Care Schedule Proposal Device for Absorbent Article Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current care schedule systems for senior care-receivers and infants using absorbent articles fail to efficiently manage urination amounts, often leading to unnecessary changes or the use of excessively absorbent products, which can impair the quality of life and increase caregiver burden.
Innovation Solution
A care schedule proposal device and system that includes a urination data storage unit, absorbent article information storage, and a changing schedule proposal unit, which computes and outputs a schedule for changing absorbent articles based on urination amount data and absorption capacity, ensuring the absorbency matches the urination needs without excessive absorption capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If absorbent articles with large absorption capacity are used to prevent leakage, then reliability of leakage prevention is improved, but the bulkiness impairs quality of life for care-receivers
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the absorption capacity parameter of absorbent articles based on monitored urination patterns. By adjusting the absorption capacity to match actual urination amounts rather than using fixed large-capacity articles, the system prevents leakage while reducing bulkiness and improving care-receiver comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables absorbent article selection to serve itself by automatically monitoring urination patterns and determining appropriate absorption capacity requirements, eliminating the need for manual assessment and optimization by caregivers.
2Ease of operation
If absorbent articles are changed frequently to ensure dryness, then comfort of care-receiver is improved, but caregiver burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces feedback by continuously monitoring urination patterns and using this information to determine optimal changing times. This feedback loop allows the system to recommend changing only when necessary, maintaining care-receiver comfort while significantly reducing unnecessary changing operations and caregiver burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of urination patterns to predict when changing will be necessary, allowing caregivers to plan changing schedules in advance rather than responding reactively, thus optimizing the balance between comfort and workload.
3Loss of time
If absorbent articles are changed less frequently to reduce caregiver burden, then loss of time for caregiver is reduced, but risk of leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing feedback-based monitoring of urination patterns, the system accurately determines the maximum intervals at which articles can be changed without risking leakage. This allows extending changing intervals safely while maintaining leakage prevention, thereby reducing caregiver burden without compromising reliability.
4Reliability
If absorbent articles with excessive absorption capacity are used, then leakage prevention is improved, but cost and resource utilization worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the absorption capacity parameter of selected absorbent articles to match actual urination amounts rather than consistently using high-capacity articles. This optimization ensures adequate leakage prevention while reducing waste of absorbent material and associated costs.
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
This system allows for the efficient use of absorbent articles with absorbency matching the urination amount, reducing leakage risks and caregiver burden, while preventing the use of bulkier products that can impair the quality of life for care-receivers.
Implementation Method 1
an absorbent article that absorbs urine
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a urination data storage unit, an absorbent article information storage unit, a changeable time storage unit, and a changing schedule proposal unit. The changing schedule proposal unit includes a changing schedule computation unit and a changing schedule outputting unit. The changing schedule computation unit finds, on the basis of urination amount data and urination time instant data stored in the urination data storage unit, a total urination amount within a predetermined time period selected from changeable time instants stored in the changeable time storage unit, and performs, by comparing the total urination amount that has been found and the urine absorption capacity of an absorbent article, computation for finding the absorbent article or the predetermined time period such that the urine absorption capacity does not fall below the total urination amount.