Device for disposing excrement

The present invention relates to a device for disposing excrement to be applied to an abatic patient or a bedridden old man in a hospital or the like and, more particularly, to a device for disposing excrement capable of automatically disposing the excrements, when excreted by the patient or the like in bed, and washing the private parts which are soiled with the excrements.

The prior art of this kind is disclosed in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 4-364841, for example. This prior art takes a structure in which the lumber/gluteal region of a human body is enveloped with a diaper cup made of a soft insulating material and in which the excrements, as excreted into the diaper cup, are washed with washing water and discharged to the outside of the diaper cup by a pump. To the diaper cup, moreover, there are connected various hoses including a washing water supply hose and an excrement suction hose, and chords of sensors for detecting the excrements in the diaper cup.

In the prior art, however, a water supply mode or the like of the case, in which the washing water is supplied to the inside of the diaper cup, is not proper so that the wearer of the diaper cup is caused to feel uncomfortable or to lose a call of nature. The invention has been made to solve those problems and has an object to make it possible to wash the excrements in a diaper cup efficiently in a mode matching the kind of the excrements in the diaper cup, without making the diaper cup wearer feel uncomfortable, by discriminating the excrement kind with a feces sensor and a urine sensor, and to promote the excretion of a patient who could not otherwise excrete, by stimulating the patient properly with intermittent injections of washing water.

In order to achieve the aforementioned object, the invention provides the following means. According to claim 1 of the invention, there is provided a device for disposing excrement comprising

• a diaper cup for enveloping a lumber/gluteal region of a human body; and a device body connected to said diaper cup for supplying washing water to the inside of the same and for sucking the excrements and sewage from the inside of said diaper cup. The device for disposing excrement is characterized: in that said device body includes: a suction motor for establishing a vacuum to suck the excrements and the sewage; a water supply pump for supplying the washing water; and a sequencer for controlling said suction motor and said water supply pump; and in that said sequencer includes intermittent drive means for controlling the drive of said water supply pump intermittently. As a result, the excrements in a diaper cup can be efficiently washed in a mode matching the kind of the excrements in the diaper cup by discriminating the excrement kind with the feces sensor and the urine sensor.

Moreover, the device for disposing excrement of the invention as set forth in claim 2 is characterized in that said sequencer includes continuous drive means for controlling the drive of said suction motor continuously when the drive said water supply pump is continuously controlled when the drive of said water supply pump is intermittently controlled by said intermittent drive means. The device for disposing excrement of the invention as set forth in claim 3 is characterized in that said sequencer includes continuous drive means for controlling the drive to start and transfer to a continuous one by raising the rotating speed of said suction motor gradually. As a result, it is possible to feed the excrements in the diaper cup without delay to the excrement tank but also to lighten the stimulation on the nursed person wearing the diaper cup at the action starting time of the system.

Moreover, the device for disposing excrement of the invention as set forth in claim 4 is characterized: in that said diaper cup includes a feces sensor and a urine sensor; and in that said sequencer includes intermittent drive means for controlling the drive of said water supply pump intermittently in a mode according to the sense signals of said feces sensor and said urine sensor. The device for disposing excrement of the invention as set forth in claim 5 is characterized in that said sequencer includes intermittent drive means for controlling the drive of said water supply pump intermittently by changing the intermittent drive mode of said water supply pump between the case, in which said feces sensor senses feces, and the case in which said urine sensor senses urine. The device for disposing excrement of the invention as set forth in claim 6 is characterized in that said sequencer includes intermittent drive means for changing the time period per water supply of said water supply pump by setting time parameters according to the sense signals of said feces sensor and said urine sensor. As a result, it is possible to wash the excrements without making the wearer of the diaper cup feel uncomfortable and to promote the excretion of the patient who could not otherwise excrete, by stimulating the patient properly with intermittent injections of washing water.

Moreover, the device for disposing excrement of the invention as set forth in claim 7 is characterized in that said sequencer includes initial drive means for starting the intermittent drive of said water supply pump immediately after the drive start of said suction motor. As a result, the inside of the diaper cup and the inside of the excrement suction hose can be wetted with the washing water immediately after a start so that the excrements can be smoothly fed to the excrement tank.

The present invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1

is a block diagram showing a mode of embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2

is a first flow chart for explaining the contents of a program stored in a sequencer shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3

is a second flow chart which is partially modified from the flow shart shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4

is a first time chart illustrating the actions which are based on the flow chart shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5

is a second time chart illustrating the actions which are based on the flow chart shown in Fig. 3.

