Temperature sensing fabric

• US 7,787,726 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Lynam, Lynn E., Deng, Kung-Li J., Xia, Hua, Ten Eyck, Lawrence G.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, ELLEN E
• Application Number:
  US11/717,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20080227349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 385/12, 374/130, 442/60, 2 6/9, 548/2
• US Class Current: 385/37
• 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 plurality of fiber Bragg grating optic sensors integrated thereinto to sense the temperature of the subject at a plurality of locations by creating a detectable shift in the wavelength of light radiation emitted from and returning to the fiber Bragg grating optic sensors.

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 fabric article of claim 1 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a high heat conductivity material.

6. The temperature sensing fabric article of claim 5 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a material containing Al, Au or Ni.

12. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a high heat conductivity material.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the fiber Bragg grating sensor is coated with a material containing Al, Au or Ni.

7. A system for measuring the temperature of a subject comprising an article comprising a woven material of optical fibers having a plurality of fiber Bragg grating optic temperature sensors integrated into at least one of the optical fibers, a light source for transmitting light to the fiber Bragg grating optic temperature sensors, the fiber Bragg grating optic temperature sensors directing that light onto the subject and receiving light reflected from the subject having a wavelength shift of the light indicative of the temperature of a subject, a light sensor for receiving light received by the fiber optic temperature sensors and a signal processor adapted to interpret the wavelength shift of the light directed and received by the fiber Bragg grating optic temperature sensors to determine the temperature of a subject at multiple locations.

8. The system as defined in claim 7 wherein the article comprises a blanket.

9. The system as defined in claim 7 wherein the article comprises an article of clothing.

10. The system as defined in claim 7 wherein the system measures the skin temperature of an infant.

11. The system as defined in claim 7 wherein the light is transmitted to and received from the at least one fiber optic temperature sensor by an optical fiber.

14. The system as defined in claim 7 wherein the at least one fiber Bragg grating optic temperature sensor comprises a plurality of fiber Bragg grating optic sensors.

15. A method of sensing the temperature of a living subject comprising:

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

placing the article in thermal communication with the living subject,

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

determining the temperature of the subject by interpreting the wavelength shift indicative of the temperature of the living subject in the return light signal.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of providing an article comprises providing an article of clothing having at least one fiber Bragg grating optic temperature sensor inscribed within an optical fiber.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of providing an article comprises providing a blanket having at least one fiber Bragg grating optic temperature sensor inscribed within an optical fiber.