Wetness sensor
First Claim
1. A wetness detector system for detecting a liquid leak in a system comprising:
- a wetness sensor comprising;
a solid support comprised of a non-electrically conductive material having first and second surfaces,an electronic transmitter attached to said first surface of said solid support,a trace antenna coupled to said electronic transmitter printed on said first surface of said solid support,an electric circuit printed on said second surface of said solid support for detecting the presence of wetness,a microcontroller in communication with said electronic transmitter and said electric circuit,a power source connected to said microcontroller, electronic transmitter and electric circuit, anda voltage detection device coupled to said power source and in communication with said microcontroller for detecting a low power supply of said power source;
an attachment device for attaching said wetness sensor to one or more components of the system; and
a receiver unit in communication with said wetness sensor comprising;
a receiver for detecting one or more signal transmissions from said wetness sensor,a controller in communication with said receiver, and an alert system in communication with said controller.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a wetness detector system that rapidly detects the presence of wetness due to a liquid leak in a system. The wetness detector system contains a reusable wetness sensor that is able to accurately detect the presence of wetness and, in the case of an extracorporeal blood treatment, the presence of blood. The wetness detector system can quickly alert both a user and medical personnel that a liquid leak has been detected in a treatment system and, if necessary, halt the removal of liquids and/or blood from the patient. If a liquid leak is not detected for a period of time, the wetness sensor can enter a low power state, extending the life of the device. The wetness detector system can monitor a number of wetness sensors simultaneously, which would, for example, eliminate the need for medical personnel to continuously inspect numerous patients visually for potentially fatal blood leaks due to needle dislodgement during an extracorporeal blood treatment.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A wetness detector system for detecting a liquid leak in a system comprising:
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a wetness sensor comprising; a solid support comprised of a non-electrically conductive material having first and second surfaces, an electronic transmitter attached to said first surface of said solid support, a trace antenna coupled to said electronic transmitter printed on said first surface of said solid support, an electric circuit printed on said second surface of said solid support for detecting the presence of wetness, a microcontroller in communication with said electronic transmitter and said electric circuit, a power source connected to said microcontroller, electronic transmitter and electric circuit, and a voltage detection device coupled to said power source and in communication with said microcontroller for detecting a low power supply of said power source; an attachment device for attaching said wetness sensor to one or more components of the system; and a receiver unit in communication with said wetness sensor comprising; a receiver for detecting one or more signal transmissions from said wetness sensor, a controller in communication with said receiver, and an alert system in communication with said controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification