Absorbent article with sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017348162-A1
Application number	US-201715656217-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 21, 2017
Priority date	Mar 3, 2016
Publication date	Dec 7, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an absorbent article for personal hygiene. More particularly, in one embodiment, the absorbent article absorbent article includes at least one property changing indicator. A detector device is also provided that includes at least one sensor. The sensor is adapted to detect the property change of the property change indicator in the absorbent article. In one particular embodiment, for example, the property changing indicator may include an optical property indicator such as a color change indicator and the sensor may include an optical sensor such as a color sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for monitoring an absorbent article designed to absorb and contain bodily exudates, the system comprising:
an absorbent article comprising an optical property changing indicator adapted to change at least one optical property in response to the presence or absence of bodily exudates, wherein the absorbent article and the indicator form one integral unit; and a detector device comprising a housing, a light source, a first optical sensor spaced from the light source, and a second optical sensor spaced from the light source and the first optical sensor, the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor adapted to detect the change of the optical property of the indicator, wherein the absorbent article and the detector device is adapted to be associated together and disassociated from each other, wherein when the absorbent article and the detector device are associated together the detector device is adapted to detect the change of optical property of the indicator.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein each of the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor comprises a color sensor detector device.

3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises at least one of the group comprising: an LED and an OLED.

4 . The system of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a window through which the light source can transmit light to the optical property changing indicator.

5 . The system of claim 1 wherein each of the first optical sensor and second optical sensor comprises at least one of the group comprising: a photodiode, phototransistor, electron tube detector, photosensor, photomultiplier tube, phototube, photodetector, opto-semiconductor detector, photodiode, phototransistor, photomultiplier, image sensor, infrared detector, thermal sensor, illuminance sensor, visible light sensor and color sensor.

6 . The system of claim 1 wherein the optical property changing indicator comprises a chemical substance which induces a color change when at least one bodily exudate is present.

7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the optical property changing indicator comprises a pH-sensitive composition.

8 . The system of claim 1 wherein the absorbent article comprises a connector selected from at least one of the group comprising: a pocket, a sleeve, a loop, an adhesive, an adhesive tape, a mechanical fastener, a hook fastener, a loop fastener, a snap, a slot, a hole, a button, a belt, a magnet, a magnetic fastener, a paramagnetic fastener, a cohesive fastener and a strap.

9 . The system of claim 8 wherein the absorbent article connector is adapted to attach the detector device to the absorbent article juxtaposed the property changing indicator of the absorbent article.

10 . The system of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a battery, and a communication module adapted to provide an indication that a change in property of an indicator of an absorbent article has been detected.

11 . The system of claim 10 wherein the battery comprises a silver oxide battery.

12 . A system for monitoring an absorbent article designed to absorb and contain bodily exudates, the system comprising:
an absorbent article comprising an optical property changing indicator adapted to change at least one optical property in response to the presence or absence of bodily exudates, wherein the absorbent article and the indicator form one integral unit; and a detector device comprising a housing, a first optical sensor, a first light source proximate the first optical sensor, a second optical sensor spaced form the first optical sensor, and a second light source proximate the second optical sensor, the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor adapted to detect the change of the optical property of the indicator, wherein the absorbent article and the detector device is adapted to be associated together and disassociated from each other, wherein when the absorbent article and the detector device are associated together the detector device is adapted to detect the change of optical property of the indicator.

13 . The system of claim 12 wherein each of the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor comprises a color sensor detector device.

14 . The system of claim 12 wherein the light source comprises at least one of the group comprising: an LED and an OLED.

15 . The system of claim 12 wherein the optical property changing indicator comprises a chemical substance which induces a color change when at least one bodily exudate is present.

16 . The system of claim 12 wherein the optical property changing indicator comprises a pH-sensitive composition.

17 . The system of claim 12 wherein the housing comprises a battery, and a communication module adapted to provide an indication that a change in property of an indicator of an absorbent article has been detected.

18 . The system of claim 17 wherein the battery comprises a silver oxide battery.

19 . A system for monitoring an absorbent article designed to absorb and contain bodily exudates, the system comprising:
an absorbent article comprising an optical property changing indicator adapted to change at least one optical property in response to the presence or absence of bodily exudates, wherein the absorbent article and the indicator form one integral unit; and an elongate detector device comprising a housing, a light source, a longitudinal centerline, a first optical sensor disposed at a first location along the longitudinal centerline, a second optical sensor disposed at a second location proximate along the longitudinal centerline, and a third optical sensor disposed at a third location along the longitudinal centerline, the first optical sensor, the second optical sensor, and the third optical sensor adapted to detect the change of the optical property of the indicator, wherein the absorbent article and the detector device is adapted to be associated together and disassociated from each other, wherein when the absorbent article and the detector device are associated together the detector device is adapted to detect the change of optical property of the indicator.

20 . The system of claim 19 wherein the housing comprises a battery, and a communication module adapted to provide an indication that a change in property of an indicator of an absorbent article has been detected.

21 . The system of claim 19 wherein each of the first optical sensor, the second optical sensor, and the third optical sensor comprises an individual accompanying light source.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Arizti Blanca
• Hasenoehrl Erik John
• Joyce Jonathan Livingston
• Schmidt Mattias
• Sherman Faiz Feisal
• Specht Steven Jeffrey
• Striemer Grant Edward Anders

Classifications

• A61F2013/429

  Thermochromic materials, e.g. ink or dye · CPC title

• A61F2013/426

  Moisture sensitive polymers · CPC title

• A61F2013/423

  the alarm being a volume change or a movement of a component · CPC title

• A61F2013/422

  the alarm being a colour change · CPC title

• A61F2013/427

  pH indicator · CPC title