Implantable Artificial Bladder with Valve and Sensor Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Victims of bladder cancer and other ailments often rely on cumbersome and inconvenient external urine bags, which can be damaged and cause mental stress, embarrassment, and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
An artificial bladder system comprising an implantable bladder with a valve, sensors, an alert mechanism, and a control pack, allowing for urine collection and storage, orientation-independent operation, and automatic emptying alerts, minimizing external components and ensuring bladder control in various positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external urine bags are used to collect urine, then urine collection is achieved, but the device becomes cumbersome and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the urine collection function into separate components: an implantable bladder for storage, an external control pack for management, and wireless communication for control. This segmentation allows the bulk of the system to be internal while keeping external components minimal and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the control and management functions from the urine collection system itself, placing them in a separate external control pack. This allows the implantable portion to be simple and reliable while external handling is optimized for convenience.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bladder is designed to function in any orientation, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to different orientations by using wireless communication and electronic control to adjust valve operation and alert mechanisms based on the user's position, rather than requiring complex mechanical orientation-sensing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The control pack serves multiple functions: it controls the valve, receives wireless alerts, manages power, and communicates with the implantable bladder. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components for each function.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are positioned at different locations to detect urine levels in any orientation, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is segmented into multiple independently positioned sensors that each detect local urine levels. By distributing sensors at different locations within the bladder, the system achieves comprehensive coverage and orientation-independent measurement without requiring a single complex sensor system.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensors provide continuous feedback about urine levels at different positions within the bladder. This feedback enables the control system to accurately determine fill status regardless of orientation, as at least one sensor will always be positioned to detect the current urine level.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The artificial bladder system provides users with full bladder control, reduces the risk of damage and stress, and ensures accurate urine level detection in any orientation, with automatic alerts and fail-safe mechanisms for efficient urine management.
Implementation Method 1
The valve may also be weighted so that gravity biases the valve toward a closed position
Implementation Method 2
In one embodiment, the valve includes a spring or similar biasing element for biasing the valve toward an open or closed position
Implementation Method 3
The sensors are positioned in various locations in the chamber for sensing urine levels in the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
An artificial bladder system including an implantable bladder, a valve, a number of sensors, and an alert mechanism. The implantable bladder includes an outer wall forming a chamber for collecting urine of a user, the outer wall including inflow openings and an outflow opening. The valve is integrated with the outflow opening to selectively allow urine to flow from the chamber through the outflow opening. The sensors are configured to detect a urine level in the chamber. The alert mechanism is configured to generate a sensory output to alert the user that the bladder should be emptied upon detection of the urine level in the chamber by one of the sensors.