US 12,447,067 B2
System including a wearable absorbent hygiene article and a hygiene monitoring device
Michael Öberg, Gothenburg (SE); Joshua Carney, Floda (SE); Henrik Pettersson-Falk, Harryda (SE); and Anders Olsson, Gothenburg (SE)
Assigned to ESSITY HYGIENE AND HEALTH AKTIEBOLAG, Gothenburg (SE)
Appl. No. 17/413,670
Filed by Essity Hygiene and Health Aktiebolag, Gothenburg (SE)
PCT Filed Dec. 20, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/086217
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 14, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/125999, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0015956 A1, Jan. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. A61F 13/42 (2006.01); A61F 13/44 (2006.01); A61F 13/505 (2006.01); A61F 13/53 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 13/42 (2013.01) [A61F 13/44 (2013.01); A61F 13/505 (2013.01); A61F 13/53 (2013.01); A61F 2013/424 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a wearable absorbent hygiene article defining a front waist region, a back waist region, a crotch region and a longitudinal axis, the wearable absorbent hygiene article comprising:
a liquid permeable top layer adapted to face a wearer during use;
a back layer opposite to the top layer; and
an absorbent core in the crotch region and located between the top layer and the back layer, the absorbent core having a core length along the longitudinal axis; and
a hygiene monitoring device comprising a sensing panel,
wherein the sensing panel comprises:
an elongate flexible panel defining a longitudinal axis and comprising a flexible substrate, and
plates comprising a pair of plates spaced apart from each other, the plates being disposed on the flexible substrate,
wherein each of the plates is elongate along the longitudinal axis of the elongate flexible panel,
wherein the hygiene monitoring device is configured to measure an impedance between two of the plates,
wherein an extent of the plates along the longitudinal axis of the elongate flexible panel defines a sensing length,
wherein the sensing length is 50% to 100% of the core length, and
wherein the elongate flexible panel comprises an insulating layer which entirely covers the plates to prevent purely resistive coupling between the plates.