Mask having integrated physiological condition sensors

• US 10,219,743 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Larsen, Christopher Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Neal, Timothy J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fairchild, Aaron B
• Application Number:
  US13/921,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20140005497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,086 Days
• Field of Search: 12820624, 12820612, 12820124
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/20 Workers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0216 Materials providing elastic properties, e.g. for facilitating deformation and avoid breaking
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/06 Heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/42 Rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/50 Temperature

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a human wearable mask includes a skirt for directly contacting a forehead of a human wearer, a patch with sensors on the skirt to obtain and provide temperature data from the forehead of the human wearer.

Claims

1. A human wearable mask comprising:

a pliable skirt including a skin contacting portion for directly contacting a forehead of a human wearer; and

a sensor applied along the skin contacting portion of the pliable skirt and projecting from the pliable skirt toward the forehead;

the sensor configured to obtain and provide contact based temperature data from the forehead of the human wearer, and

wherein deformable engagement of the skin contacting portion of the pliable skirt causes the skin contacting portion of the pliable skirt to bias the sensor projecting from the pliable skirt into direct contact with the forehead of the human wearer.

2. The mask of claim 1 and further comprising a transmitter communicatively coupled to the sensor to wirelessly transmit the sensed data.

3. The mask of claim 1 wherein the mask is a full face respirator.

4. The mask of claim 1 wherein the mask is a self-contained breathing apparatus mask.

5. The mask of claim 1 wherein the sensor further comprises a respiration rate sensor.

6. The mask of claim 1 wherein the sensor further comprises moisture sensor to sense presence of sweat.

7. The mask of claim 1 wherein the sensor further comprises pulse rate sensor.

8. The mask of claim 1 wherein the skirt is formed of silicone, and the sensor is formed on a flexible circuit patch positioned about the forehead of the human wearer.

9. The mask of claim 8 wherein the sensor comprises multiple thermistors aligned in a row such that a thermistor is positioned proximate a temporal artery of the human wearer to measure a temperature representative of the body core temperature of the human wearer.

10. The mask of claim 1 and further comprising processing circuitry to determine a condition of a wearer as a function of the sensed data.

11. The mask of claim 10 and further comprising a monitor to alert the wearer of the condition of the wearer.

12. A full face respirator comprising:

a frame;

a gas conduit supported by the frame;

a pliable skirt coupled to the frame, the pliable skirt includes a skin contacting portion configured for directly contacting and deforming against a forehead of a human wearer to provide a seal with a face and forehead;

a thermistor extending beyond the pliable skirt toward the forehead, the thermistor configured to obtain and provide temperature data from the forehead of the human wearer proximate a temporal artery of the human wearer; and

wherein the deformation of the skin contacting portion causes the skin contacting portion of the pliable skirt to bias the thermistor into contact with the forehead of the human wearer.

13. The full face respirator of claim 12 and further comprising multiple thermistors supported on the skirt.