WETNESS SENSORS, WETNESS MONITORING SYSTEM, AND RELATED METHODS
First Claim
11. A liquid absorbent wetness sensor comprising:
- a liquid transport layer positionable next to the skin of a wearer and capable of transporting a volume of liquid discharged by the wearer away from the wearer'"'"'s skin;
a liquid absorbent layer that receives the transported liquid;
a liquid sensor in liquid communication with the liquid absorbent layer, the liquid sensor comprising a galvanically energizable power source capable of activating a remotely detectable signal in response to liquid in the liquid absorbent layer;
a liquid management layer positioned between the liquid transport layer and liquid absorbent layer, the liquid management layer comprising a material that retards liquid flow between the liquid transport layer and liquid absorbent layer so as to prevent the sensor from being energized until the volume of liquid is large enough to flow to the liquid absorbent layer and energize the power source.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An aspect of the invention is a liquid sensor having a galvanically energizable power source capable of activating a remotely detectable signal in response to liquid. In a preferred embodiment, a liquid sensor includes a plurality of electrodes, a circuit, and a transmitter thereon. The electrodes are coupled to generate electrical power when in contact with liquid. The circuit is electrically connected to the electrodes so as to be activated by the electrical power, detect an electrical parameter of the electrical power, and generate a plurality of data packets indicating a degree of wetness corresponding to the detected electrical parameter. The transmitter is electrically coupled to the circuit to receive the plurality of data packets and transmit representations of the plurality of data packets as electromagnetic signals. Other aspects include a liquid absorbent wetness sensor and a computer-based wetness monitoring system, and method of detecting liquid.
175 Citations
29 Claims
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11. A liquid absorbent wetness sensor comprising:
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a liquid transport layer positionable next to the skin of a wearer and capable of transporting a volume of liquid discharged by the wearer away from the wearer'"'"'s skin; a liquid absorbent layer that receives the transported liquid; a liquid sensor in liquid communication with the liquid absorbent layer, the liquid sensor comprising a galvanically energizable power source capable of activating a remotely detectable signal in response to liquid in the liquid absorbent layer; a liquid management layer positioned between the liquid transport layer and liquid absorbent layer, the liquid management layer comprising a material that retards liquid flow between the liquid transport layer and liquid absorbent layer so as to prevent the sensor from being energized until the volume of liquid is large enough to flow to the liquid absorbent layer and energize the power source. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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24-1. The wetness detection system of claim 23, further comprising a computer processor configured to execute machine readable program instructions to alert a monitoring agent when wetness is sensed.
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25-2. The wetness detection system of claim 23, wherein a wetness event occurs when liquid contacts the electrodes, and further comprising a computer processor configured to execute machine readable program instructions to predict future wetness events of a sensor user based on wetness event history data stored on the database for that sensor user.
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27. A method of detecting liquid, the method comprising:
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detecting the presence of liquid in proximity to a sensor, the sensor having a substrate with a plurality of electrodes, a circuit, and a transmitter positioned thereon;
the plurality of electrodes being coupled to generate electrical power when in contact with liquid;
the circuit being electrically connected to the electrodes so as to be activated by the electrical power, detect an electrical parameter of the electrical power, and generate a plurality of data packets indicating a degree of wetness corresponding to the detected electrical parameter; andreceiving a transmitted signal from the sensor, the signal including representations of the plurality of data packets. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification