X direction.

[0047] The annular pattern component 134b is connected to the other end of the connecting portion 133 and extends from the other end of the connecting portion 133 in the X direction. The annular pattern component 135b is disposed on an extension of the annular pattern component 134b with the missing portion 14b sandwiched therebetween and extends in the X direction. One end of the annular pattern component 136b is connected to one end of the annular pattern component 135b and the annular pattern component 136b extends in the Y direction from that end of the annular pattern component 135b. The annular pattern component 137b is connected to the other end of the annular pattern component 136b and extends in the X direction from the other end of the annular pattern component 136b. The annular pattern component 138b is disposed on an extension of the annular pattern component 137b with the missing portion 14b sandwiched therebetween and extends in the X direction. The annular pattern constituent part 138a and the annular pattern constituent part 138b are connected to the communication part 15, and are arranged on the extension of each other via the communication part 15.

[0048] Next, the configuration of the conductor portion 13 provided on the substrate 103 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the conductor portion 13 is provided on the base material 103 and has bridge portions 171a, 171b, 172a, 172b, 173a, and 173b that extend in the X direction. Then, the base material 100 and the base material 103 are superimposed to form the wiring of the conductor portion 13 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the bridge portion 171a interconnects the linear pattern component 131a and the linear pattern component 132a. The bridge portion 171b interconnects the linear pattern component 132b and the linear pattern component 131b. As a result, the linear pattern component 131a, the bridge portion 171a, the linear pattern component 132a, the linear pattern component 132b, the bridge portion 171b, and the linear pattern component 131b form a linear wiring pattern of the conductor portion 13 that extends linearly in the X direction. Bridge portion 172a interconnects annular pattern component 135a and annular pattern component 134a. Bridge portion 172b interconnects annular pattern component 134b and annular pattern component 135b. Bridge portion 173a interconnects annular pattern component 137a and annular pattern component 138a. Bridge portion 173b interconnects annular pattern component 138b and annular pattern component 137b. As a result, the annular wiring pattern of the conductor portion 13 is formed by the annular pattern component 138a, the bridge portion 173a, the annular pattern component 137a, the annular pattern component 136a, the annular pattern component 135a, the bridge portion 172a, the annular pattern component 134a, the annular pattern component 134b, the bridge portion 172b, the annular pattern component 135b, the annular pattern component 136b, the annular pattern component 137b, the bridge portion 173b, and the annular pattern component 138b. The annular wiring pattern is formed in a substantially rectangular ring shape in a plan view, but is discontinuous at this point because the communication unit 15 is connected between the annular pattern component 138a and the annular pattern component 138b. The connecting portion 133 interconnects the linear wiring pattern and the annular wiring pattern of the conductor portion 13.

[0049] Here, each of bridge portion 171a, bridge portion 172a, and bridge portion 173a is arranged across missing portion 14a, and each of bridge portion 171b, bridge portion 172b, and bridge portion 173b is arranged across missing portion 14b. The bridge portion 173a is provided between the annular pattern component 137a and the annular pattern component 138a to electrically connect the annular pattern component 137a and the annular pattern component 138a to each other. Similarly, the bridge portion 173b is provided between the annular pattern component 138b and the annular pattern component 137b to electrically connect the annular pattern component 138b and the annular pattern component 137b to each other. Similarly, bridge portion 171a is installed between linear pattern component 131a and linear pattern component 132a to electrically connect linear pattern component 131a and linear pattern component 132a to each other, bridge portion 171b is installed between linear pattern component 132b and linear pattern component 131b to electrically connect linear pattern component 132b and linear pattern component 131b to each other, bridge portion 172a is installed between annular pattern component 135a and annular pattern component 134a to electrically connect annular pattern component 135a and annular pattern component 134a to each other, and bridge portion 172b is installed between annular pattern component 134b and annular pattern component 135b to electrically connect annular pattern component 134b and annular pattern component 135b to each other.

[0050] In this way, the sensor section 10 in this example is formed by overlapping the base material 100 and the base material 103 . The substrate 100 is formed to be insoluble in liquid. The substrate 100 can be made of, for example, paper or a resin film. The resin material constituting this resin film is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyester. However, the substrate 100 may be formed to be soluble in liquid. The thickness of the substrate 100 is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 10 μm or more and 75 μm or less. When the thickness of the substrate 100 is 10 μm or more, the substrate 100 can stably support the wiring patterns of the antenna section 11 and the like, and sufficient structural strength can be obtained. Furthermore, when the thickness of the substrate 100 is 75 μm or less, good flexibility of the component mounting board 100 can be obtained.

[0051] The substrate 103 is formed to be soluble in liquid. As a result, when the substrate 103 is in a dissolved state due to sufficient contact with the liquid, if a slight external force is applied to the wiring pattern of the conductor portion 13 provided on the substrate 103, the wiring pattern can easily break or crack, causing the sensor portion 10 to enter a disconnected state. This makes it possible to more reliably detect that the sensor portion 10 has been immersed in liquid. Here, the substrate 103 being soluble in a liquid means that the substrate 103 dissolves (dissolves) when it comes into contact with the liquid. More specifically, for example, the liquid may contain water, and the substrate 103 dissolves when it comes into contact with water (liquid).

