Temperature sensing fabric

• US 20080227349A1
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Xia, Hua, Lynam, Lynn E., Deng, Kung-Li J., Eyck, Lawrence G. Ten
• Granted Patent: US 7,787,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 442/60
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1281 with incorporated means for medical monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 9/0223 Blankets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/3206 at discrete locations in the fibre, e.g. using Bragg scattering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2008 Fabric composed of a fiber or strand which is of specific structural definition

Abstract

A blanket or article of wearing apparel for a subject such as an infant. A fiber optic temperature sensing element is integrated into the fabric by a process such as weaving. The temperature sensing element is a optic fiber having inscribed therein one or more fiber Bragg grating sensors such that a light is introduced into the optic fiber and that light directed onto the subject at a grating interface. A return light signal is received, either by a reflectance mode or a transmission mode, where the return light signal has a wavelength shift indicative of the temperature of the subject by Bragg resonant effect. Higher temperature sensitivity is obtained with a metal material of a high thermal expansion coefficient that is coated around the fiber sensor cladding.

Claims

1. A temperature sensing fabric article adapted to contact at least a portion of a subject, said fabric article comprising a material comprised of woven optical fibers with at least one of the optical fibers having a fiber optic temperature sensor integrated thereinto to sense the temperature of the subject.

2. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 1 wherein the article is an article of clothing.

3. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 1 wherein the article is a blanket.

4. The temperature sensing blanket of claim 3 wherein the subject is an infant and the blanket senses the skin temperature of an infant.

5. The temperature sensing blanket of claim 3 wherein the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor is formed in an optical fiber that is woven into the blanket.

6. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 1 wherein the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor comprises a plurality of fiber optic temperature sensors inscribed in an optical fiber.

7. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 1 wherein the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor element is a fiber Bragg grating sensor.

8. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 7 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a high heat conductivity material.

9. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 8 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a material containing Al, Au or Ni.

10. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 1 wherein the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor produces a light signal indicative of the skin temperature of an infant.

11. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 1 wherein the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor comprises a plurality of fiber Bragg grating sensors inscribed in optical fibers woven into the blanket.

12. A system for measuring the temperature of a subject comprising an article comprising a woven material of optical fibers having at least one fiber optic temperature sensor integrated into at least one of the optical fibers, a light source for transmitting light to the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor, the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor directing that light onto the subject and receiving light reflected from the subject having a changed property indicative of the temperature of a subject, a light sensor for receiving light received by the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor and a signal processor adapted to interpret the change in property of the light directed and received by the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor to determine the temperature of a subject.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the signal processor interprets a shift in wavelength between the light directed onto the subject and the light received by the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor.

14. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the article comprises a blanket.

15. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the article comprises an article of clothing.

16. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the system measures the skin temperature of an infant.

17. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the light is transmitted to and received from the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor by an optical fiber.

18. The system as defined in claim 17 wherein the optical fiber has a plurality of fiber optical temperature sensors inscribed therein.

19. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor is a fiber Bragg grating sensor.

20. The system as defined in claim 19 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a high heat conductivity material.

21. The system as defined in claim 20 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a material containing Al, Au or Ni.

22. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the signal processor interprets a shift in wavelength between the light directed by the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor onto the skin of an infant and the light received by the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor to determine the skin temperature of an infant.

23. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor comprises a plurality of fiber Bragg grating sensors.

24. A method of sensing the temperature of a subject comprising:

providing an article comprising a material of woven optical fibers having at least one fiber optic temperature sensor integrated into one of the optical fibers,

placing the article in thermal communication with the subject,

providing a light signal to the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor whereby the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor directs the light signal onto the subject and receives a return light signal from the subject having a characteristic indicative of the temperature of the subject,

determining the temperature of the subject by interpreting the characteristic indicative of the temperature of the subject in the return light signal.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of providing an article comprising a woven material having at least one fiber optic temperature sensor comprises providing a blanket having at least one fiber optic temperature sensor inscribed within an optical fiber article of clothing

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of providing an article comprises providing a blanket having at least one fiber optic temperature sensor inscribed within an optical fiber.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of providing an article comprises providing an article of clothing having at least one fiber optic temperature sensor inscribed within an optical fiber.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of providing an article comprises providing a blanket having a fiber Bragg grating sensor inscribed within an optical fiber.