Bladder Volume and Muscle Signal Notification System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients in care settings face challenges in safely exiting their beds to urinate due to the risk of falls or injuries, necessitating a system to generate notifications based on bladder volume and muscle signals to predict the need for urination.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a processor, bladder electrical and volume measurement electrodes, and muscle measurement electrodes that output electrical signals to receive and process bladder volume and muscle signals, generating notifications based on these signals to predict the need for a bed exit, utilizing both signals to enhance notification reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bladder volume monitoring alone is used to generate notifications, then the system complexity is reduced, but the reliability of notifications decreases due to false alerts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines bladder volume monitoring and bladder muscle signal monitoring into a single integrated system. The processor receives both bladder volume signals (indicating bladder fullness) and bladder muscle signals (indicating muscle contraction/urge), then generates notifications only when both conditions are satisfied. This merging of multiple monitoring functions resolves the contradiction by improving notification reliability through multi-parameter verification while managing system complexity through integrated hardware and unified processing logic.
2Reliability
If multiple signal types are combined to improve notification reliability, then false alerts are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs electrodes with multi-functionality: the same electrode array serves both for measuring bladder volume (through impedance changes) and for detecting bladder muscle electrical signals (through action potential detection). This universal use of electrodes resolves the contradiction by reducing the need for separate dedicated sensors, thereby managing device complexity while still achieving improved notification reliability through combined signal analysis.
3Measurement precision
If bladder volume monitoring is used, then the system can detect bladder fullness, but false notifications may occur without muscle signal confirmation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the processor continuously monitors both bladder volume signals and bladder muscle signals, and uses this feedback to dynamically control notification generation. The system only generates a notification when the feedback from both signal types confirms the need (bladder fullness indicated by volume signal AND urge indicated by muscle signal). This feedback-based decision logic resolves the contradiction by ensuring measurement precision is translated into reliable notifications through cross-verification.
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 system effectively increases the reliability of notifications by combining bladder volume and muscle signals, reducing false alerts and enabling timely assistance to prevent falls or injuries by predicting the need for urination.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of bladder electrical signal application electrodes communicatively coupled to the processor, a plurality of bladder volume measurement electrodes communicatively coupled to the processor
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of bladder muscle measurement electrodes communicatively coupled to the processor
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for generating notifications based on bladder volume signals and bladder muscle signals are disclosed. A system includes a processor, a plurality of bladder electrical signal application electrodes, a plurality of bladder volume measurement electrodes, a plurality of bladder muscle measurement electrodes, a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor, and machine readable instructions stored in the memory module. When executed by the processor, the machine readable instructions cause the system to output a first electrical output signal with the plurality of bladder electrical signal application electrodes, receive the bladder volume signal at the plurality of bladder volume measurement electrodes in response to the first electrical output signal, receive the bladder muscle signal at the plurality of bladder muscle measurement electrodes, and generate the notification based on the bladder volume signal and the bladder muscle signal.