[0052] The substrate 103 is made of, for example, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). By making the substrate 103 contain PVA, it is possible to realize a structure in which the substrate 103 dissolves well when it comes into contact with a liquid. However, if the substrate 103 is water-soluble, the material of the substrate 103 is not limited to PVA, and may be, for example, polyvinylpyrrolidone, water-soluble polyester, a water-soluble paper material, a sheet material derived from a starch component, or the like. The thickness of the substrate 103 is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less. When the thickness of the substrate 103 is 5 μm or more, the substrate 103 can stably support the wiring pattern of the conductor portion 13 before contacting the liquid. When the thickness of the substrate 103 is 100 μm or less, the substrate 103 can be quickly dissolved when contacting the liquid.

[0053] Next, the laminated structure of a part of the sensor unit 10 (area A shown in FIG. 4) will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. In region A of the sensor unit 10, annular pattern components 137a, 138a, 137b, and 138b are formed on the wearer-facing surface of the substrate 100, and a communication unit 15 is provided between annular pattern components 138a and 138b so as to be electrically connected to them. The connection form between the communication unit 15 and the annular pattern components 138a and 138b is not limited in any way, but for example, one mounting terminal of the communication unit 15 is electrically connected to one end of the annular pattern component 138a, and the other mounting terminal of the communication unit 15 is electrically connected to one end of the annular pattern component 138b.

[0054] In the region A of the sensor section 10, the base material 100 is provided with missing portions 14a and 14b. The cutouts 14a and 14b are openings formed in the substrate 100. That is, the cutouts 14a and 14b penetrate the substrate 100 from the front to the back. Therefore, the wiring pattern of the conductor portion 13 is not formed in the areas of the substrate 100 where the cutouts 14a and 14b are present. The cutouts 14a and 14b may be slit-shaped.

[0055] On the other hand, in region A of the sensor unit 10, bridge portions 173a and 173b are formed on the surface of the substrate 103 that faces the substrate 100. More specifically, the bridge portions 173a and 173b are formed in regions that overlap with the missing portions 14a and 14b on that surface of the substrate 103. The bridge portion 173a is provided between the annular pattern component 137a and the annular pattern component 138a to electrically connect the annular pattern component 137a and the annular pattern component 138a to each other, and the bridge portion 173b is provided between the annular pattern component 138b and the annular pattern component 137b to electrically connect the annular pattern component 138b and the annular pattern component 137b to each other.

[0056] In this example, bridge portions 173a and 173b are formed on the surface of substrate 103 facing substrate 100 via soluble layer 104, which is a liquid-soluble adhesive layer. The adhesive forming this water-soluble (or aqueous) soluble layer 104 is not particularly limited, but examples include starch glue, gum arabic glue, and aqueous acrylic emulsion. An example of an aqueous acrylic emulsion is prepared by copolymerizing an acrylic monomer containing a carboxyl group and adding alcohol or polyethylene oxide. Furthermore, soluble layer 104 may be composed of two or more water-soluble (or aqueous) adhesives. Soluble layer 104 not only adheres substrate 103 to bridge portions 173a and 173b, but also adheres substrate 103 to substrate 100 and annular pattern components 137a, 138a, 137b, and 138b to each other. However, the laminated structure of a portion of the sensor unit 10 (region A shown in FIG. 4) in this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3. For example, an adhesive layer and a soluble layer may be provided in the regions of the bridge portions 173a and 173b that overlap with the missing portions 14a and 14b. In this case, the missing portions 14a and 14b are covered with an adhesive layer, a soluble layer is laminated on the adhesive layer, and then the bridge portions 173a and 173b are laminated. In the regions where the adhesive layer and the soluble layer are not provided, the bridge portion 173a electrically connects the annular pattern component 137a and the annular pattern component 138a to each other, and the bridge portion 173b electrically connects the annular pattern component 138b and the annular pattern component 137b to each other.

[0057] With this structure, the sensor unit 10 comes into contact with the liquid that is guided by the water-conducting sheet 4 and absorbed and seeps out of the water-absorbent sheet 5, causing the conductor 13 to break. Specifically, sufficient contact between the liquid that has seeped out of the water-absorbent sheet 5 and the base material 103 causes the base material 103 to dissolve, and the water-absorbing swelling material 6 expands by absorbing the liquid, applying a pressing force perpendicular to the surface of the base material 103 toward the missing parts 14a and 14b, causing one or more of the bridge parts 171a, 172a, 173a, 171b, 172b, and 173b to break or crack, causing the conductor 13 to break.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wiring patterns of the antenna unit 11 and the conductor unit 13 are formed to be insoluble in liquid. However, the method and material for forming the wiring patterns of the antenna unit 11 and the conductor unit 13 are not limited to this example. The wiring patterns of the antenna unit 11 and the conductor unit 13 may be formed to be soluble in liquid or to be weakened by wetting with liquid. The structure for breaking the antenna portion 11 or the conductor portion 13 is not limited to this specific example.

