Device and method for determining an excretion flow rate of a body fluid of a person or an animal

A method for determining an excretion flow rate of a body fluid of a person or an animal, comprising the following steps:

• providing a device worn by the person or animal comprising:
• an impermeable separating layer made of an impermeable material and designed to be placed in contact with a source of excretion of the body fluid, the impermeable separating layer defining a first opening configured for allowing inlet of the body fluid,
• an absorbent element configured to absorb the body fluid and to define a diffusion path from the first opening to an end of the absorbent element, the impermeable separating layer is disposed between the source of excretion of the body fluid and the absorbent element so as to separate the source of excretion of the body fluid and the absorbent layer and to cause absorption of the body fluid from the first opening to the end of the diffusion path,
• a set of at least three electrodes spaced apart from one another, two of said at least three electrodes are placed in sequential manner along the diffusion path,
• an impermeable film, the impermeable film forming an impermeable enclosure with the impermeable separating layer, the impermeable enclosure housing the absorbent element and the set of at least three electrodes, and
• a circuitry connected to the at least three electrodes and configured to define at least two pairs of electrodes by means of the at least three electrodes and configured to measure at least one electric parameter of a part of said absorbent element situated between said at least two pairs of electrodes^
• wherein the first opening in the separation layer is located before the electrodes in a fluid flow direction of the diffusion path and the separation layer has no other openings at or after the electrodes in the fluid flow direction of the diffusion path,
• bringing said device into contact with a body of the person or the animal having the source of excretion of the body fluid so as to position the first opening facing said source and to ensure flow of the excreted body fluid through the first opening to the absorbent element,
• measuring an electric parameter for each pair of electrodes, said measurement being successively performed from one pair of electrodes to the adjacent pair of electrodes in an order following the diffusion path,
• evaluating the position of a diffusion front of the body fluid on the diffusion path, relatively to the position of the electrodes, by comparing a value of the measured electric parameter with a predefined threshold value corresponding to flow of the body fluid between the electrodes of each pair of electrodes and,
• determining an excretion level from the position of the diffusion front by correlation between said position and a volume of body fluid absorbed by the absorbent element,
• identifying a time corresponding to a moment when the value of the electric parameter of each pair of electrodes reaches the threshold value, and
• determining a global excretion flow rate and/or an instantaneous excretion flow rate from said excretion level and from the corresponding time.