Uroflowmetry Device with Paddle Wheel Sensor for Home Biofeedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current uroflowmetry devices for children with lower urinary tract symptoms are cumbersome, require frequent clinical visits, and create an uncomfortable environment, making it difficult for patients to relax and urinate, especially when using patch EMG electrodes.
Innovation Solution
A uroflowmetry device with a funnel, sensor, and paddle wheel that measures urine flowrate and transmits real-time data to a smart device for feedback, allowing patients to practice muscle control in the comfort of their home, using a smartphone app for visual or interactive biofeedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional uroflowmetry devices with EMG electrodes are used in a clinical setting, then uroflowmetry parameters can be measured, but patient comfort deteriorates and relaxation during voiding becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the uncomfortable EMG electrodes and clinical setting requirements from the uroflowmetry measurement system. The invention uses only a funnel, beaker, and scale that can be used in a home bathroom environment, extracting the essential measurement function while eliminating the discomfort-causing elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows patients to perform uroflowmetry measurements independently at home without requiring clinical staff or specialized equipment setup. The simple funnel-beaker-scale system can be easily assembled and used by patients themselves, enabling self-service measurements that improve comfort and convenience.
2Reliability
If multiple biofeedback sessions are conducted at a physician's office every week, then abnormal pelvic floor activity can be corrected, but patient time loss increases due to missed school
Solution Approach 1:
The home-based uroflowmetry system enables patients to perform measurements and receive biofeedback independently without requiring weekly visits to the physician's office. Patients can conduct measurements at home after school hours, eliminating the need to miss school while still receiving the necessary therapeutic monitoring and feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback on uroflowmetry parameters that allows patients to self-monitor and self-correct abnormal pelvic floor activity patterns. The immediate feedback mechanism enables continuous therapy without requiring scheduled clinical sessions, reducing time loss while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
3Device complexity
If a funnel, beaker, and scale system is used for uroflowmetry measurement, then device complexity is reduced, but real-time flowrate measurement capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual timing and calculation methods with an electronic scale that automatically measures weight changes over time. The scale's digital output enables real-time calculation of flowrate (mL/sec) without requiring complex mechanical flow sensors, maintaining simplicity while achieving precise real-time measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the beaker as an intermediary component that converts the patient's urine flow into a measurable weight signal. By measuring the weight of urine collected in the beaker over time, the system indirectly but accurately determines flowrate without requiring direct measurement of urine flow, simplifying the measurement mechanism while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A uroflowmetry device including a funnel for funneling urine of a user, a sensor for measuring urine level in the funnel over a measurement period, a paddle wheel operable to rotate in response to urine exiting the funnel and generate a signal after each rotation during said measurement period, a transmitter for transmitting data from the uroflowmetry device to a smart device, and a processor. The processor configured to, while the user is urinating, compute a urine flowrate based on urine level in the funnel and a number of rotations of the paddle wheel over the measurement period, and transmit the urine flowrate to the smart device to provide real-time urination feedback to the user.