[0059] Furthermore, as described above, the sensor sheet 1 in this specific example includes the water-absorbent sheet 5 and the water-absorbing swelling material 6 as water-absorbing members, and the timing at which the sensor unit 10 will become disconnected can be adjusted depending on the water-absorption capacity of these materials. For example, when a water-absorbent sheet 5 and a water-absorbing swelling material 6 with a large water-absorption capacity are used, the amount of liquid that can cause the sensor unit 10 to become disconnected is greater than when a water-absorbent sheet 5 and a water-absorbing swelling material 6 with a small water-absorption capacity are used. In other words, when a water-absorbent sheet 5 and a water-absorbing swelling material 6 with a large water-absorption capacity are used, the timing at which the detector detects wetness can be delayed until the absorbent article becomes more wet. Therefore, by providing multiple types of this sensor sheet 1 that have absorbent members (absorbent sheet 5 and absorbent expanding material 6) with different water absorption capacities that can cause the sensor unit 10 to become disconnected, it becomes possible to select an appropriate sensor sheet 1 depending on the preferences of the user, such as a caregiver, and the wearer's excretory condition, etc. Such multiple types of sensor sheets 1 can be called a wetness detection sensor sheet set, which may be sold as a set, or all or some of the multiple types may be selected and sold individually.

[0060] [Wetness detection system] Next, a wetness detection system for detecting wetness in an absorbent article equipped with the sensor sheet 1 will be described with a specific example. FIG. 7 is a diagram conceptually showing the hardware configuration of a wetness detection system (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the present system). This system is made up of an RFID reader 60, a user terminal 70, a server device 90, and the like. The user terminal 70 is a terminal (computer) that is mainly used by a caregiver, and as shown in Fig. 7, includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71, a memory 72, a display unit 73, a touch sensor 74, a communication unit 75, and the like, which are interconnected by a bus. The user terminal 70 may be a general-purpose computer, and there are no limitations on the hardware elements that make up the user terminal 70. The user terminal 70 may include other hardware elements not shown in Fig. 7, such as an imaging unit, a microphone unit, a speaker unit, and the like. The user terminal 70 is preferably a portable terminal such as a smartphone or tablet so that it can be easily carried around.

[0061] The CPU 71 is connected to each of the other units via a communication line such as a bus. The CPU 71 may be configured as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or the like, in addition to a general CPU. The memory 72 is a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or an auxiliary storage device (such as a hard disk). The display unit 73 includes a monitor such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, and performs display processing. The touch sensor 74 receives operation input from the user by sensing contact from the outside. The touch sensor 74 may be a sensor that can detect a proximity state from the outside even in a non-contact state. The display unit 73 and the touch sensor 74 may be realized as a touch panel unit. Furthermore, the user terminal 70 may have an input / output interface (not shown) connected to an input device such as a mouse or keyboard together with or instead of the touch sensor 74. The communication unit 75 performs wireless communication and communicates with other terminals such as the RFID reader 60 and the server device 90 via a communication network. The communication network may be a mobile phone network, a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) network, an Internet communication network, a dedicated line network, a LAN (Local Area Network), etc. In this embodiment, the communication form of the communication unit 75 is not limited. The user terminal 70 is configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with the RFID reader 60 and the server device 90 via a communication unit 75 .

[0062] The server device 90 is a so-called computer, and includes, for example, a CPU, a memory, an input / output interface (I / F), etc., which are interconnected by a bus. These hardware elements constituting the server device 90 are similar to those of the user terminal 70, and the hardware configuration of the server device 90 is not limited in any way.

[0063] The RFID reader 60 is a device capable of wireless communication with the sensor unit 10 of the sensor sheet 1. The RFID reader 60 outputs radio waves (hereinafter sometimes referred to as RFID tag radio waves) in a predetermined frequency band (UHF band, microwave band, etc.) used by RFID tags, receives radio waves output from the sensor unit 10 of the sensor sheet 1 in response to the radio waves, and performs demodulation, decoding, etc. on the received radio waves. Note that the sensor unit 10 in this embodiment uses radio waves in the UHF band. The user terminal 70 can obtain the sensor ID stored in the communication unit 15 of the sensor unit 10 obtained by the demodulation, etc., through wireless communication with the RFID reader 60. Note that there are no limitations on the connection format or communication method between the RFID reader 60 and the user terminal 70. Although the hardware configuration of the RFID reader 60 is not shown, it may have the same hardware configuration as an existing RFID reader.

[0064] As described above, in this specific example, the communication unit 15 of the sensor sheet 1 is an IC chip of a passive RFID tag. The communication unit 15 of each sensor sheet stores a different sensor ID. However, the sensor ID stored in the communication unit 15 only needs to be an identifier unique to each IC chip of the RFID tag. In the following description, the sensor ID may be described as being stored in the sensor sheet 1 or the sensor unit 10.

[0065] FIG. 8 is a diagram conceptually showing the software configuration of the wetness detection system (this system). 8 does not show the software configuration of the RFID reader 60, the RFID reader 60 may have a general software configuration for an RFID tag reader device. That is, the RFID reader 60 outputs radio waves for RFID tags and acquires the sensor ID stored in the communication unit 15 of the sensor sheet 1 by demodulating, decoding, etc. the radio waves received from the sensor unit 10 of the sensor sheet 1 in response to the output radio waves. The radio wave output by the RFID reader 60 may be executed in response to an instruction signal from the user terminal 70, in response to a user operation on an operation button or the like provided on the RFID reader 60, or periodically without a trigger.

