Sensing system using ultra-low-power micro ammonia gas sensor

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a care recipient management system using a smart diaper sensor. The care recipient management system according to one embodiment of the present invention provides a many-to-one care recipient management system which enables a manager to immediately manage care recipients on the many-to-one system and, simultaneously, provides condition information about the care recipient to a guardian, thereby providing efficiency and high reliability.

Description

Sensing system using an ultra-small, ultra-low-power ammonia gas sensor

[0001] The present invention relates to a caregiver management system, and more particularly, to a caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor.

[0002] A smart sensor is a sensor that combines logic, judgment, and communication functions with basic sensors that detect information such as pressure, temperature, acceleration, and biosignals from the object to be measured and convert them into electrical signals, enabling decision-making. These smart sensors are applied in various industries such as measuring instruments, automobiles, mobile devices, home appliances, medical devices, and environmental devices, and their use is gradually expanding as we evolve into the era of IoT, where all objects exchange data. In addition, the market for smart diaper sensors for the elderly and children is gradually growing and is expected to have a positive impact on related markets.

[0003] Meanwhile, the growing elderly population is increasing hospital workloads, placing a greater burden on caregivers and other administrators, and eroding caregivers' trust in hospitals. In particular, existing nursing hospitals require caregivers to check diapers for patients at regular intervals. This interrupts patients' sleep and reduces administrator efficiency. Consequently, there is a lack of an efficient management system to address these issues within hospitals and facilities.

[0004] (Patent Document 1) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2456423

[0005] The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems of the prior art by devising a real-time caregiver management system utilizing smart diaper sensors. This system utilizes multiple smart diaper sensors to detect the wearer's condition, allowing administrators to receive diaper change information in real time while also allowing caregivers to periodically check care history. This system simultaneously enables efficient, multi-to-one caregiver management and enhances caregiver trust.

[0006] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0007] In order to achieve the above technical task, one embodiment of the present invention provides a caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a caregiver management system is characterized by including: a plurality of smart diaper sensors mounted on a diaper to detect the status of each wearer and generate a sensor signal; one or more relay units that receive the sensor signals generated by the plurality of smart diaper sensors and generate sensor data; a management server that receives the sensor data from the relay unit, determines status information of the wearer from the sensor data, generates first status information and second status information, and manages the same; an administrator terminal that is connected to the management server through a network under the control of a pre-installed administrator app and receives first status information from the management server; and a guardian terminal that is connected to the management server through a network under the control of a pre-installed guardian app and receives second status information from the management server.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the management server may be a caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that it includes a sensor data receiving unit that receives sensor data provided from the relay unit; an alarm generating unit that receives sensor data from the sensor data receiving unit and generates first status information and second status information; a management data generating and managing unit that receives sensor data from the sensor data receiving unit, receives first status information and second status information from the alarm generating unit, and manages the sensor data, first status information, and second status information; and a network linking unit that receives the first status information and the second status information from the alarm generating unit and can transmit the first status information to the administrator terminal and the second status information to the guardian terminal through a network.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the smart diaper sensor may include a function of detecting the wearer's bowel movements and generating a sensor signal.

[0011] At this time, the smart diaper sensor may be characterized as a sensor that detects gas generated from the wearer's excrement.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the management server may be a caregiver management system using a diaper sensor, characterized in that it generates first status information whenever the wearer's bowel movements are detected by the smart diaper sensor.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first status information may be a caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that it includes diaper change information of the wearer.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the management server may be a caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor characterized in that it periodically generates second status information.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the management server may be a caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that it generates second status information once a day.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the second status information may be a caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that it includes diaper change information of the wearer.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a smart diaper sensor detects sensor signals from the wearer of a diaper and transmits real-time information on the status of the caregiver. This allows for immediate management of the caregiver within a multi-to-one system, thereby increasing the work efficiency of the administrator. Furthermore, from the guardian's perspective, the information on the caregiver's status is transmitted via a caregiver app, increasing their sense of security and trust in the facility, which in turn has the effect of positively addressing existing social issues.

[0018] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a diaper sensor capable of detecting the wearer's bowel movements can be attached. Since such a sensor only reacts when it detects bowel movements, unlike existing diaper changing systems, caregivers do not need to wait for the existing changing cycle time even if they bowel movements immediately after changing the diaper, thereby reducing the interruption of rest periods caused by diaper changes. Furthermore, from the manager's perspective, when bowel movements are detected, the system of the present invention immediately transmits change information, eliminating the need to change diapers at each existing changing cycle time. Since this process is performed on a one-to-many basis, work efficiency is dramatically increased. From an economic perspective, it also has the characteristic of reducing unnecessary diaper purchase and disposal costs by reducing the number of diapers used.