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference numeral 1 appearing in the drawings designates a diaper cup. This diaper cup 1 envelops the lumber/gluteal region of a person to be nursed, such as an abatic patient or a bedridden old man, and is equipped therein with a feces sensor 109 and a urine sensor 114. The feces sensor 109 is one using a photo-reflector for detecting an excrement excreted by the nursed person and a Cds cell for detecting the attachment/detachment of the diaper cup 1, and is disposed near a washing water injecting nozzle 108. Here will be detailed the Cds cell. This Cds cell detects it in terms of a change in illuminance that the diaper cup 1 is detached from the lumber/gluteal region of the nursed person, and inactivates the device to prevent the washing water from being erroneously injected with the diaper cup 1 being detached.

On the other hand, the urine sensor 114 is one for detecting the urine which is excreted by the nursed person, and is constructed of a pair of electrodes which are supplied with an AC voltage of 2.5 Vp-p, for example. Here, the electric current to flow between the electrodes of the urine sensor 114 is so minute (about several micro amperes) that it is not detrimental to the nursed person in the least.

In the diaper cup 1, the feces sensor 109 and the urine sensor 114 are connected from a sensor coupler 107 via sensor signal lines 81 and 82 with a sequencer 12 of a system body C. Moreover, the diaper cup 1 is connected via an excrement suction hose 104 to an excrement tank 3 of the system body C, via a washing water supply hose 105 and through a water supply pump 5 to a warm water tank 4 of the system body C, and further via a warm wind hose 106 to a suction motor 21 and a filter box 6 in a vacuum motor housing 2 of the device body C.

Here will be described the device body C. This device body C is one which is connected to the diaper cup 1 to supply the washing water to the inside of the same and to suck the excrements and the sewage from the inside of the diaper cup 1, and is equipped with the vacuum motor housing 2, the excrement tank 3, the warm water tank 4, the water supply pump 5, the filter box 6, a control panel 11 and the sequencer 12. The device body C is contoured by a box having casters, and the control panel 11 is mounted on the outer side of the case.

The vacuum motor housing 2 has the suction motor 21 packaged therein for establishing a vacuum to suck the excrements and the sewage, and is provided with: a suction port 22 connected via a vacuum hose 7 to the excrement tank 3; a first discharge port 23 for discharging the air (as will be called the "working wind"), as sucked from the suction port 22, to the filter box 6; a motor cooling suction pipe 10 for sucking the ambient air; and a second discharge port 24 for discharging the ambient air sucked from the motor cooling suction pipe 10. The air, as discharged from the second discharge port 24, is warmed by the heat generated by the suction motor 21 and is mixed with the deodorized working wind discharged from an air discharge pipe 9 of the falter box 6 so that the mixed wind is blown to the diaper cup 1 by the warm wind hose 106. Here, this device is desired to have a running noise as low as possible, if considerations are taken into its use in a relatively quiet room and into the comfortableness of the patient. Means for the measures can be exemplified by mounting vibrationproofing rubber elements on the suction motor 21 or by equipping the vacuum motor housing 2 therein with a silencer mechanism employing the muffler technique of an automobile. Here, the filter box 6 has an air cleaning active carbon filter 61 packaged therein so that it is also effective for suppressing the noise.

Here will be described the excrement tank 3. This excrement tank 3 is one for reserving the excrements, as sent from the diaper cup 1 via the excrement suction hose 104 and is provided with: a suction port 31 connected to the excrement suction hose 104; a cyclone mechanism 32 for separating the heavier excrements and washing water and the lighter working wind efficiently by the centrifugal force by swirling the working wind, as fed from the suction port 31, helically in the excrement tank 3; a separator 33 for separating the mist of the excrements and washing water, as containing in the working wind, by bringing it into collision; a discharge port 35 for discharging the working wind, as cleared of excrements 34, to the vacuum hose 7; and an excrement quantity sensor 36 for detecting the excrements 34 when reserved to a predetermined quantity.

Here will be described the warm water tank 4. This warm water tank 4 is one fob supplying the diaper cup 1 with warm water and is equipped with: a heater 42 for heating and keeping the warm water 41; a thermometer 43 for confirming the water temperature simply; and a water level sensor 44 having a function as a temperature sensor. The warm water 41, as reserved in the warm water tank 4, is fed from a discharge port 45 through the water supply pump 5 to the diaper cup 1, but the warm water 41, as fed to the diaper cup 1, has lost its temperature by several degrees while being fed. It is, therefore, advisable that the warming temperature of the warm water 41 reserved in the warm water tank 4 is set in advance at such a higher level that the warm water to be injected into the diaper cup 1 may take a proper temperature. Here, the water supply pump 5 is a general solenoid valve and requires no specific description.

Here will be described the control panel 11. This control panel 11 is equipped with a start switch 111 and an interrupt switch 112 to be operated by a nursing person or the like for taking care of the nursed person, and alarm lamps 113, 114, 115 and 116 for instructing the various states of the device, as including the warm water supply, full excrement, warm water overheat and abnormal suction states.