[0066] If the sensor ID is successfully acquired, the RFID reader 60 transmits the sensor ID to the user terminal 70. On the other hand, if the sensor ID cannot be acquired even after repeating radio wave output a predetermined number of times, the RFID reader 60 transmits information indicating no response (no response information) to the user terminal 70. However, if the sensor ID cannot be acquired, the RFID reader 60 may not transmit anything. Furthermore, the no response information may be generated not based on whether the sensor ID was successfully acquired or not, but when the radio wave intensity received from the sensor unit 10 is lower than a predetermined threshold.

[0067] The server device 90 has at least a wearer management database (DB) 91 as a software element. The wearer management DB 91 is a database for managing information on care recipients who are the subject of wetness detection. The subject care recipients wear an absorbent article (the urine absorption pad 50 in the above example) that includes the sensor sheet 1, and are also referred to as wearers.

[0068] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a wearer information table stored in the wearer management database. 9, the wearer information table stores a record for each wearer (care recipient), and each record stores information items such as the wearer ID, sensor ID, wearing time, sensor position, etc. Hereinafter, these information items included in the wearer information table may be referred to as fields. The wearer ID field stores the wearer ID, which is the identification information of the wearer (care recipient). In this system, a unique wearer ID is assigned to each wearer.

[0069] The sensor ID field stores the sensor ID of the sensor sheet 1 of the absorbent article worn by the target wearer. Therefore, when a wearer's absorbent article is replaced, the data in the sensor ID field of the record containing the wearer ID of that wearer is updated to the sensor ID of the replaced sensor sheet 1. The wearing time field stores information about the date and time when the absorbent article corresponding to the sensor ID stored in the sensor ID field was worn, or information about the date and time when the target wearer's absorbent article was replaced.

[0070] The sensor position field stores information indicating the position of the sensor portion 10 of the sensor sheet 1 in the absorbent article worn by the target wearer. As described above, in the present sensor sheet 1, the sensor unit 10 is provided not in the crotch area of ​​the wearer but in an area close to the longitudinal end of the present sensor sheet 1. Therefore, when the present sensor sheet 1 is attached to an absorbent article (urine absorption pad 50) as illustrated in Fig. 1, the sensor unit 10 is located on the ventral side of the wearer, whereas when the present sensor sheet 1 is attached to the absorbent article in the opposite direction to the example in Fig. 1, the sensor unit 10 is located on the dorsal side of the wearer. When the sensor sheet 1 is formed separately from the absorbent article and requires attachment to the absorbent article, the position of the sensor unit 10 of the sensor sheet 1 relative to the absorbent article is not necessarily constant. This is due in part to the fact that the outer shape of the sensor sheet 1 is substantially rectangular, as described above. For this reason, the sensor position field stores information indicating the position of the sensor section 10 of the sensor sheet 1 in the absorbent article, which information can identify whether the sensor section 10 is located on the ventral side or the dorsal side.

[0071] 8, the user terminal 70 includes a communication processing unit 81, a determination unit 82, an information management unit 83, a display processing unit 84, etc. These software elements (processing modules) are realized, for example, by the CPU 71 executing a computer program stored in the memory 72. This computer program may be installed from a portable recording medium such as a memory card or from another computer on a network via a communication unit 75 and stored in the memory 72.

[0072] The communication processing unit 81 performs wireless communication with the RFID reader 60 via the communication unit 75. The communication processing unit 81 can receive the sensor ID transmitted from the RFID reader 60. When the RFID reader 60 transmits no-response information, the communication processing unit 81 can also receive the no-response information. The communication processing unit 81 may also transmit an instruction signal to the RFID reader 60 to output radio waves for the RFID tag. In this case, the communication processing unit 81 may generate the no-response information when the sensor ID is not received from the RFID reader 60 even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the instruction signal was transmitted to the RFID reader 60. As described above, the communication processing unit 81 of the user terminal 70 and the RFID reader 60 correspond to a communication processing means for performing wireless communication with the sensor unit.

[0073] The determination unit 82 determines the wetness state of the absorbent article based on the sensor ID or no-response information received from the RFID reader 60 by the communication processing unit 81. Therefore, the determination unit 82 corresponds to a determination means that determines the wetness of the absorbent article depending on the state of wireless communication with the sensor unit 10 in the communication processing means.

[0074] Specifically, the determination unit 82 holds the wearer ID and sensor ID of the currently designated wearer, and when a sensor ID is received from the RFID reader 60, it compares the received sensor ID with the currently designated sensor ID that is held, and if the two sensor IDs match, it determines that the wearer is not wet. In addition, if the two sensor IDs do not match, it is considered that wireless communication is being performed with an unintended sensor unit 10 of the sensor sheet 1, and the judgment unit 82 may instruct the display processing unit 84 to display an error message.

