Electronic Urine Meter

Group 36 - Drew Ovshak, Eric Moyer, Parth Khatri

Client - Brad Clay, bioMerieux
BME 401, Section 3
December 2, 2015

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Project Scope

Existing methods of urine monitoring are too infrequent

A higher measurement frequency is a key factor in addressing conditions

like acute kidney injury as soon as possible

Patients urinary and renal health can be more clearly observed with an
automated system for urine measurement

Proof of concept developed to demonstrate feasibility of TDR

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Overview of Proof of Concept

High speed pulse generated

Any changes in the impedance of the interconnect
cable or Microstrip Sensor cause a reflection of the
pulse
Oscilloscope displays output from TDR Head

Proof of Concept
Schematic and
Setup
Mircostrip Sensor

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Preliminary Observations

Oscilloscope readings of an empty urine bag (left) and urine bag

with 60 mL of water (right)

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Feasibility - Calculations

Urine level determination calculated through a ratio using the conduction

velocity of the pulse, length of the microstrip sensor, and the display found
on the oscilloscope
L1

Conduction
velocity, v1

Urine Level

L2

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Feasibility - Accuracy

Visual change detected at 15 mL (now defined as our upper bound)

Current Equipment Constraints

Low sampling rate (400 megasamples/second; Desired: 20 gigasamples/second)

No exportation of data

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Feasibility - Safety

No contact between urine and electronics

Low current, low voltage
Standard urine bag and Foley catheter
Outlet Power vs. Battery Power

http://electronicurinemeter.weebly.com/designsafe.html

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Feasibility - Cost Analysis of Proof of

Concept
Disposable Components

Goal: <$10
Large-scale ordering and a
more streamlined
manufacturing process will
reduce costs

Microstrip Sensor

$9.47

Urine Bag

Approx. $1.00

Disposable Components Total

$10.47

Reusable Components
Tektronix 7854 Oscilloscope with
7S11 TDR and S-6 Sampling head

$13,750

S-52 Pulse Generator

$825

Interconnect cable

$93.84

Measurement Components Total

$14,668

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Standalone Design

Addition of a signal processing unit

High speed pulse using op-amp like
shown
Urine bag redesign

High speed pulse integrated

circuit1

Final product flow diagram

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Standalone Cost Estimates

Disposable Components
Metalized tape

Estimates now
exceed our goal
Non-Disposable
unit now cheaper

$.06 per foot (approx 1 foot is used per unit)

Connector

$1.00

Urine Bag

$1.00

Disposable Total

$2.06

Non-Disposable Components
High Speed Pulser

$50

Signal Processor Integrated Circuit w/ LCD

$50

High Speed ADC

Could be as much as $400

Vacuum Pump

$40

Vacuum Tubing and Insulation

$30

Housing Unit

$100

Non-Disposable Total

$685

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Design Specifications, Revisited

Quantifiable

Value

Evaluation

Specification

Low Cost

The total cost of our device should be less than $10

Accurate

Our fluid level or urine flow rate measurements should be

within 5 mL

Versatility

Our product should work for all possible specific gravities of

urine (between 1 and 1.1), all colors (yellow, brown, red, etc.
based on the amount of blood), and electrical properties
(varying ion concentrations)

Reliability

Works 99% of the time, continues to function after 5 ft fall

(safety standard UL 2601-1), and leaks urine at a rate <1 drop
per hour (Ideally zero)

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Design Specifications, Revisited

Quantifiable

Value

Evaluation

Portability

Nurses should be able easily transport our product throughout

the hospital and thus, a weight of <2 kg (without urine) and
size of <0.5 m3 seems reasonable

Implementation

Our device should be compatible with existing hospital

procedures and equipment (such as hospital beds and
disinfecting agents). Also, the urine meter is ideally battery
powered

Safety

Must meet the safety standards IEC 60601-01 and ISO-10993

Specification

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Conclusion - Summary of Progress

TDR assessment
Proof of concept with academic equipment

Project Scope | Overview | Feasibility | Standalone | Design Specifications | Conclusion

Conclusion - Future Direction

Pursue a provisional patent

Potentially enter future design competitions
Further design standalone product

Signal processing
Upgrade equipment

Implement into clinical setting

Thank you! Questions?

Work Cited
1.

"Build a Really Fast Pulse Generator (50ps Rise Time) Using an Ultra Fast SiGe Comparator."
Starlino Electronics. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.