Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ Woss/0s77~ 21698~8 pCT~D~ 2^^
MEA8URING ~.~M AND MEASURING 8~T~P
~OR MEA8~RING A QUA~ OF URINB
An accurate measuring ~n~or for measuring the
quantity or flowrate, of released urine, occurring
incontinent patients with micturition problems is sought
after on a large scale.
The present invention provides a measuring s~nror
for measuring the preC~n~e of liquid with a relatively low
electrical resistance, in the order of O-1000 n, comprising
one or more conductors with high electrical resistance, in
the order of 100 kn of more, which are maintained between
10 connecting contacts on a carrier element made of synthetic
material, cardboard or paper and which has a substantially
m~n~ shape wherein the resistance between the connecting
contacts is notably reduced in the presence of the
conducting liquid.
For diagnosing urination or micturition problems
the rate of flow of urine released by a patient is measured.
For this a patient usually has to urinate in a hospital. Due
to unfamiliar ~LLoul,dings and/or the fact that the patient
5 is a day patient, urination is often difficult or does not
take place at all. Aberrations in the urination pattern can
cause problems in making a correct diagnosis, especially in
the case of scientific research. In some cases the patient
has to remain in the hospital for many hours and drink as
10 much liquid as possible in order for trustworthy results
with repeated measurements to be obtained. Existing flow
meters are expensive and are mainly found, in practice, in
hospitals.
Existing systems for registrating micturition on
15 the one hand concern direct flow measurement and on the
other hand volume measurement, differentiation of which
reveals a flow rate. An existing direct flow measuring
system comprises a rotating disc which is breaked by the
W095/05774 pcT~ns4loo2oo ~
21~9~4~- 2
urine stream. Such an apparatus is transportable with
difficulty.
Volume measuring systems make use of, for
instance, a pipe in a beaker which measures the pressure
5 therein. Another volume measuring system makes use of two
plates in a h~ker and in so doing, determines the volume
due to capacity or resistance changes between these plates.
The results of this measurement are greatly influenced by
variations in the electrical co~ cting qualities of urine.
10 These known volume measuring systems are extremely sensitive
to movement and are likewise su ceptible to displacement.
Furthermore a portable flow meter exists which
comprises a large pot and an above mentioned flow meter,
which at the utmost can be called transportable.
The present invention provides a system for
measuring the quantity of urine or other conducting liquid,
for instance per unit time, such as released by an
individual, wherein the system comprises:
- one or more carrier elements provided with a
20 measuring C~ncor for measuring the rise rate per unit time
of urine in a collecting beaker wherein the measuring sensor
is placeable; and
- measuring means coupled to the measuring sensor
and which are provided with a timer, a memory for storing
25 the measured data and a control member for controlling the
measuring sensor, the timer and the memory.
Preferably the measuring system is able to be
carried so that the patient can personally carry out the
measurements in familiar ~Llo~ln~ing~ mostly at home. A
30 first application of the portable flow meter can co~c~rn
study and treatment of prostate enlargement (BPH), i.e. in
men.
From the hygiene point of view the receiving
h~Ak~s and/or carrier elements are preferably made of
35 plastified paper, cardboard or another disposable material
wherein a printed sensor, for instance, is mounted on the
wall of the receiving heAker. To compensate for a possible
tilted position and possible movements of the receiving
~ WO 95/05774 21 6 9 8 4 8 PCT/NI94/00200
h~Ak~r, which by use at home could obviously occur,
preferably three, or in the case of a h~Ak~r with a
rectangular form, preferably four measuring sensors are
mounted with the aid of a number of carrying elements
5 equidistant along the circumference against the upstAn~;ng
walls of the receiving h~Aker.
A related aspect according to the present
invention ~o~cDrns a measuring sensor, carrier element
and/or receiving heAker.
Furthermore the present invention provides a
measuring sensor wherein a number of meAnA~r shaped
conducting lines are mounted parallel between conducting
connecting contacts on a carrier element and wherein an
absorption element is mounted for absorbing urine and the
15 even distribution thereof over the conducting lines, against
the side on which the high resistivity conducting lines are
mounted, which is especially suitable for use in
incontinence nappies and/or training of a baby or a small
child.
Further advantages, characteristics and details of
the present invention will become clear with respect to the
following description which refers to the accompanying
drawings which show:
fig. 1 a partly cut away perspective view of a
25 preferred embodiment of a system according to the present
invention; and
fig. 2 a block diagram of the embodiment from
fig. l;
fig. 3 a frontal view of a folded out inner
30 h~Aker, provided with a number of measuring sensors
according to the present invention;
fig. 4 a frontal view of a second preferred
embodiment of an inner h~Aker when folded out, provided with
a number of measuring c~ncors according to the present
35 invention;
fig. 5 an exploded perspective view of a measuring
system according to the present invention provided with the
inner beaker from fig. 3 or 4;
woss/~s774 2~6~ ~8 PcT~n94/0~20~ ~
fig. 6 a perspective view of the device from fig.