[0019] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the detailed description of the present invention or the composition of the invention described in the claims.

[0020] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating a caregiver management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 is a drawing exemplarily showing a caregiver management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various different forms and is therefore not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, irrelevant parts have been omitted for clarity of description, and similar parts have been designated with similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0023] Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected (connected, contacted, or coupled)" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected," but also cases where it is "indirectly connected" with another part in between. Furthermore, when a part is said to "include" a component, this does not exclude other components, but rather implies that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0024] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0026] A caregiver management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0027]

[0028] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating a caregiver management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] A caregiver management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including a smart diaper sensor (100), a relay unit (200), a management server (300), an administrator terminal (400), and a guardian terminal (500) as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0030] First, in the present invention, "care recipients" refer to those cared for by "managers." Examples include, but are not limited to, elderly people in nursing facilities or patients in hospitals. Furthermore, "managers" refer to those who care for and manage these care recipients. Examples include, but are not limited to, caregivers in nursing facilities or nurses and staff in hospitals. The invention will be described below based on the terms defined above.

[0031] In the above system, a smart diaper sensor (100) is mounted on diapers worn by multiple users, detects the condition of each user, and generates a sensor signal. The generated sensor signal is transmitted to a relay unit (200) that generates sensor data. In this case, the smart diaper sensor (100) may be a sensor that includes a function to detect the user's bowel movements and generate a sensor signal.

[0032] The above sensor (100) may include one or more sensors used in the art, and may include, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a gas sensor, a capacitance sensor, a gyro sensor, a magnetic field sensor, and an acceleration sensor, and in particular, may include a gas sensor that detects gas generated from excrement. Such a gas sensor may be, for example, a diaper sensor based on a chalcogenide compound. In addition, the gas sensor may be a sensor that detects one or more selected from the group consisting of ammonia, methane, sulfur, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide.

[0033] At this time, the configuration of the gas sensor may include, for example, a sensor unit having one or more sensors capable of detecting the excrement, and a control unit that is connected to the sensor unit wirelessly or by wire to control the sensor unit, wherein the sensor unit includes a first case having a plurality of first penetration holes through which gas can flow in, a first surface in contact with the outer surface of the diaper, and a protrusion forming a first space formed on a second surface which is the back surface of the first surface, and a second case having a second space formed inside in a cap shape that can cover the protrusion, and a plurality of second penetration holes formed therein, and the sensor may be a diaper sensor characterized in that the sensor is arranged in the first space so as to face the plurality of first penetration holes, and the gas flowing into the plurality of first penetration holes sequentially passes through the first space and the second space and is discharged to the outside through the plurality of second penetration holes, and the penetration area of ​​the plurality of first penetration holes is formed larger than the penetration area of ​​the plurality of second penetration holes.

[0034] In the above system, the relay unit (200) receives the sensor signal generated by the smart diaper sensor (100) and generates sensor data. One or more of these relay units may be formed, and for example, one may be placed in each room where a number of care recipients reside in the facility. When the diaper sensor detects the condition of each wearer and generates a sensor signal, the relay unit may receive the generated sensor signals by integrating them and generate sensor data.

[0035] In the above system, the management server (300) receives the sensor data from the relay unit (200), determines the wearer's current status from the sensor data, and generates new status information. This new status information can be expressed as first status information and second status information, and the above-described status information is transmitted to the administrator terminal (400) and guardian terminal (500), which will be described later, respectively.

[0036] At this time, the first status information is transmitted to the administrator terminal (400) described later, and may include information necessary for the administrator to efficiently manage the care recipient. For example, the management server may generate the first status information whenever the wearer's bowel movements are detected by the smart diaper sensor. In the case of the above example, the first status information may include the wearer's diaper change information. For example, the first status information may include diaper change information that is transmitted in real time to the administrator with the content of "Please change Grandma OOO's diaper" whenever the wearer's bowel movements are detected.

[0037] On the other hand, the second status information is transmitted to the guardian terminal (500) described later, and may include information necessary for the guardian to determine the level of care for the person being cared for at the hospital or facility. For example, the management server may periodically generate the second status information, and the cycle may be once a day. In addition, in the case of the above example, the second status information may include the care status information of the wearer. For example, the second status information may include care status information such as an alarm message periodically transmitted to the guardian with the content “Grandma OOO is having a healthy day today,” for example, once a day.

