Surface temperature profile

• US 8,185,341 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medisim Limited
• Original Assignee: Medisim Limited
• Inventors: Yarden, Moshe, Rogachevsky, Marina
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHERRY, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US12/130,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 702/131
• US Class Current: 702/128
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/16 Special arrangements for conducting heat from the object to the sensitive element
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/42 Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature

Abstract

Thermometric apparatus includes one or more temperature sensors, which are configured to provide respective temperature-dependent readings at two or more locations on a surface in a vicinity of a sub-surface heal source. A processing unit is configured to process the readings from the two or more locations so as to determine a temperature of the sub-surface heat source.

Claims

1. Thermometric apparatus, comprising:

one or more temperature sensors, which are configured to provide respective temperature-dependent readings at two or more locations, separated by a distance, on a surface of a living body in a vicinity of a sub-surface heat source within the body; and

a processing unit configured to process the readings from the two or more locations together with information relating to the distance between the locations so as to determine a temperature of the sub-surface heat source.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sub-surface heat source is blood vessel, and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the temperature of the blood in the vessel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the two or more locations are arranged along a line that crosses the vessel.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the vessel is a carotid artery, and wherein the one or more temperature sensors are configured to measure the temperature-dependent readings on a neck of the subject.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine from the readings a temperature gradient over the surface and to use the temperature gradient in determining the temperature of the sub-surface heat source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to use a set of heat flux relationships in determining the temperature of the sub-surface heat source.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine from the readings a coordinate of maximum temperature on the surface and to use the coordinate in determining the temperature of the sub-surface heat source.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, and comprising a patch, which holds the one or more temperature sensors and is configured to be affixed to a body surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, and comprising a movement mechanism for moving a sensing area of the one or more temperature sensors between the two or more locations.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, and comprising:

a housing, which contains the one or more temperature sensors and is configured to be moved in proximity to the surface between the two or more locations; and

a position sensor for tracking movement of the housing.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more temperature sensors comprise infrared sensors.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, and comprising at least one lens, for focusing infrared radiation from the surface onto the one or more temperature sensors.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more temperature sensors comprise an array of multiple temperature sensors, which are arranged such that each of the temperature sensors is disposed in proximity to a respective one of the locations.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, and comprising an ambient temperature sensor, which is configured to measure an ambient temperature, and wherein the processing unit is configured to use the ambient temperature in determining the temperature of the sub-surface heat source.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, and comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a signal indicative of the temperature of the sub-surface heat source to an external monitor.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, and comprising a signal converter, which is configured to receive an input signal indicative of the temperature of the sub-surface heat source and to convert the input signal into an output signal having a format complying with an industry monitoring standard.

17. A method for thermometric measurement, comprising:

measuring respective temperature-dependent readings at two or more locations, separated by a distance, on a surface of a living body in a vicinity of a sub-surface heat source within the body; and

calculating a temperature of the sub-surface heat source from the temperature-dependent readings at the two or more locations together with information relating to the distance between the locations.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the two or more locations are arranged along a line that crosses the sub-surface heat source.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the sub-surface heat source is a blood vessel, and wherein calculating the temperature comprises determining the temperature of the blood in the vessel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the blood vessel is the carotid artery, and wherein the two or more locations are disposed on a neck of the subject.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein calculating the temperature comprises determining from the temperature-dependent readings intermediate data comprising one or more of a temperature gradient, a set of heat flux relationships, and a coordinate of maximum temperature, and using the intermediate data in calculating the temperature of the sub-surface heat source.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein measuring the respective temperature-dependent readings comprises moving a sensing area of one or more temperature sensors between the two or more locations.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein measuring the respective temperature-dependent readings comprises focusing infrared radiation from the surface onto one or more infrared sensors.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein measuring the respective temperature-dependent readings comprises applying an array of multiple temperature sensors to the surface so that each of the temperature sensors is disposed in proximity to a respective one of the locations.