Personal Protective Equipment with Integrated Physiological Monitoring

• US 20130218022A1
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Larsen, Christopher Scott, Padmanabhan, Aravind, Humphrey, Christopher, Muggleton, Neal
• Granted Patent: US 9,211,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/474
• 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 5/6817 Ear canal

Abstract

Embodiments may comprise personal protective equipment with integrated physiological monitoring. Some embodiments may relate specifically to in-ear devices (such as hearing protection and/or communication devices) having one or more physiological sensors for early monitoring for heat related illnesses. Several embodiments may incorporate a temperature sensor and a speaker into such in-ear device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an earpiece for use in a user'"'"'s ear having a sealing ear tip, a main body, and a stem;

at least one temperature sensor;

a speaker having a face;

a sound waveguide;

an IR waveguide;

wherein;

the stem is elongate and has a front and a rear;

the stem has a length sufficient that, when the device is in place in the user'"'"'s ear, the stem extends forward from the main body past at least a first bend of the user'"'"'s ear canal;

the stem is sufficiently flexible to comfortably conform to curvature of the user'"'"'s ear canal;

the main body is shaped to fit in the bowl of the user'"'"'s ear and has a front;

the rear of the stem is securely attached to the front of the main body;

the sealing ear tip comprises polyurethane foam sufficiently pliable to form a good seal in the user'"'"'s ear canal and is securely attached about the front of the stem;

the temperature sensor comprises an IR thermometry sensor having a face;

the speaker and the IR sensor are located in the main body near the rear of the device;

the sound waveguide extends from the speaker face, through the length of the stem, forward to the front of the stem;

the sound waveguide comprises an inner surface that is substantially sound reflective;

the IR waveguide extends from the IR sensor face, through the length of the stem, forward to the front of the stem;

the IR waveguide is substantially transmissive of IR waves;

the IR waveguide and the sound waveguide each comprise at least one curve;

the waveguides function despite any additional curvature arising when the earpiece is inserted into the user'"'"'s ear canal; and

the IR waveguide extending past at least the first bend provides effective alignment of

the IR sensor directed towards the user'"'"'s tympanic membrane.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the IR waveguide comprises an elongate hollow tube; and

the IR waveguide has an inner surface that is reflective of IR.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the IR waveguide comprises a mirrored inner surface of polished metal.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the IR waveguide comprises a fiber-optic cable.

5. The device of claim 1 further comprising at least one secondary physiological sensor and a controller, wherein the controller uses the secondary physiological sensor as verification of the temperature sensor to determine heat-related illness designation.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein a single y-shaped waveguide serves as both the sound waveguide and the IR waveguide, with one branch attaching to the speaker face and one branch attaching to the IR sensor face.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein the controller wirelessly transmits notification of warning to an external processor.

8. A device comprising:

an earpiece for use in a user'"'"'s ear having a sealing ear tip;

at least one temperature sensor;

and one or more waveguides;

wherein;

the earpiece has sufficient length and flexibility so that when in place in the user'"'"'s ear it comfortably extends forward past at least a first bend of the user'"'"'s ear canal;

the sealing tip is sufficiently pliable to form a good seal in the user'"'"'s ear canal.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermistor;

and the ear tip comprises polyurethane foam.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the temperature sensor comprises an IR sensor and the one or more waveguides comprise an IR waveguide.

14. The device of claim 10 wherein a single waveguide functions as both a sound waveguide for the speaker and an IR waveguide for the IR sensor, with the single waveguide having an inner surface that is reflective of both sound and IR.

15. The device of claim 8 further comprising at least one secondary physiological sensor for verification of heat related illness detected by the temperature sensor.

16. The device of claim 10 further comprising a main body, for housing the speaker and the temperature sensor, and a stem;

wherein;

the stem is elongate and has a front and a rear;

the rear of the stem is securely attached to the main body;

the stem is sufficiently flexible to comfortably conform to curvature of the user'"'"'s ear canal; and

the one or more waveguides span the length of the stem.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the sealing ear tip comprises polyurethane foam and is securely attached about the front of the stem.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein:

the one or more waveguides further comprise a sound waveguide;

the sound waveguide comprises an elongate hollow tube extending from the speaker face forward through the length of the stem so that, when in place in the user'"'"'s ear, the sound waveguide directs sound produced by the speaker into the user'"'"'s ear canal at a point past the sealing ear tip;

the sound waveguide comprises an inner surface that is substantially sound reflective to transmit sound the length of the sound waveguide with less than about 6 dB attenuation; and

the waveguide comprises an elongate hollow tube having an inner surface that is substantially reflective for spectrally flat transmission of IR which extends from the face of the IR sensor forward so that, when in place in the user'"'"'s ear, the IR waveguide allows the IR sensor to be aligned to detect the temperature of the user'"'"'s tympanic membrane.

19. The device of claim 8 further comprising a helmet having a headband comprising one or more secondary physiological sensors for verification of heat-related illness.

20. The device of claim 8 further comprising an armband having one or more secondary physiological sensors for verification of heat-related illness.

11. The device 10 further comprising a speaker having a face, wherein the one or more waveguides further comprise a sound waveguide;

wherein the sound waveguide comprises an elongate hollow tube extending from the speaker face forward so that, when in place in the user'"'"'s ear, the sound waveguide directs sound produced by the speaker into the user'"'"'s ear canal at a point past the sealing ear tip; and

wherein the sound waveguide comprises an inner surface that is substantially sound reflective.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the IR waveguide comprises a fiber-optic cable.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the IR waveguide comprises an elongate hollow tube having an inner surface that is substantially reflective of IR which extends from the face of the IR sensor forward so that, when in place in the user'"'"'s ear, the IR waveguide allows the IR sensor to detect the temperature in the ear canal.