JP-2026075826-A - Absorbent articles and methods for detecting body fluids

JP2026075826AJP 2026075826 AJP2026075826 AJP 2026075826AJP-2026075826-A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an absorbent article and a bodily fluid detection method that can repeatedly detect even mild urinary incontinence. [Solution] The present disclosure provides a light incontinence pad 2 comprising a liquid-permeable skin-side sheet 21, a liquid-impermeable non-skin-side sheet 23, and an absorbent body 22 disposed between the skin-side sheet 21 and the non-skin-side sheet 23, wherein the light incontinence pad 2 is provided with at least one conductive member 24c on one side and at least one conductive member 24c on the other side, spaced apart in the width direction with respect to the center line in the width direction of the light incontinence pad 2, and the proportion of fluff pulp in the absorbent body 22 is 15% by weight or less. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

高橋桂子
黒須一博
葭葉椋子

Assignees

日本製紙クレシア株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20241023

Claims (9)

An absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable skin-side sheet, a liquid-impermeable non-skin-side sheet, and an absorbent material disposed between the skin-side sheet and the non-skin-side sheet, Within the absorbent article, at least one conductive member is provided on one side and at least one conductive member on the other side, with the center line in the width direction of the absorbent article in between and spaced apart from each other in the width direction. An absorbent article characterized in that the proportion of fluff pulp in the absorbent material is 15% by weight or less.
The absorbent article according to claim 1, characterized in that the absorbent body is formed in a layered manner having a plurality of hydrophilic sheets and a superabsorbent polymer layer disposed between the plurality of hydrophilic sheets.
The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conductive member is disposed on the skin side of the non-skin side sheet.
The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the distance between at least one of the conductive members on one side and at least one of the conductive members on the other side is 10 mm or more and less than 50 mm.
The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conductive member is a thread-like member.
The absorbent article according to claim 5, characterized in that the thread-like member is made by bundling together multiple fibers, each of which has a conductive metal plated on the surface of a nylon fiber, to form a single strand.
The absorbent article according to claim 5, characterized in that the thread-like members are arranged in a substantially straight line parallel to the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article.
The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the current supplied to the conductive member on one side and the conductive member on the other side is 1 mA or less.
A method for detecting bodily fluids in an absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable skin-side sheet, a liquid-impermeable non-skin-side sheet, and an absorbent disposed between the skin-side sheet and the non-skin-side sheet, Within the absorbent article, at least one conductive member is arranged on one side and at least one conductive member on the other side, with the center line in the width direction of the absorbent article in between, and spaced apart from each other in the width direction. A method for detecting bodily fluids, characterized by detecting bodily fluids based on a time-series change in the degree of current flow between one conductive member and the other conductive member.

Description

This disclosure relates to an absorbent article equipped with a mechanism for detecting bodily fluids such as urine, and to a method for detecting bodily fluids in an absorbent article. Patent Document 1 discloses a wearable article with a sensor. This wearable article has a urination sensor attached to one of several sheets that make up the article. The urination sensor comprises a printed substrate made of a resin film, multiple printed electrodes forming a sensor element using conductive ink applied to the surface of the printed substrate, a conductive wire portion connecting these printed electrodes, and a terminal portion to which the conductive wire portion is connected. The printed substrate has ventilation openings that function as ventilation areas. The urination sensor has printed electrodes in close contact with the surface of the back sheet of the urine pad, and is covered with a coating sheet coated with adhesive, and attached to the back sheet of the urine pad. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-189348 This diagram schematically shows the overall configuration of the bodily fluid detection mechanism in the embodiment.This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in Figure 1(A) of a light incontinence pad with a bodily fluid detection mechanism, according to an embodiment of the present invention.This is a schematic plan view showing how the conductive portion is formed on the surface of the non-skin side sheet of the light incontinence pad according to the embodiment.This is a plan view illustrating the spacing between the conductive parts (conductive threads) of the light incontinence pad according to the embodiment.Figure 1 is a side view of the connector, where (A) shows the closed state and (B) shows the open state.This is a perspective view of the connector in an open state.This is a plan view of the connector's terminal section.This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 7.This is an enlarged view of section IX in Figure 7.This is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the connector shown in Figure 5 is attached to the longitudinal end of the light incontinence pad according to the embodiment.This figure shows the results of the verification test. The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments described below, the absorbent article according to the present invention (specifically, the light incontinence pad 2) is incorporated into the body fluid detection mechanism 1 shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, in the embodiments described below, the body fluid detection method according to the present invention is applied to the detection of body fluid in the absorbent article (specifically, the light incontinence pad 2) of the body fluid detection mechanism 1 shown in Figure 1. Note that the figures do not define the relative sizes or shapes of the components. In the following explanation, the following definitions apply: Wearing the light incontinence pad 2 means the state in which the light incontinence pad 2 is attached to the body (specifically, the lower body, lower abdomen), regardless of whether or not bodily fluids have been absorbed. The light incontinence pad 2 is attached to the body inside clothing, but it may also be attached to the body so that at least a part of it is exposed to the outside. The longitudinal direction is the direction that runs from the front to the back of the body through the wearer's crotch when the light incontinence pad 2 is worn, and is the X-axis direction in each figure. The width direction is the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is the Y-axis direction in each figure. The thickness direction is the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and width directions, and is the direction in which each component is stacked, and is the Z-axis direction in each figure. A plane is the X-Y plane along the X-axis and Y-axis in each figure. A longitudinal side is a side along the longitudinal direction, and is the X-Z plane along the X-axis and Z-axis in each figure. The longitudinal section is a cross-section along the longitudinal direction, specifically the X-Z section along the X and Z axes in each figure. The width side is a side along the width direction, specifically the Y-Z plane along the Y and Z axes in each figure. The skin side is the surface that contacts the wearer's skin or faces the skin when the light incontinence pad 2 is worn, and is the side in the direction of the Z-axis arrow in each figure. The non-skin side is the surface that contacts the wearer's clothing or faces the clothing when the light incontinence pad 2 is worn, and is the side opposite to the direction of the Z-axis arrow in each figure. Body fluids refer to liquids expelled from the body, such as urine, blood, and water in loose stools. (Mechanism for detecting bodily fluids) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall co