Automatic urine collection apparatus

• US 7,722,584 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ishitsuka, Yoshikazu, Miyagawa, Ryosuke, Sayama, Shigeharu, Tanaka, Tetsuya, Koizumi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zalukaeva; Tatyana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chapman; Ginger T
• Application Number:
  US11/768,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 604317-320, 604326-332, 604346-350, 604/540
• US Class Current: 604/317
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/208 adapted to determine urine quantity, e.g. flow, volume
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/451 Genital or anal receptacles A61F5/441, A61F5/442, A61F5/443 take precedence ; other body securing means A61F5/4408; devices for taking faeces samples A61B10/0038; devices for taking urine samples A61B10/007
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/60 Containers for suction drainage, adapted to be used with an external suction source containers not adapted for subjection to vacuum A61M1/69
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/73 comprising sensors or indicators for physical values
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/782 using valves with freely moving parts, e.g. float valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0496 Urine
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3393 by weighing the reservoir

Abstract

An automatic urine collection apparatus includes a collection container for accumulating urine transferred from a urine receiver through a tube and a main body for supporting the collection container, wherein the main body includes a suction pump for sucking the urine received by the urine receiver and carrying the urine to the collection container, a mass sensor for measuring the urine accumulated in the collection container, a control board for calculating a volume of the urine based on the measured mass of the urine, and an indicator for indicating the calculated volume of the urine.

Claims

1. An automatic urine collection apparatus comprising:

a collection container configured to accumulate urine transferred from a urine receiver through a tube; and

a main body configured to support the collection container;

said main body comprising;

a suction pump configured to suck the urine received by the urine receiver and to carry the urine to the collection container;

a container support part having a semi-cylindrical accommodation concave portion configured to accommodate the collection container;

a mass sensor configured to include a sensor portion and to measure a mass of the collection container placed at a bottom part of the main body, the sensor portion being provided at the bottom part so as to be exposed upward from a hole formed in the bottom part;

a control board configured to perform a calculation processing and calculate a volume of the urine based on a signal of the mass sensor; and

an indicator configured to indicate the calculated volume of the urine.

2. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises:

a main body lid part configured to include a urine flow passage and an air flow passage, to be freely rotatably mounted on a shaft formed on a back face side, and to be openable and closeable;

the tube configured to be connected to the collection container through the main body lid part and an introduction pipe; and

a tube cover mounted on an upper portion of the main body lid part to cover the tube and fix the tube near the rotation shaft.

3. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a vertical wall part which is a sidewall of the accommodation concave portion is formed along a shape of a side face of the collection container, and a gap is provided between the collection container and the vertical wall part so that the collection container and the vertical wall do not directly contact each other.

4. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein of the collection container is constructed of any one of transparent plastic or a and translucent plastic whereby a volume of the urine accumulated in the collection container is visible.

5. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection container comprises:

an approximately cylindrical tank part having a bottom and a predetermined depth;

an opening formed in an upper face part on a top of the tank part and formed so as to be smaller than a diameter of the tank part; and

a handgrip formed on a side face of the tank part.

6. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates a volume of the urine by level display, and indicates a case of the collection container being not accommodated in the main body and a case of the volume of the urine nearing a full level.

7. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises:

a urine sensor provided in the urine receiver which detects urine excreted from a patient, and

wherein when the urine is detected, the automatic urine collection apparatus drives the suction pump and sucks the urine from the urine receiver into the collection container, and

wherein when the urine is not detected for a predetermined time, the automatic urine collection apparatus repeats an intermittent operation of the suction pump, and ventilates an inside of the urine receiver.

8. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the main body lid part is free-turnably supported with the main body by a hollow rotation shaft communicating with the suction pump, and

wherein the urine flow passage and the air flow passage communicate with an inside of the collection container in conjunction with the main body lid part being coupled with the collection container.

9. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 2, which further includes a container lid configured to close the opening of the tank part, said container lid comprising:

a suction inlet configured to communicate with the urine flow passage;

an introduction inlet configured to communicate with the urine flow passage; and

a scattering prevention member configured to be hung down from an underside of the container lid between the suction inlet and the introduction inlet and constructed so as to block off a space between the introduction inlet and a urine surface of the tank part.

10. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the urine flow passage and the air flow passage in the main body lid part, the introduction inlet and the suction inlet in the container lid are coupled by a container lid coupling mechanism interposed between the main body lid part and the container lid, and

wherein the container lid coupling mechanism comprises a shaft disc fixed at a middle of the main body lid part from an underslide thereof, a turning body configured to fit outside the shaft disc and to be screwed by the container lid, a turning body support part free-slidably fitted in by the turning body, and a lever configured to turn the turning body and to couple the container lid with the main body lid part.

11. The automatic urine collection apparatus according to claim 9, which further includes a rubber member provided at connection ends of the urine flow passage and the air flow passage and configured to be closely connected to the introduction inlet and the suction inlet of the container lid when the main body lid part is coupled with the container lid.