DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE CORE BODY TEMPERATURE OF A SUBJECT

• US 20190313914A1
• Filed: 10/26/2017
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: KIRENKO, Ihor Olehovych, SHAN, Caifeng, AARTS, Ronaldus Maria
• Granted Patent: US 11,452,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/02 specially adapted for a particular organ or body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0035 adapted for acquisition of images from more than one imaging mode, e.g. combining MRI and optical tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0261 using optical means, e.g. infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7485 Automatic selection of region of interest
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0025 Living bodies ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device, system and method for determining the core body temperature of a subject. To enable continuous core body determination without having to place or direct a sensor at a precise position of the subject'"'"'s body, the device comprises an image data input (31) for obtaining image data (11) of a subject'"'"'s skin, a thermal sensor data input (32) for obtaining thermal sensor data (21) of the subject'"'"'s skin, an image analysis unit (33) for deriving photoplethysmography, PPG, signals from the obtained image data and for detecting one or more skin areas (34) having the strongest PPG signals, and a temperature determination unit (35) for determining the core body temperature (36) of the subject from obtained thermal sensor data for the detected one or more skin areas.

Claims

1. A device for determining the core body temperature of a subject, said device comprising:

an image data input for obtaining image data of a subject'"'"'s skin,

a thermal sensor data input for obtaining thermal sensor data of the subject'"'"'s skin,

an image analysis unit for deriving photoplethysmography, PPG, signals from the obtained image data and for detecting one or more skin areas having the strongest PPG signals, and

a temperature determination unit for determining the core body temperature of the subject from obtained thermal sensor data for the detected one or more skin areas.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said image analysis unit is configured to detect one or more skin areas having the strongest PPG signals by detecting, based on said PPG signals, one or more skin areas having the highest blood pulsatility.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said image analysis unit is configured to detect one or more skin areas having the strongest PPG signals by detecting one or more skin areas having PPG signals with the highest intensity in a predetermined frequency range.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said temperature determination unit is configured to determine the core body temperature of the subject by analyzing the difference between the temperature of the skin area showing the strongest PPG signal with the temperature of other skin areas.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said temperature determination unit is configured to determine the core body temperature of the subject from the acquired thermal sensor data separately for two or more detected skin areas and to combine the determined core body temperature values determined for the two or more detected skin areas.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said image analysis unit is configured to track one or more detected skin areas over time.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said image analysis unit is configured to identify anatomical regions and/or the geometrical structure of the subject within the obtained image data and wherein said temperature determination unit is configured to adapt the determination of the core body temperature according to the identified anatomical region and/or the identified geometrical structure of the subject.

8. A system for determining the core body temperature of a subject, said system comprising:

an imaging unit for acquiring image data of a subject'"'"'s skin,

a thermal sensor for acquiring thermal sensor data of the subject'"'"'s skin, and

a device as claimed in claim 1 for determining the core body temperature of a subject.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8,

wherein said thermal sensor comprises a longwave camera unit for acquiring thermal images in the longwave infrared spectrum.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8,

wherein said imaging unit comprises an imaging unit for acquiring images in the visible and/or infrared light spectrum.

11. A method for determining the core body temperature of a subject, said method comprising:

obtaining image data of a subject'"'"'s skin,

acquiring thermal sensor data of the subject'"'"'s skin,

deriving photoplethysmography, PPG, signals from the obtained image data,

detecting one or more skin areas having the strongest PPG signals, and

determining the core body temperature of the subject from obtained thermal sensor data for the detected one or more skin areas.

12. A computer program comprising program code means for causing a computer to carry out the steps of the method as claimed in claim 11 when said computer program is carried out on the computer.