5 by use thereof;
fig. 7 an exploded perspective view of a further
5 preferred embodiment of a h~er to use with the measuring
system from fig. 1;
fig. 8 a perspective view of a measuring sensor
according to the present invention;
fig. 9 a block diagram of a measuring system for
10 use with the measuring sensor of fig. 6; and
fig. 10 a graph of a measured result obtained with
the measuring system from fig. 7.
A preferred embodiment 1 (fig. 1) comprises a
portable case 2 and one or a number of receiving hP~kPrs 3
15 which are able to be coupled thereto. The patient releases
urine into a receiving beaker 3, from which release the rate
is measured and stored in the measuring means in the case.
At the start of the measurement a switch 4 is operated
whereafter it can be read on two (or three) coloured lamps
20 5, 6 and 7 respectively that the patient can commence urine
release.
The receiving heAker is provided on the inside
with three, four (or more), measuring sensors, mounted on
carrying elements such as those in fig. 2 which are
25 reproAllce~ schematically with 8. A microprocessor 10 is
housed in the portable case 2, which is provided with a
schematically reproduced RS232 driving element for coupling
with a personal computer PC, for reading out and/or printing
of the measured data. Furthermore a crystal 12, which makes
30 up part of the timer, is connected to the microprocessor 10.
Via a bus structure 13 which comprises a data bus 14, an
address bus 15 and a control bus 16, the microprocessor 10
is ro~n~cted to a memory part 17, 18, 19 respectively,
wherein the measured data is stored in memory part 18, for
35 instance, whilst the program memory is formed, for instance,
by part 17. The control bus 16 is co~nPcted to the address
bus via an address A~co~; ng element 20. The time is noted by
the main timer 21 with respect to the data provided from the
~ W095/05774 ~9~ ~ ~ pcT~n~4loo2oo
s
crystal 12 via the microprocessor 10 on the databus 14.
Furthermore the microprocessor 10 is coupled with a
~oy~ammable current source 22 and a programmable analogue
switch unit 23 on which the measuring element unit 8 is
5 cQ~n~cted. A supply source 24 takes care of the electrical
supply voltage V for the diverse components.
A measuring sensor 30, such as that comprised
within the broken lines in fig. 2, comprises a thin
conducting path 31 and a wide return path 32 which are
10 mutually co~ected near the bottom of the receiving h~ker
via a cross cQn~ection and which are printed in high
resistivity carbon, for instance, as well as a path 33 lain
there between which alternately constists of relatively
stretched out broad lengths 34 and thin conducting
15 co~n~cting lengths 35.
In the absence of urine in the receiving beaker, a
high resistance in the order of 100 kn to 1 Mn will be
measured both between the connections 36, 37 respectively as
well as between the conn~ctions 38 on the one side and 36 or
20 37 on the other side. The urine will only show a resistance
in the order of 10 on and thus causes a relative short
circuiting between the conducting paths whereby the
resistance between the paths will be determined by the
height of the urine level.
Because for instance, due to differing fabrication
cirCumst~nc~C the resistance of the conducting paths 31, 32
and 33 can mutually differ, the conducting path 33 is
provided with relatively wide areas 34 and thin conducting
paths 35 mounted there between, so that the resistance
30 between the connection 38 and one of the other connections
36 or 37 will greatly reduce the moment the urine level
reaches a new wide part of the conducting path. In this way
it is possible to allow an accurate c~lihration of the
changing resistance between the connections 36 and 37 to
35 take place simultaneously with the carrying out of the
measurement. Due to the correct processing of the obt~; n~A
measurement data with the aid of the measuring system, or
later with the aid of a personal computer, an accurate
W095/05774 ~69~ 4 pcT~n94loo2oo ~
measurement of the rate of increase of the urine level in
the he~ker can take place, and thus doing, due to the known
inner dimensions of the receiving h~Ake~, the quantity of
urine in the time pro~lce~.
The diverse measurements are sent to the diverse
measuring sensors from the control member 10 and the
registrations are stored in the correct manner in RAM,
whether or not having being changed from analogue to digital
form, with the ~Gl~e~L time and date of the measurement.
10 Because in the shown preferred embodiment the possibility
exists of connecting to an external computer, such as a
personal computer, measured data can be further processed
outside of the measuring system itself and, apart from this,
a desired adjustment in the software of the measuring system
15 can be carried out. As will be clear to an expert, a large
number of possibilities are available for the carrying out
of diverse measurements and the filtering out of
interferencè signals and such like with the help of a
mi~ ocessor.