[0038] At this time, the management server (300) may be configured to include a sensor data receiving unit; an alarm generating unit; a management data generating and managing unit; and a network linking unit.

[0039] Specifically, the sensor data receiving unit performs a role of receiving sensor data provided from the relay unit (200). The alarm generating unit performs a role of receiving sensor data from the sensor data receiving unit and generating first status information and second status information. The management data generating and managing unit receives sensor data from the sensor data receiving unit, receives first status information and second status information from the alarm generating unit, and performs a role of comprehensively managing the sensor data, first status information, and second status information. The network linking unit receives the first status information and second status information from the alarm generating unit, and transmits the first status information to the administrator terminal (400) and the second status information to the guardian terminal (500) via a network.

[0040] Finally, in the above system, the administrator terminal (400) is connected to the management server (300) via a network under the control of the pre-installed administrator app (App) and receives the first status information from the management server (300). In addition, the guardian terminal (500) is connected to the management server (300) via a network under the control of the pre-installed administrator app (App) and receives the second status information from the management server. The status information received is as described above.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a diagram exemplarily illustrating a caregiver management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the caregiver management system according to one embodiment of the present invention may be composed of a plurality of smart diaper sensors (100) attached to a plurality of caregivers, one or more relay units (200) receiving sensor signals from the smart diaper sensors (100), a management server (300), an administrator terminal (400), and a guardian terminal (500).

[0042] According to the care recipient management system of the present invention, the sensor signals detected by the wearer of a diaper equipped with a smart diaper sensor are used to receive real-time information on the care recipient's status, thereby enabling immediate management of the care recipient in a multi-to-one system, thereby increasing the manager's work efficiency. Furthermore, from the guardian's perspective, the information on the care recipient's status is transmitted through the guardian app, thereby increasing the level of security and trust in the facility, and thereby positively resolving existing social problems.

[0043] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a diaper sensor capable of detecting the wearer's bowel movements can be attached. Since such a sensor only reacts when it detects bowel movements, unlike existing diaper changing systems in hospitals or facilities, care recipients do not need to wait for the existing changing cycle time even if they use the diaper immediately after changing the diaper, thereby reducing the disruption of rest periods caused by diaper changes. Furthermore, from the manager's perspective, when bowel movements are detected, the system of the present invention immediately transmits change information, eliminating the need to change diapers at each existing changing cycle time. Since this process is performed on a one-to-many basis, work efficiency is dramatically increased. From an economic perspective, it also has the characteristic of reducing unnecessary diaper purchase and disposal costs by reducing the number of diapers used.

[0044] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined manner.

[0045] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Multiple smart diaper sensors mounted on the diaper that detect the condition of each wearer and generate sensor signals; One or more relay units that receive sensor signals generated from the above plurality of smart diaper sensors and generate sensor data; A management server that receives the sensor data from the relay unit, determines the wearer's status information from the sensor data, generates first status information and second status information, and manages the same; An administrator terminal that is connected to the management server through a network under the control of an already installed administrator app and receives the first status information from the management server; and A guardian terminal connected to the management server through a network under the control of an already installed guardian app, and receiving the second status information from the management server; A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized by including:

2. In paragraph 1, The above management server, A sensor data receiving unit that receives sensor data provided from the above relay unit; An alarm generation unit that receives sensor data from the sensor data receiving unit and generates first status information and second status information; A management data generation and management unit that receives sensor data from the sensor data receiving unit, receives first status information and second status information from the alarm generating unit, and manages the sensor data, first status information, and second status information; and A network linkage unit that receives first status information and second status information from the alarm generation unit and can transmit the first status information to the administrator terminal and the second status information to the guardian terminal through a network; A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized by including:

3. In paragraph 1, A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that the smart diaper sensor includes a function of detecting the wearer's bowel movements and generating a sensor signal.

4. In paragraph 3, A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that the smart diaper sensor is a sensor that detects gas generated from the wearer's excrement.

5. In paragraph 4, A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that the smart diaper sensor detects at least one selected from the group consisting of ammonia, methane, sulfur, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide.

6. In paragraph 3, A caregiver management system using a diaper sensor, characterized in that the management server generates first status information whenever the wearer's bowel movements are detected by the smart diaper sensor.

7. In paragraph 6, A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that the first status information includes information on changing the wearer's diaper.

8. In paragraph 1, A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that the management server periodically generates second status information.

9. In paragraph 8, A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that the above management server generates second status information once a day.

10. In paragraph 8, A caregiver management system using a smart diaper sensor, characterized in that the second status information includes the care status information of the wearer.

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