Disposable USB Cup with Integrated Sensor for Urine Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current urine measurement devices are cumbersome, inaccurate, and require clinical settings with trained staff, as they are not hygienic, prone to contamination, and lack sensitivity in flow measurement, making them unsuitable for remote and private use.
Innovation Solution
A handheld, disposable urine collection vessel with a permanently affixed sensor assembly and slave circuitry that maintains continuous measurement of urine properties, allowing electronic communication with a processing unit for accurate and error-free data collection, enabling remote and private urine measurement without clinical assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional urine measurement devices are used, then urine measurement can be performed, but the devices are cumbersome and require clinical settings with trained staff
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: a disposable collection cup with integrated sensor, a handheld processing unit, and a data storage component. This segmentation allows the complex measurement function to be isolated in a simple disposable cup while the processing unit handles complexity, making the overall system easier to operate.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable collection cup performs self-contained urine collection and measurement without requiring external clinical equipment or trained staff intervention. The integrated sensor automatically detects urine presence and volume, eliminating the need for manual operation and simplifying the user experience.
2Reliability
If conventional urine measurement devices are used, then measurement can be performed, but they are not hygienic and prone to contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The collection cup with integrated sensor is designed as a disposable single-use component. After one measurement, the entire cup is discarded, eliminating cross-contamination risks between patients and ensuring hygienic conditions for each measurement while maintaining reliable results.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor assembly is permanently affixed to the disposable cup rather than being part of a reusable main unit. This extraction of the sensing function into the disposable component isolates the measurement interface from contamination, as only the disposable cup contacts the urine sample.
3Measurement precision
If weight-based measurement devices are used, then urine weight can be measured, but they are limited in flow sensitivity
Solution Approach 1:
The device replaces mechanical weight-based measurement with an electronic sensor system that detects urine presence and volume through electrical or chemical properties. This substitution enables continuous real-time measurement with high flow sensitivity, overcoming the limitations of weight-based devices that sample only several times per second.
4Measurement precision
If air pressure chamber devices are used, then urine volume can be measured, but they are very limited in accuracy and susceptible to temperature changes and atmospheric pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The device replaces the air pressure chamber mechanism with a direct electronic or chemical sensor that measures urine properties without relying on pressure changes. This eliminates susceptibility to temperature variations and atmospheric pressure effects, providing accurate measurements across different environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using air as an intermediary medium that transmits pressure changes, the invention uses a direct sensor interface that contacts or detects urine properties without intermediate transmission media. This direct measurement approach eliminates errors introduced by temperature and pressure variations affecting the air chamber.
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 provides continuous, accurate, and reliable urine measurements in private settings, reducing the need for maintenance and clinical supervision, while allowing for optimized medical data collection with reduced costs compared to traditional urine flow meters.
Implementation Method 1
a first conductive plate permanently coupled to at least a portion the exterior side surface so as to define a capacitive sensing volume within the receptacle
Implementation Method 2
the sensor is operative to provide continuous measurement of an electric or chemical property of the urine
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2C
AI summary
The present invention provides a handheld USB Cup for use in collection of a fluidic body sample, comprising a receptacle comprising side surfaces, a bottom plate and a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising at least one sensor and a slave circuitry; said sensor assembly is permanently affixed to said side surfaces or said bottom plate. The receptacle is capable of maintaining the fluidic body sample for a sufficient time period in the vicinity of the sensor thereby the sensor is operative to provide continuous measurement of an electric, chemical or physical property of the urine. The slave circuitry responds to the electric, chemical or physical property of the fluidic body sample received from the sensor and is configured and operable to electronically communicate the measurement of the electric, chemical or physical property of the fluidic body sample to an external processing master unit.