In the shown and described preferred emho~iment a
patient or another individual can hold the flow meter in the
hand during urine release because movement and/or a tilted
position thereof has no influence on the results. The
measuring sensor can be mounted on a disposable carrying
25 element which is placed in a re-usable beaker or in
completely disposable h~Ak~rs provided with such carrying
elements with sensor elements.
It is important to note concerning the measuring
~cor, particularly due to the high resistance of the
30 conducting paths, that due to the large difference thereof
with the conductance of the urine, differences in the
co~llctance of the urine have a neglectable influence on the
measured results. However it is also conceivable to fit the
printed measuring sensor partly in material with a high
35 resistance and partly in material with a lower resistance.
An inner h~k~r 40 (fig. 3, 4, 5, and 6) for a
measuring system 41 according to the present invention,
comprises a plate of material 42, for example made of
095/05774 ~1 ' PCT~n~1J~2^~
synthetic material, whereon a number of connecting contacts
43, 44, 45, 46 are mounted which are connected via low
resistivity cQ~ cting paths 47-S5 with bro~eneA co~ecting
terminals 56-64. High resistivity conducting paths project
5 out from the cQnn~cting contacts 43-46, such as the high
resistivity con~llcting paths 65 and 66 with co~n~cting
contact 43, each of which are ro~n~cted with low resistivity
paths 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 and 75 so that on
co~ecting one of the good conducting path parts 67-75 with
10 the co~llcting path 66 a clearly reproducable signal is
given off to the measuring system.
A recQnA preferred emhoAiment of a round, foldable
he~ker according to the present invention (fig. 4) differs
from the preferred emhoA;ment shown in fig. 3, in that two
15 return conducting paths 55', 55" respectively are connected
to connecting contacts 64', 64" respectively in order to
reduce the total length of the conducting paths to be
printed and to prevent a large number of conducting paths
next to each other near the upper edge of the inner beaker
20 from projecting out, such as in the embodiment of fig. 3.
The plates of material 40 and 40' are preferably
made from cardboard with a synthetic material layer, such as
polyproylene, associated thereon.
Such a measuring sensor 76 is preferably mounted
25 on the outerside of the measuring beaker 40 (see fig. 5 and
6) which is placed in its roundfolded form in a h~Aker 77
and connected to conn~cting terminals 78 and 79 of the
measuring system 41 so that the urine arrives in the h~ker
according to arrow A and rises along the outerside of the
30 inner beaker 40 according to arrow B between the inner wall
of the h~ker 77 and the outerwall of the inner beaker 40,
and direct contact of the urine, has no influence on the
measured results if the urine comes into contact with the
innerwall of the inner beaker.
The conducting paths are preferably placed on the
inner he~ker with the aid of printing techniques.
A further preferred emhoA;ment of an inner beaker
101 (fig. 7) is equipped with two walls wherein a number of
9~
w095/05774 pcT~n~4J~c2A^ ~
measuring ~ncors project between the walls there~f (not
shown). A he~ker 101 is preferably provided with a clickable
thereon ring like lid 102 with an outer diameter Dl of about
110 mm. The height D2 of the h~ker 101 is preferably 200 mm
5 so that the whole complete measuring system, with these
dimensions according to fig. 1, can be held in the hand by
the patient during urine release. The h~Aker 101 is
preferably pro~llcP~ from polypropylene with a wall thi~xnpcc
of 0.7-0.9 mm.
A further application of of the measuring sensor
according to the present invention concerns a so called leak
detecting system for inconti nenc~ or for the training of
children.
The cause of inconti nens~ is to blame on the
15 disruption of the bladder function and/or on the disruption
of the function of the closing me~h~n;cm of the bladder.
This can be blamed on uncontrollable bladder contractions or
external stress factors such as coughing, laughing or
physical excertion. The diagnosis of incont; npnc~ and
20 especially the gravity of the complaint is difficult to pin
down. A known t~chn; que consists of following a patient for
a period of time and carrying out measurement on the bladder
function and/or the closing me~h~n;cm~ for example by
measuring pressure. The gravity of incontinence and the
25 correlation with bl ~ r functions measurements and the
closing mec~n;cm can be determined by detecting the moment
and the extent of urine loss.
A new method for quantifying urine loss concerns
pre-dry-weighing of a nappylike band and, after a certain
30 period has ~1APC~ the wet weighing thereof. The weight-
difference yields the extent of urine r~le~e. With this,
the amount of urine can only be measured, not the moment of
urine release. It is not possible to determine the
correlation between the bladder function and the closing
35 mec~n;~m and the moment of urine release, and the amount of
urine per function thereof can also not be determined.