[0075] According to the present sensor sheet 1, the sensor unit 10 may be located on the back side or the ventral side of the absorbent article, and therefore, if the RFID reader 60 is oriented toward the back side or the ventral side, which is different from the position of the sensor unit 10, no-response information may be received from the RFID reader 60 even though the absorbent article is not wet. Hereinafter, the no-response information received in this case will be referred to as incorrect position no-response information. However, when no-response information is received, the determining unit 82 cannot determine whether or not this is incorrect position no-response information.

[0076] Therefore, when no-response information is received, the determination unit 82 notifies the display processing unit 84 of that fact. In response to this notification, the display processing unit 84 causes the display unit 73 to display an alert display regarding the relationship between the position of the RFID reader 60 (antenna) relative to the absorbent article and the position of the sensor unit 10. Details of the alert display will be described later. In this case, the determination unit 82 determines whether the sensor ID is wet in accordance with a user operation on the alert display displayed as described above. Specifically, when a specific operation is performed on the alert display, the determination unit 82 determines whether the sensor ID is wet, and when an operation other than the specific operation is performed on the alert display, the determination unit 82 may wait for reception of the sensor ID or no-response information again without making a wetness determination. In this way, even if no response information is received, wetness is not detected immediately, but an alert display such as a prompt to check the position of the RFID reader 60 can be displayed to prevent erroneous detection of wetness. Here, "determining whether the sensor ID is wet" means determining whether the absorbent article including the sensor sheet 1 storing the sensor ID is wet.

[0077] The information management section 83 can access a wearer management DB 91 on the server device 90 by wireless communication via the communication unit 75 . When the care recipient wears the absorbent article with the sensor sheet 1 (including when it is replaced), the information management unit 83 reflects the sensor ID, wearing date and time information, and sensor position information stored in the sensor sheet 1 in the wearer information table of the wearer management DB 91. Specifically, when the absorbent article is worn (including when it is replaced), the information management unit 83 identifies the wearer ID of the target wearer (care recipient) and acquires the sensor ID from the RFID reader 60 via the communication processing unit 81, and sets the newly acquired sensor ID, the date and time information at the time of wearing, and the position information (dorsal side or ventral side) of the sensor unit 10 in the absorbent article in the sensor ID field, wearing time field, and sensor position field of the record including the identified wearer ID stored in the wearer information table.

[0078] In this way, according to this system, the position information of the sensor unit 10 relative to the absorbent article is managed for each wearer, in addition to the sensor ID of the sensor sheet 1 being worn and the time of wearing. By presenting the position information of the sensor unit 10 in this way, it is possible to prevent errors in the position and direction in which the RFID reader 60 is pointed, and to prevent erroneous detection of wetness of the absorbent article.

[0079] The display processing unit 84 controls the display unit 73 to perform various display processes. Specifically, the display processing unit 84 causes the display unit 73 to display the above-mentioned alert display. This alert display is a display that calls attention to the relationship between the position of the RFID reader 60 and the position of the sensor unit 10 relative to the absorbent article. For example, this alert display includes a message such as "The sensors may be attached in reverse positions on the back side and the stomach side. Do you want to change the position of the reader and perform reading again?", as well as a "Confirm" operation button and a "Retry" operation button. In this case, when the "Confirm" operation button is pressed (the specific operation described above), the determination unit 82 determines that the sensor ID is wet, and when the "Retry" operation button is pressed, the determination unit 82 does not determine that the sensor ID is wet and waits for reception of another sensor ID or no-response information. The display processing unit 84 causes the display processing unit 84 to display a notification display of the result of the wetness determination by the determination unit 82.

[0080] In addition, when the care recipient wears the absorbent article with the sensor sheet 1 (including when changing it) and when checking whether the absorbent article is wet, the display processing unit 84 displays a wearer designation display on the display unit 73 to identify the wearer ID of the care recipient (wearer). This wearer designation display includes, for example, a wearer list generated based on the wearer information table of the wearer management DB 91, and an operation of designating one wearer from the list is possible. Also, an operation of searching for one wearer from the wearer list may be possible by inputting the wearer's name. When a user operation is performed on the wearer-designated display, the display processing unit 84 identifies the wearer ID of the designated wearer and the sensor ID associated with that wearer ID, and stores them as the currently designated wearer ID and sensor ID in the determination unit 82. In addition, the display processing unit 84 notifies the information management unit 83 of the identified wearer ID as the wearer ID of the target wearer.

[0081] An example of the operation of the wetness detection system (this system) will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the wetness detection system (present system) when checking for wetness, and FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the wetness detection system (present system) when wearing or changing.

[0082] First, the operation of this system when checking for wetness will be explained using Figure 10. In the user terminal 70, the display processing unit 84 causes the display unit 73 to display a wearer designation display (S101). As described above, the wearer designation display includes a wearer list, and an operation for designating one wearer from the list is possible. When a wearer designation operation is performed on the wearer designation display (S102; YES), the display processing unit 84 identifies the wearer ID and sensor ID of the designated wearer based on the wearer information table of the wearer management DB91, and stores them in the determination unit 82.

