Temperature monitoring systems and methods for determining a change in temperature of target areas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11450428-B2
Application number	US-201916589173-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2019
Priority date	Oct 2, 2018
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A monitoring system that includes an infrared detector comprising a field of view that detects temperature data from the field of view and provides a signal indicative of at least a detected temperature of a subject. The system includes a tab comprising a tab temperature that is positioned within the field of view such that the infrared detector detects the tab and emits a signal indicative of a detected temperature of the tab. The system includes a temperature sensor secured to the tab that detects the tab temperature and provides a signal indicative of a reference temperature. A control unit is communicatively coupled to the infrared detector and the temperature sensor and computes a net value between the detected temperature of the subject and the detected temperature of the tab. The control unit calculates a core temperature of the subject by combining the net value with the reference temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring system, comprising:
an infrared detector comprising a field of view, the infrared detector detecting temperature data from the field of view and providing a signal indicative of at least a detected temperature of a subject within the field of view;
a tab comprising a tab temperature, wherein the tab is at least partially positioned within the field of view of the infrared detector such that the infrared detector detects the tab and emits a signal indicative of a detected temperature of the tab;
a temperature sensor secured to the tab, the temperature sensor detecting the tab temperature and providing a signal indicative of a reference temperature; and
a control unit communicatively coupled to the infrared detector and the temperature sensor, the control unit comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory device comprising computer readable and executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control unit to:
compute a net value between the detected temperature of the subject and the detected temperature of the tab by subtracting the detected temperature of the tab from the detected temperature of the subject; and
calculate a core temperature of the subject by combining the computed net value with the reference temperature.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the core temperature of the subject calculated by the control unit is within ±0.5° Celsius of an actual temperature.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising a remote station, wherein the control unit is coupled to the remote station.

4. The monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, transmit a signal indicative of the core temperature to the remote station.

5. The monitoring system of claim 4 , wherein the remote station receives the signal indicative of the core temperature from the control unit and determines a variance between the core temperature of the subject and a baseline temperature of the subject.

6. The monitoring system of claim 5 , wherein the baseline temperature is an initial core temperature determined by the monitoring system and stored in the remote station at initialization of the monitoring system.

7. The monitoring system of claim 5 , wherein the baseline temperature is input into the remote station by an operator.

8. The monitoring system of claim 5 , wherein the remote station emits an alarm signal when the variance between the core temperature of the subject and the baseline temperature of the subject is greater than a threshold.

9. The monitoring system of claim 8 , wherein the alarm signal is transmitted from the remote station to a handheld device.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the tab has an emissivity greater than or equal to 0.90.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the infrared detector comprises a long wave infrared camera.

12. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the infrared detector periodically detects temperature data from the field of view at a predetermined interval and the temperature sensor periodically detects the tab temperature of the tab at the predetermined interval.

13. The monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising an ambient sensor communicatively coupled to the control unit, wherein the ambient sensor is configured to measure an ambient temperature adjacent to the field of view.

14. The monitoring system of claim 13 , wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to calibrate the detected temperature of the subject and the detected temperature of the tab based on the ambient temperature.

15. The monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising a baseplate, wherein the tab and the infrared detector are each coupled to the baseplate.

16. A method for monitoring a core temperature of a subject using a system comprising an infrared detector, a temperature sensor, and a tab, the method comprising:
capturing thermal images of a target area with the infrared detector, the target area including the subject and the tab, wherein the thermal images comprise a plurality of pixels corresponding to at least a detected temperature of the subject and a detected temperature of the tab;
measuring a reference temperature of the tab with the temperature sensor positioned on the tab;
determining a difference between the detected temperature of the subject and the detected temperature of the tab from the thermal images by subtracting the detected temperature of the tab from the detected temperature of the subject; and
computing the core temperature of the subject by adding the determined difference to the reference temperature of the tab.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising initiating an alert in response to the core temperature of the subject exceeding a predetermined threshold, wherein the alert comprises at least one of an audible message, a visual display, and a tactile feedback.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising calibrating the detected temperature of the subject and the detected temperature of the tab with an ambient temperature of the target area, wherein the ambient temperature is measured by an ambient sensor.

19. A monitoring system comprising:
an infrared detector configured to capture thermal images of a target area;
a tab positioned within the target area such that the infrared detector is configured to capture thermal images of the tab;
a temperature sensor positioned on the tab and configured to measure a temperature of the tab;
an ambient sensor configured to measure an atmospheric temperature adjacent to the target area; and
a processor in communication with the infrared detector, the temperature sensor, and the ambient sensor, the processor configured to:
analyze thermal data from the infrared detector corresponding to a subject within the target area and the tab to detect a temperature of the subject and to detect a temperature of the tab;
analyze thermal data from the temperature sensor corresponding to the tab to detect a reference temperature of the tab;
analyze thermal data from the ambient sensor to detect the atmospheric temperature;
compute a corrected temperature of the subject and a corrected temperature of the tab by calibrating the detected temperature of the subject and the detected temperature of the tab with the atmospheric temperature; and
compute a core temperature of the subject by adding the reference temperature of the tab to a difference between the corrected temperature of the subject and the corrected temperature of the tab, wherein the difference between the corrected temperature of the subject and the corrected temperature of the tab is calculated by subtracting the corrected temperature of the tab from the corrected temperature of the subject.

20. The monitoring system of claim 19 , wherein the processor is configured to generate monitoring information relating to the core temperature of the subject, wherein the monitoring information comprises an alert generated in response to the processor determining the core temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature threshold.

Assignees

• Hill Rom Services Inc

Inventors

• Soreefan Ibne
• Holmes Tyler
• Lane John
• Agdeppa Eric

Classifications

• G01J5/064

  Ambient temperature sensor; Housing temperature sensor; Constructional details thereof · CPC title

• G01J5/00

  Radiation pyrometry, e.g. infrared or optical thermometry · CPC title

• A61B5/1115

  Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair · CPC title

• A61B2560/0252

  using ambient temperature · CPC title

• G01J5/0025 Primary

  Living bodies (ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00) · CPC title