Urine Treatment System Vacuum Pump Corrosion Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automatic urine treatment systems face issues such as vacuum pump corrosion due to moisture transfer, skin troubles from incomplete urine collection, and lack of remote health monitoring for long-term care patients.
Innovation Solution
An automatic urine treatment system with a receiver, urine tank, vacuum pump, and sensors for moisture and urine analysis, incorporating plant-derived extracts in filters to prevent skin issues and a gas sensor unit to prevent vacuum pump corrosion, along with a strip for urine component analysis and optical sensors for health monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If water vapor is transferred from the urine tank to the vacuum tank along the connecting hose, then the vacuum tank can collect excrement gases, but moisture condenses inside the vacuum tank causing corrosion of the vacuum pump
Solution Approach 1:
A gas sensor unit is installed in the connecting hose between the urine tank and vacuum tank to detect moisture. When moisture is detected, the system activates a heating element to evaporate the condensate, preventing corrosion of the vacuum pump while allowing the vacuum tank to continue collecting excrement gases effectively
2Reliability
If negative pressure is applied to the receiver to transfer urine to the urine tank, then most urine can be collected, but small amounts of urine and sweat may remain causing skin troubles
Solution Approach 1:
A weight sensor is installed in the receiver to detect the weight of excrement in real-time. When the weight exceeds a predetermined threshold indicating residual urine or sweat, the system automatically activates a heating element to evaporate the remaining moisture, preventing skin irritation while ensuring complete urine collection
3Loss of information
If a strip for urine analysis is mounted in the urine tank with optical sensors, then health monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single optical sensor unit serves multiple functions: it detects the color of the strip for urine component analysis, measures the weight of excrement through integration with the weight sensor, and monitors the overall state of the receiver. This multi-functional approach enables comprehensive health monitoring while minimizing the increase in device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic urine treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a receiver for receiving wearer's excrement; a main body including a urine tank for receiving and storing urine from the receiver, and a vacuum pump for sucking air into the urine tank and transferring a negative pressure to the receiver; and a first connecting hose connecting the receiver and the urine tank. A strip accommodation unit for accommodating a strip for analyzing components of the stored urine through color change is formed inside the urine tank, and on the outer surface of the urine tank, urine analysis is performed using a first optical sensor unit for sensing color change of the strip, and a second optical sensor unit for sensing at least one among turbidity and color change of the stored urine. There is an advantage of being able to confirm the health condition of disabled or elderly people in real-time through the urine information analyzed in this way.