[0083] Next, the RFID reader 60 transmits radio waves for the RFID tag from the antenna (S103). The RFID reader 60 may transmit radio waves for the RFID tag in response to reception of an instruction signal from the user terminal 70, or in response to a user operation on an operation button provided on the RFID reader 60. The RFID reader 60 may also transmit radio waves for the RFID tag periodically without such a trigger.

[0084] When the sensor unit 10 (communication unit 15) of the sensor sheet 1 is not in contact with liquid and is operable normally, the RFID reader 60 can receive radio waves output from the sensor unit 10 and acquire the sensor ID from the radio waves. On the other hand, when the sensor unit 10 comes into contact with liquid and the antenna unit 11 or conductor unit 13 is in a disconnected state, the RFID reader 60 cannot acquire the sensor ID. If the RFID reader 60 has successfully received the sensor ID, it transmits the sensor ID to the user terminal 70, and the communication processing unit 81 of the user terminal 70 receives the sensor ID (S104; YES). On the other hand, if the RFID reader 60 has not received the sensor ID, it transmits radio waves for RFID tags again (S103) until the number of retries exceeds the threshold (S105). If the RFID reader 60 has not received the sensor ID until the number of retries exceeds the threshold (S104; NO, S105; YES), it transmits no-response information to the user terminal 70, and the communication processing unit 81 receives the no-response information.

[0085] When the communication processing unit 81 receives the sensor ID, the determination unit 82 determines that the absorbent article of the specified wearer is not wet (S111), and the display processing unit 84 then causes the display unit 73 to display a message informing the wearer that the absorbent article is not wet (S112). Here, when a sensor ID is received, the determination unit 82 may compare the currently designated sensor ID stored with the received sensor ID (not shown). In this case, the determination unit 82 may determine that the sensor is not wet if the two sensor IDs match (S111), and may not perform the wetness determination if the two sensor IDs do not match, and may instruct the display processing unit 84 to display an error message on the display unit 73. In this way, it is possible to prevent erroneous judgment when a sensor ID is obtained from the sensor unit 10 of an unintended sensor sheet 1 that is different from the sensor sheet 1 attached to the absorbent article of the specified wearer.

[0086] When the communication processing unit 81 receives the no-response information, the determination unit 82 notifies the display processing unit 84 of that fact. In response, the display processing unit 84 displays an alert display on the display unit 73 (S106). As described above, this alert display is a display that calls attention to the relationship between the position of the RFID reader 60 and the position of the sensor unit 10 relative to the absorbent article, and includes, for example, a "confirm" operation button and a "retry" operation button.

[0087] When the "Confirm" operation button is pressed (confirm operation), the determination unit 82 determines whether the sensor ID is wet (S108), and the display processing unit 84 causes the display unit 73 to display a message informing that the absorbent article of the specified wearer is wet (S109). On the other hand, when the "retry" operation button is pressed (retry operation), the determination unit 82 does not perform wetness determination and waits for the reception of the sensor ID or no-response information again (S103). At this time, the determination unit 82 may instruct the RFID reader 60 via the communication processing unit 81 to transmit radio waves for the RFID tag.

[0088] In this way, according to this system, if the sensor ID cannot be obtained from the sensor unit 10, an alert is displayed to prompt the user (caregiver) to check that the reading position of the RFID reader 60 is correct, thereby preventing the absorbent article from being mistakenly determined to be wet when it is not.

[0089] Next, the operation of the present system when wearing or changing an absorbent article will be described with reference to FIG. In this case as well, the display processing unit 84 in the user terminal 70 causes the display unit 73 to display the wearer-specified display (S121). The wearer-specified display is as described above. When a wearer designation operation is performed on the wearer designation display (S122; YES), the display processing unit 84 identifies the wearer ID of the designated wearer based on the wearer information table of the wearer management DB91, and stores it in the information management unit 83.

[0090] Next, the RFID reader 60 transmits radio waves for the RFID tag from the antenna (S123). The RFID reader 60 may transmit radio waves for the RFID tag in response to reception of an instruction signal from the user terminal 70, or in response to a user operation on an operation button provided on the RFID reader 60. The RFID reader 60 may also transmit radio waves for the RFID tag periodically without such a trigger.

[0091] In this case, the absorbent article including the sensor sheet 1 is in a new, unworn state, and the RFID reader 60 can be brought close enough to the sensor sheet 1. Therefore, normally, the RFID reader 60 can receive the radio waves output from the sensor unit 10 and obtain the sensor ID from the radio waves (S124; YES). The RFID reader 60 transmits the received sensor ID to the user terminal 70. However, if there is some kind of malfunction in the sensor unit 10, the RFID reader 60 may not be able to receive the sensor ID (S124; NO). In this case, the RFID reader 60 transmits radio waves for the RFID tag (S123) until the number of retries exceeds a threshold (S131), and if the RFID reader 60 is unable to receive the sensor ID until the number of retries exceeds the threshold (S124; NO, S131; YES), it transmits no-response information to the user terminal 70. When the communication processing unit 81 receives the no-response information, the display processing unit 84 displays an error message on the display unit 73 (S132).

