Artificial bladder system having dual space divided by partition and wireless, non-powered urine fullness sensor using RFID technology
The present invention relates to an artificial bladder system having a double space divided by a partition wall and a wireless, non-powered urine fullness sensor using an RFID technology, which provides an artificial bladder system comprising: an outer wall that forms the outer shape of the artificial bladder, is inserted into the body, and has an inner space; a partition wall, wherein both ends are fixed to the inside of the outer wall, the inner space of the outer wall is divided into a double space of a urine reservoir and a working fluid space, and it is deformable according to amounts of the urine and the working fluid; and a urine fullness sensor installed in the working fluid space and sensing a urine fullness degree based on the deformation of the partition wall.
1 . An artificial bladder system comprising:
an outer wall that forms an outer shape of the artificial bladder, is configured to be inserted into a body, and the outer wall has an inner space;
a partition wall, wherein both ends are fixed to an inside of the outer wall, the inner space of the outer wall is divided into a double space of a urine reservoir and a working fluid space, and the partition wall is deformable according to amounts of an urine and a working fluid; and
a urine fullness sensor installed in the working fluid space and sensing a urine fullness degree based on a deformation of the partition wall
wherein the urine fullness sensor is a capacitive type sensor based on capacitance changes,
wherein the capacitive type sensor comprises a capacitor composed of a first electrode and a second electrode,
wherein the first electrode is configured in the form of a flat plate buried and fixed to an inner surface of the outer wall; and the second electrode is configured in a curved shape in which a first end of the second electrode is fixed to the first electrode, and a remaining part of the second electrode except the first end is separated from the first electrode, but the distance from the first electrode is gradually widened toward a second end opposite to the first end of the second electrode.
2 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 1 , wherein
the outer wall is a hard outer wall formed from a biocompatible polymer and a curing agent, and the biocompatible polymer is at least one of polydimethylsiloxane and perylene, where a weight ratio of the biocompatible polymer and the curing agent is 10:1 or less.
3 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 1 , wherein
the partition wall is formed by coating a reinforcing material with polydimethylsiloxane, and the length of the partition wall is longer than the straight-line distance between both ends of the partition wall fixed to the outer wall.
4 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first valve configured to be installed in an ureter connected to the urine reservoir; and a second valve configured to be installed in a urethra connected to the urine reservoir.
5 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a working fluid reservoir connected to the working fluid space of the outer wall;
a working fluid pump installed between the working fluid reservoir and the outer wall;
and a valve installed at least one of a position between the working fluid reservoir and the outer wall and a position between the working fluid pump and the outer wall.
6 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 5 , wherein
the working fluid pump is a manual pump operated by applying pressure, which is driven wirelessly and without power.
7 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a reader that transmits and receives signals through wireless communication with the urine fullness sensor.
8 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 7 , wherein
the reader is a patch-type reader configured to be attached to the outside of the body, the reader has a self-alarm function, and the reader delivers urine fullness information to a smartphone through wireless communication.
9 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 7 , wherein
the urine fullness sensor transmits the urine fullness degree to the reader wirelessly and without power using a radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
10 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first end of the second electrode is disposed toward the partition wall to be closer to the partition wall than the second end of the second electrode, and a plurality of capacitors is installed, one capacitor of the plurality of capacitors is disposed adjacent to the partition wall, and other capacitors of the plurality of capacitors are disposed gradually away from the partition wall.
11 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 10 , wherein
the first electrode and the second electrode each comprise a base layer, a metal layer coated with metal to surround the base layer, and a resin layer coated with polydimethylsiloxane to surround the base layer and the metal layer.
12 . The artificial bladder system according to claim 11 , wherein
the second electrode is deformed by contact with the partition wall, so that the capacitance changes occur while a widened portion of the second electrode contacts the first electrode, and when the contact with the partition wall is released, the second electrode is restored to an original state of the second electrode to be widened again.