BODY TEMPERATURE LOGGING PATCH

• US 20140121557A1
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Spark Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Blue Spark Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ream, Matt, Tucholski, Gary R., Gannon, John, Casadonte, Salvatore Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,782,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/549
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0204 of power management
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• 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 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/022 for recording
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

An actively-powered temperature data logger patch with wireless data communication includes a sealed, flexible battery comprising a printed electrochemical cell with an anode and a cathode, and a flexible circuit including a microprocessor, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a target subject, a wireless communication transceiver and an antenna. In one example, the flexible battery and flexible circuit are arranged in a covering, stacked arrangement between first and second substrate layers, and the patch configured to conform to a curved surface of the target subject. In another example, the patch is used in an actively-powered medical system for monitoring a body temperature of a patient, and includes an adhesive configured to be removably applied to skin of the patient. An external computing device is capable of two way communication with the wireless communication transceiver of the patch via an electromagnetic field.

Claims

1. An actively-powered temperature data logger patch with wireless data communication, comprising:

a first substrate layer;

a sealed, flexible battery comprising a printed electrochemical cell with an anode and a cathode, at least one of said anode and cathode being formed of a cured or dried ink, and first and second battery electrode contacts that are each electrically coupled to one of the anode and cathode;

a flexible circuit comprising a microprocessor, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a target subject, a wireless communication transceiver and an antenna, the flexible circuit further comprising first and second battery contact pads that are each electrically coupled to one of the first and second battery electrode contacts to thereby electrically power the microprocessor and temperature sensor; and

a second substrate layer comprising an adhesive configured to be removably applied to a surface of the target subject,

wherein the flexible battery and flexible circuit together comprise an electronics inlay that is arranged in a covering, stacked arrangement between the first and second substrate layers, and

wherein all of the first substrate layer, electronics inlay, and second substrate layer are flexible and configured to conform to a curved surface of the target subject.

2. The patch of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication transceiver is configured to be passively powered by an electromagnetic field from an external computing device.

3. The patch of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication transceiver utilizes a standard NFC communications protocol.

4. The patch of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication transceiver utilizes a standard Bluetooth or Bluetooth low-energy communications protocol.

5. The patch of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor comprises a unique identification code (UID).

6. The patch of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor further comprises a timer configured to enable the microprocessor to obtain a plurality of temperature samples from the temperature sensor at a periodic time interval.

7. The patch of claim 6, wherein the microprocessor further comprises a memory for storing the temperature samples together with an associated time-stamp for each temperature sample.

8. The patch of claim 7, wherein the flexible circuit further comprises an auxiliary memory storage device, and the microprocessor is configured to transfer data between the memory of the microprocessor and the auxiliary memory storage device.

9. The patch of claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is configured to wirelessly transmit the plurality of temperature samples to an external computing device via the wireless communication transceiver and antenna.

10. The patch of claim 1, wherein the first and second battery electrode contacts of the flexible battery are mechanically and electrically coupled to the first and second battery contact pads of the flexible circuit.

11. The patch of claim 1, wherein the second substrate at least partially comprises a hydrogel that is arranged in a covering relationship over the temperature sensor and is configured to be removably applied to a patient'"'"'s skin.

12. The patch of claim 1, wherein the second substrate at least partially comprises a polyethylene foam coated on at least one side with a pressure-sensitive adhesive configured to be removably applied to a patient'"'"'s skin.

13. The patch of claim 1, wherein the electronics inlay is encapsulated between the first and second substrate layers.

14. The patch of claim 1, wherein both of the anode and cathode of the electrochemical cell comprise a cured or dried ink, and the anode and cathode are provided in a co-planar arrangement.

15. An actively-powered temperature data logger patch with of wireless data communication, comprising:

a first substrate layer;

a sealed, flexible battery comprising a printed electrochemical cell with an anode and a cathode that are provided in a co-planar arrangement;

a flexible circuit comprising a microprocessor, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a target subject, a wireless communication transceiver and an antenna,

wherein the microprocessor actively receives electrical power from the flexible battery, the temperature sensor actively receives electrical power from the microprocessor, and the wireless communication transceiver is passively powered by an electromagnetic field from an external computing device; and

a second substrate layer comprising an adhesive configured to be removably applied to a surface of the target subject,

wherein the flexible battery and flexible circuit are disposed between the first and second substrate layers, and wherein all of the first substrate layer, electronics inlay, and second substrate layer are flexible.

16. The patch of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is configured to selectively provide electrical power to the temperature sensor only when the microprocessor is obtaining a temperature sample from the temperature sensor.

17. The patch of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication transceiver utilizes a standard NFC communications protocol.

18. The patch of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor further comprises a timer configured to enable the microprocessor to obtain temperature samples from the temperature sensor at a periodic time interval, and the microprocessor further comprises a memory for storing the temperature samples together with an associated time-stamp for each temperature sample.

19. The patch of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is configured to wirelessly transmit each temperature sample to said external computing device via the wireless communication transceiver and antenna.

20. An actively-powered medical system for monitoring a body temperature of a patient, comprising:

a flexible, actively-powered temperature data logging patch, comprising a sealed, flexible battery comprising a printed electrochemical cell with an anode and a cathode that are provided in a co-planar arrangement, and a flexible circuit comprising a microprocessor, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of said patient, a timer, a memory, a wireless communication transceiver and an antenna, and a substrate layer comprising an adhesive configured to be removably applied to skin of said patient,

wherein the microprocessor, the temperature sensor, the timer, and the memory of the patch are all actively powered by the flexible battery; and

an external computing device comprising a programmable microprocessor capable of running applications, an active power supply, a display, and a transceiver powered by the active power supply and capable of two way communication with the wireless communication transceiver of the patch via an electromagnetic field,

wherein the wireless communication transceiver of the patch is passively powered by said electromagnetic field from the external computing device, and

wherein the external computing device is configured to transmit an initialization command and an initialization start time to the microprocessor of the patch that enables the microprocessor to provide power to the temperature sensor and to start obtaining a plurality of temperature samples from the temperature sensor, and wherein the microprocessor of the patch is configured to transmit a confirmation signal back to the external computing device that is indicative of a successful initialization.

21. The medical system of claim 20, wherein the microprocessor of the patch is further configured to store the plurality of temperature samples together with an associated time-stamp for each temperature sample in the memory of the patch.

22. The medical system of claim 21, wherein the external computing device is further configured to transmit a periodic time read interval to the microprocessor of the patch, and the microprocessor of the patch is configured to obtain the plurality of temperature samples from the temperature sensor at a rate corresponding to the periodic time read interval.

23. The medical system of claim 21, wherein the microprocessor of the patch is configured to transmit the plurality of temperature samples and the associated time-stamps to the external computing device, and wherein the external computing device is configured to display said plurality of temperature samples and associated time-stamps in a graphical manner on the display.

24. The medical system of claim 23, wherein the external computing device is further configured to save said plurality of temperature samples and associated time-stamps in an on-board memory for future retrieval.

25. The medical system of claim 20, wherein the external computing device is further configured to transmit a re-initialization command and a re-initialization start time to the microprocessor of the patch if the external computing device determines that the patch was not successfully initialized.