[0092] When the communication processing unit 81 receives the sensor ID, the information management unit 83 acquires the sensor ID and specifies the current time as the wearing time (S125), and the display processing unit 84 displays an input screen for the sensor position on the display unit 73 (S126). This input screen is a display screen that allows the user to specify whether the position of the sensor unit 10 relative to the absorbent article is on the ventral side or the dorsal side. When the position information of the sensor unit 10 is input (specified) by a user operation on the input screen (S127; YES), the information management unit 83 sets the received sensor ID, the wearing time identified in (S125), and the input position information of the sensor unit 10 in a record in the wearer information table identified by the wearer ID of the specified wearer (S128).

[0093] In this way, according to this system, when the sensor sheet is worn or changed, the position information of the sensor unit 10 relative to the absorbent article is managed for each wearer, in addition to the sensor ID of the sensor sheet 1 being worn and the time of wearing. By presenting the position information of the sensor unit 10 in this way, it is possible to prevent mistakes in the position or direction in which the RFID reader 60 is pointed, and to prevent erroneous detection of wetness of the absorbent article.

[0094] Although a plurality of steps are shown in order in FIGS. 10 and 11, the order in which the steps are performed is not limited to the illustrated example and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0095] [Variations] The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and may be partially modified as appropriate. For example, in the wetness detection system described above, the RFID reader 60 and the user terminal 70 are formed as separate entities and configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with each other, but the RFID reader 60 and the user terminal 70 may be realized as a single device (hardware). In this case, the user terminal 70 is equipped with an antenna and configured to be able to transmit and receive radio waves for the RFID tag. Furthermore, the RFID reader 60 may be implemented as a stationary type rather than a portable type. Furthermore, in the above-described wetness detection system, an example was shown in which the user terminal 70 is equipped with the determination unit 82, but the server device 90 may be equipped with the determination unit 82, and the user terminal 70 may mainly be equipped with the display processing unit 84. Although the wetness detection system described above is directed to a plurality of care recipients (wearers), it may be directed to a single wearer. In this case, the wearer management DB 91 and the server device 90 are not required, and the process of designating the wearer is also not required.

[0096] Some or all of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be specified as follows: However, the above-described embodiments and modifications are not limited to the following descriptions.

[0097] <1> A wetness detection sensor sheet that is worn as a part of an absorbent article or worn together with an absorbent article and is used to detect wetness of the absorbent article, a sheet-like sensor unit including an antenna unit and a communication unit, which can cause a detection device to detect wetness of the absorbent article by wireless communication; a water guide sheet provided to extend from a specific abdominal region to a specific dorsal region through the crotch region of the wearer when worn; Equipped with the water guide sheet is disposed on one or both sides of the sensor unit, the sensor unit is provided in a region of the water guide sheet closer to the ventral end or the dorsal end than to a crotch region corresponding to the crotch area of ​​the wearer in the longitudinal direction in a plan view. Wetness detection sensor sheet. <2> a water permeable sheet that is overlaid on the sensor unit and the water guide sheet and arranged so that the water guide sheet is contained within the plane in a plan view; a slippage prevention sheet provided on the surface of the water permeable sheet opposite to the water guide sheet, the slippage prevention sheet preventing the wetness detection sensor sheet from slipping relative to the absorbent article; Further provided with The anti-slip sheet has an area such that the area overlapping with the sensor unit in a plan view occupies the majority of the area. the above <1> The wetness detection sensor sheet according to claim 1. <3> The anti-slip sheet is provided so as to fit within the plane of the sensor unit in a plan view. the above <2> The leak detection sensor sheet according to claim 1. <4> a water-absorbing member disposed between the water-guiding sheet and the sensor unit; Further provided with The sensor unit is configured such that a part of the antenna unit or a conductor connecting the communication unit and the antenna unit is disconnected depending on the water absorption state of the water absorbing member. the above <1> from <3> 10. The wetness detection sensor sheet according to claim 9, wherein the wetness detection sensor sheet is a wetness detection sensor sheet. <5> the above <4> A wetness detection sensor sheet set including a plurality of the wetness detection sensor sheets according to The water-absorbing members of the wetness detection sensor sheets have different water absorption amounts at which the sensor units are disconnected. Wetness detection sensor sheet set. <6> the above <4> A wetness detection system capable of wireless communication with the wetness detection sensor sheet according to the present invention, a communication processing means for wirelessly communicating with the sensor unit via an antenna; a determining means for determining whether the absorbent article is wet in accordance with a state of wireless communication between the communication processing means and the sensor unit; a display processing means for displaying an alert display on a display unit regarding a relationship between a position of the antenna relative to the absorbent article and a position of the sensor unit when the wireless communication state indicates a specific communication state corresponding to the disconnection state of the sensor unit; Equipped with the determination means determines whether the absorbent article is wet in response to a user operation in response to the alert display displayed on the display unit when the wireless communication state indicates the specific communication state. Wetness detection system. <7> the above <4> A wetness detection system capable of wireless communication with the wetness detection sensor sheet according to the present invention, a communication processing means for wirelessly communicating with the sensor unit; a determining means for determining whether the absorbent article is wet in accordance with a state of wireless communication between the communication processing means and the sensor unit; an information management means capable of accessing an information storage unit that stores, for each wearer of the absorbent article, wearer identification information, wearing time information, sensor identification information, and position information of the sensor unit in the absorbent article; Equipped with the sensor unit holds sensor identification information, the communication processing means is capable of acquiring the sensor identification information from the sensor unit via wireless communication; The information management means When the absorbent article is worn, wearer identification information of a target wearer is identified, and the communication processing means is caused to acquire sensor identification information from the sensor unit; storing the acquired sensor identification information, wearing time information, and position information of the sensor unit in the absorbent article in association with the specified wearer identification information in the information storage unit; Wetness detection system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1 Wetness detection sensor sheet (this sensor sheet) 2. Wearer's side permeable sheet 3. Outer permeable sheet 4. Water conduction sheet 5. Water-absorbing sheet 6. Water-absorbing and expanding materials 7 Anti-slip sheet 10 Sensor section 11 Antenna section 13 Conductor section 14a, 14b Missing parts 15 Communications Department 50 Urine Absorbent Pads 51 Ventral part 52 Dorsal part 53 Connecting part 55 absorber 57 Three-dimensional gathers 60 RFID readers 70 User terminals 71 CPU 72 memory 73 Display Unit 74 Touch Sensor 75 Communication Unit 81 Communication processing unit 82 Judgment section 83 Information Management Department 84 Display processing section 90 Server equipment 91 Wearer Management Database (DB) 100, 103 Base material 104 Soluble layer 111a, 111b wide section 112a, 112b zigzag section 131a, 131b, 132a, 132b Linear pattern components 133 Connecting part 134a, 134b, 135a, 135b, 136a, 136b, 137a, 137b, 138a, 138b Annular pattern components 171a, 171b, 172a, 172b, 173a, 173b Bridge section

