Study of a System to Estimate the Quantity of Urination using a Comb-electrode Sheet

Abstract

We developed a system incorporating comb-electrodes that can simply be laid on bedding for electrical detection of excrement leakage by bedridden elderly patients, without the need to install special sensors in general-purpose disposable diapers or auxiliary pads. The system is designed to detect urination externally from patient undergarments and estimate the quantity of urination based on changes in paper-diaper or auxiliary-pad impedance when wet by the fluid. When disposable diapers or auxiliary pads get wet with urine, the impedance changes. Test subjects lying full-length on beds showed that the system could distinguish effectively between urination and non-urination through detection of the externally placed comb electrodes, and it was found that the change in impedance correlated with the urination quantity.