Here will be described the sequencer 12. This sequencer 12 is equipped with: a (not-shown) one-chip microcomputer which is stored with programs for controlling the suction motor 21, the water supply pump 5 and the heater 42 in accordance with input signals coming from the various sensors including the feces sensor 109, the urine sensor 114, the excrement quantity sensor 36, the temperature sensor 43 and the water level sensor 44, and the start switch 111 and the interrupt switch 112 of the control panel 11; a (not-shown) I/O interface for processing the input/output signals of the one-chip microcomputer; and a (not-shown) driver circuit for driving the suction motor 21, the water supply pump 5, the heater 42, and the individual alarm lamps 113, 114, 115 and 116 of the control panel 11.

With reference to the flow charts shown in Figs. 2 and 3, here will be described the programs which are stored in the one-chip microcomputer of the sequencer 12. The program shown in Fig. 3 is slightly improved from that shown in Fig. 2 but basically has substantially identical contents. The sequencer 12 is provided in its program with intermittent drive means for controlling the drive of the water supply pump 5 intermittently, more specifically, intermittent drive means for changing the water supply time period per action of the water supply pump by setting time parameters according to the sense signals of the feces sensor 109 and the urine sensor 114. The program of the intermittent drive means is exemplified by steps S4 to S8 of the flow chart of Fig. 2 or by steps S24 to S29 of the flow chart of Fig. 3.

The sequencer 12 is further provided with continuous drive means for controlling the drive of the suction motor 21 continuously when the drive of the water supply pump 5 is intermittently controlled by the intermittent drive means. The program of the continuous drive means is exemplified by steps S3 and S11 of the flow chart of Fig. 2 or by steps S23 and S33 of the flow chart of Fig. 3.

The sequencer 12 is further provided with continuous drive means for starting the drive into the continuous one by raising the rotating speed of the suction motor 21. The program of the continuous drive means is exemplified by step 23 of the flow chart of Fig. 3.

The sequencer 12 is further provided with initial drive means for starting the intermittent drive of the water supply pump 5 immediately after the drive start of the suction motor 21. This initial drive means is exemplified by step S24 of the flow chart of Fig. 3.

The sequencer 12 is further provided with final drive means for blowing the cooling wind, as has been warmed by the heat generated by the suction motor 12 for a predetermined time period before the stop of the suction motor 21, to the diaper cup 1. This final drive means is exemplified by step S32 of the flow chart of Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 is a time chart showing the actions which are based on the flow chart shown in Fig. 2. The characteristics illustrated in Fig. 4(a) indicate the actions of the suction motor 21, and the action time period is controlled by steps S3 and S11 of Fig. 2. On the other hand, the characteristics illustrated in Fig. 4(b) indicate the actions of the water supply pump 5, and time parameters T1, T2, T3 and C1 for driving the water supply pump 5 intermittently are set by step S5 of Fig. 2. Here, the characteristics illustrated in Fig. 4(c) indicate the action characteristics of a step for draining the washing water, as left in the washing water supply hose 105, after the end of the washing step. This washing water draining step is provided for preventing the cold water from being injected into the diaper cup 1 at a next starting time.

Fig. 5 is a time chart showing the actions which are based on the flow chart shown in Fig. 3. The characteristics illustrated in Fig. 5(a) indicate the actions of the suction motor 21, and the action time period is controlled by steps S23 and S33 of Fig. 3. On the other hand, the characteristics illustrated in Fig. 5(b) indicate the actions of the water supply pump 5, and time parameters T1, T2, T3 and C1 for driving the water supply pump 5 intermittently are set by step S25 of Fig. 3. Moreover, the characteristics illustrated in Fig. 5(c) indicate the action characteristics of a step for draining the washing water, as left in the washing water supply hose 105, after the end of the washing step, as also has been described with reference to Fig. 4(c). Still moreover, the characteristics illustrated in Fig. 5(d) indicate the characteristics for blowing the cooling wind, as has been warmed by the heat generated by the suction motor 21 for a predetermined time period before a stop of the suction motor 21, to the diaper cup 1, and a time parameter T4 is set by step S25 of Fig. 3.

Reference Numerals

1

Diaper Cup

C

Device Body

2

Vacuum Motor Housing

3

Excrement Tank

4

Warm Water Tank

5

Water Supply Tank

6

Filter Box

7

Vacuum Hose

81, 82

Sensor Signal Line

11

Control Panel

12

Sequencer

104

Excrement Suction Hose

105

Washing Water Supply Hose

106

Warm Wind Hose

109

Feces Sensor

114

Urine Sensor