Urination Sensor with Air-Passage Openings for Shrinkage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable articles with urination sensors face challenges in manufacturing due to sheet shrinkage during the drying of electroconductive ink and lack of air permeability, which affects the accuracy and efficiency of urination detection.
Innovation Solution
A sensor-equipped wearable article with a urination sensor featuring a resin film printing substrate and planar printed electrodes made from electroconductive ink, where the substrate is bonded to an electrically insulating, sparingly liquid-permeable sheet with air-passage openings to prevent shrinkage and maintain air permeability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electroconductive ink is applied directly to the wearable article sheet to form sensor elements, then the urination detection function is achieved, but the sheet shrinks during drying which reduces manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the system into two separate components: a printing substrate (separate from the wearable article sheet) where the electroconductive ink is applied to form sensor elements, and the wearable article sheet itself. This segmentation prevents the sheet from shrinking during ink drying while still enabling urination detection through the attached sensor elements on the printing substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing substrate acts as an intermediary between the electroconductive ink and the wearable article sheet. The ink is applied to the printing substrate rather than directly to the sheet, and the printing substrate is then attached to the sheet. This intermediary structure allows the sensor elements to function while preventing dimensional changes in the wearable article sheet during the drying process.
2Reliability
If the wearable article sheet is made electrically insulating to protect sensor elements, then electrical safety is improved, but air permeability is reduced affecting wearer comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the necessary portions of the structure electrically insulating (the wearable article sheet and printing substrate) while maintaining air permeability through controlled openings. The adhesive application sections are designed to provide localized insulation where needed while preserving breathability in other areas, thus balancing electrical safety with wearer comfort.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensor elements are attached to the wearable article to detect urination, then detection accuracy is improved, but the complexity of attaching and positioning sensors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensor elements onto a single printing substrate before attaching the entire assembly to the wearable article. This combining approach maintains the detection accuracy of multiple sensors while significantly reducing attachment complexity, as the pre-assembled sensor array is attached as one unit rather than individually mounting each sensor element.
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 solution effectively suppresses sheet shrinkage and enhances urination detection accuracy without impairing air permeability, allowing for efficient and reliable urination monitoring in wearable articles.
Implementation Method 1
there is a high correlativity between the amount of change in output by a capacitance sensor and the spreading area of urine in the wearable article
Implementation Method 2
The printing substrate is bonded to the one sheet by the adhesive applied to the cover sheet
Data Source
AI summary
A urination sensor includes: a printing substrate made of a resin film; and a plurality of planar printed electrodes made by an electroconductive ink applied to the printing substrate. The urination sensor is provided with a section where the printing substrate is not present, the section being provided between the plurality of planar printed electrodes. The urination sensor, including the section where the printing substrate is not present, is covered by a cover sheet. A backsheet is an electrically insulating, sparingly liquid-permeable substrate, and the printing substrate is an electrically insulating substrate. Non-application sections are present on the surface of the cover sheet to which an adhesive is applied, and the section where the printing substrate is not present forms an air-passage opening which retains an air-passage function with the non-application sections where the adhesive is not applied.