It is also known to make use of fitting a thin
pipe into the urethra. Two electrodes are usually mounted on
WO9S/05774 2l 6 PcT~n~4/00200
this pipe for carrying out impedence measurement. Also with
this the amount of urine loss per urine release can not be
determined. Furthermore the fitting and carrying of the pipe
is uncomfortable for the patient.
S Measuring systems are also known wherein strips of
silver paper are associated with nappies, for example with
press studs. It is also not possible to measure the amount
of urine loss with this known system, and such a urine loss
can only be determined once. After the system has become
10 wet, further urine loss will yield no significant lowering
of the co~ ctance and will also yield no measurement
result.
Finally there is a known method wherein a heat
sensor is placed in a nappie. On contact of urine with the
15 body temperature, a temperature increase of the sensor is
caused which is measured. After a little while the
temperature of the s~nCQr will drop back to a level h~n~Ath
the bodytemperature of the urine. This known method can
indeed determine the time of urine loss, but not the amount
20 of urine loss.
A measuring sensor 80 (fig. 8, 9) according to the
present invention comprises a carrier 81 of for example
polyester or paper or a combination thereof, whereon, with
the help of electric conducting ink, for example with the
25 help of print te~-hn; que, a number of high resistivity
meAn~r shaped conducting paths 82, 83 to 90 is mounted. The
high resistivity con~-~cting paths 82 to 90 are furthermore
connected with the conducting connecting contacts 91 and 92.
Against the side of the carrier material 81 whereon the
30 conducting paths are mounted, an absorption element of damp
absorbing material, preferably of a synthetic material, is
secured, for example glued thereon. This absorption element
ensures that the released urine is well distributed whereby
a determined length of the different paths are
35 shortcircuited due to the total resistance decreasing. This
decrease is directly propotional to the total length of the
paths which have come into contact with the urine and is
proportional to the surface and hence to the total quantity
W095/05774 2~9~ PcT~ns4loo2
of released urine. With a new release of urine, even at the
same location, the surface of the absorption element will
become larger which leads to a further decrease in
resistance. The dimensions of the sensor can be chosen so
5 that no urine loss goes unmeasured. The first tests have
shown that it is possible to detect a volume of one to a few
hundred ml with the material now used. It is also possible
to mount a sensor with a relatively thin absorption element
on the upper side and a ~?~cor element provided with a
10 relatively thick absorption element on the under side
whereby an extremely sensitive sensor with a large measuring
range is obt~ine~.
This sensor makes it possible to determine the
exact time of urine loss as well as various detections of
15 urine loss, while in an extremely sensitive manner a large
measuring range is measured. Furthermore it appears that the
position of the sensor in the nappyband is not critical and
is not influenced to a great extent by the qualities of
urine while, due to the relatively low costs, the sensor can
20 be made disposable.
A heat ~^ncor is preferably used in the measuring
system which makes use of the above mentioned sensor, which
is used to determine the time when the patient goes to the
toilet which can also be important for diagnoses, especially
25 with simultanious measuring of the bladder pressure.
A measuring system 100 (fig. 9) making use of a
measuring sensor 80 according to the present invention,
preferably comprises a microprocessor 101 on which a
schematically shown timer 102 is mounted and which is
30 connected to a periphery apparatus such as a personal
computer 104 via a driving element 103. A read only memory
(ROM) 109 and a writeable memory 110 are connected to the
microproc~scor 101 via a busstructure 105 which comprises a
databus 106, an adressbus 107 and a controlbus 108.
35 Furthermore an energy source 111, a programmable current
source 112 and a programmable switch element 113 are
con~Pcted thereon. The ~P~cor 80 is connected to the
~mmable switch element 113, the exits of which are
woss/0s774 1 ~ 8~ PCI~nD4/~020~
- conn~cted to an analog/digital-converter via amplifiers 114
which make up part of the mi~LGp~ocessor 101. Furthermore a
schematically shown keyboard control panel 115 for the
patient and a sound element for giving off of a sound signal
5 116 are cQnnPcted to the mi~LU~loc~csor 101, the sound
element being of importance for example for tr~in;ng goals
for a patient, baby or small child.
Fig. 10 shows a measured result of measurements
obtained with the help of the measuring system from the
10 blockdiagram of fig. 9. The time t is plotted along the
horizontal axis and the conductance C along the vertical
axis on a relative scale of 0 to 100. Apart from
irregularities which can be easily filtered out with the aid
of known filter te~-hnics, it is clear from the graph in fig.
15 10 that urine release occurs with the strongly rising flanks
of curve A, while the extent of urine release can be
determined from the difference in the co~ ctance with the
hardly rising or dipping parts of curve A. The time and
extent of urine release can also be determined in sllcc~scive
20 urine releases with the aid of the measuring system of
fig. g.
The present invention is not limited to the
preferred embodiment described and shown above. The
requested rights are rather determined by the following
25 claims.