Claims

1. A wetness detection sensor sheet that is worn as a part of an absorbent article or worn together with an absorbent article and is used to detect wetness of the absorbent article, a sheet-like sensor unit including an antenna unit and a communication unit, which can cause a detection device to detect wetness of the absorbent article by wireless communication; a water guide sheet provided to extend from a specific abdominal region to a specific dorsal region through the crotch region of the wearer when worn; Equipped with the water guide sheet is disposed on one or both sides of the sensor unit, the sensor unit is provided in a region of the water guide sheet closer to the ventral end or the dorsal end than to a crotch region corresponding to the crotch area of ​​the wearer in the longitudinal direction in a plan view. Wetness detection sensor sheet.

2. a water permeable sheet that is overlaid on the sensor unit and the water guide sheet and arranged so that the water guide sheet is contained within the plane in a plan view; a slippage prevention sheet provided on the surface of the water permeable sheet opposite to the water guide sheet, the slippage prevention sheet preventing the wetness detection sensor sheet from slipping relative to the absorbent article; Further provided with The anti-slip sheet has an area such that the area overlapping with the sensor unit in a plan view occupies the majority of the area. The wetness detection sensor sheet according to claim 1 .

3. The anti-slip sheet is provided so as to fit within the plane of the sensor unit in a plan view. The leak detection sensor sheet according to claim 2 .

4. a water-absorbing member disposed between the water-guiding sheet and the sensor unit; Further provided with The sensor unit is configured such that a part of the antenna unit or a conductor connecting the communication unit and the antenna unit is disconnected depending on the water absorption state of the water absorbing member. The wetness detection sensor sheet according to claim 1 .

5. A wetness detection sensor sheet set including a plurality of wetness detection sensor sheets according to claim 4, The water-absorbing members of the wetness detection sensor sheets have different water absorption amounts at which the sensor units are disconnected. Wetness detection sensor sheet set.

6. A wetness detection system capable of wireless communication with the wetness detection sensor sheet according to claim 4, a communication processing means for wirelessly communicating with the sensor unit via an antenna; a determining means for determining whether the absorbent article is wet in accordance with a state of wireless communication between the communication processing means and the sensor unit; a display processing means for displaying an alert display on a display unit regarding a relationship between a position of the antenna relative to the absorbent article and a position of the sensor unit when the wireless communication state indicates a specific communication state corresponding to the disconnection state of the sensor unit; Equipped with the determination means determines whether the absorbent article is wet in response to a user operation in response to the alert display displayed on the display unit when the wireless communication state indicates the specific communication state. Wetness detection system.

7. A wetness detection system capable of wireless communication with the wetness detection sensor sheet according to claim 4, a communication processing means for wirelessly communicating with the sensor unit; a determining means for determining whether the absorbent article is wet in accordance with a state of wireless communication between the communication processing means and the sensor unit; an information management means capable of accessing an information storage unit that stores, for each wearer of the absorbent article, wearer identification information, wearing time information, sensor identification information, and position information of the sensor unit in the absorbent article; Equipped with the sensor unit holds sensor identification information, the communication processing means is capable of acquiring the sensor identification information from the sensor unit via wireless communication; The information management means When the absorbent article is worn, wearer identification information of a target wearer is identified, and the communication processing means is caused to acquire sensor identification information from the sensor unit; storing the acquired sensor identification information, wearing time information, and position information of the sensor unit in the absorbent article in association with the specified wearer identification information in the information storage unit; Wetness detection system.

Images