Body temperature estimation system and method considering movements of target person and changes in external temperature

A body temperature estimation system continuously estimating a body temperature of a target person, comprising:

• a temperature measurement unit attached to a skin of the target person and configured to measure a skin temperature and an external temperature;
• a movement measurement unit configured to measure movements of the target person;
• and
• a body temperature estimation unit configured to:
• receive measured movement information from the movement measurement unit,
• receive the skin temperature and the external temperature from the temperature measurement unit,
• estimate the body temperature based on a correlation between the skin temperature and the external temperature,
• monitor a change in the external temperature per monitoring time, and determine whether the change in the external temperature is greater than or equal to a threshold,
• estimate a current body temperature based on the body temperature estimated before the change in the external temperature greater than or equal to the threshold occurs, in response to the change in the external temperature being greater than or equal to the threshold, and
• correct the estimated current body temperature based on the received movement information,
• wherein the temperature measurement unit includes:
• a flexible base film including a first base film and a second base film connected to the first base film and bent over the first base film;
• a skin temperature sensor mounted on a lower surface of the first base film, being in contact with the skin, and configured to measure the skin temperature;
• an external temperature sensor mounted on an upper surface of the second base film and configured to measure the external temperature;
• and
• a ground layer formed on the first base film to be spaced apart from a mounting region in which the skin temperature sensor is mounted,
• wherein the first base film has a heat conduction blocking slot formed for blocking heat conduction to the mounting region, and
• wherein the heat conduction blocking slot includes a guard slot formed in the first base film along circumference of the skin temperature sensor, and a boundary slot formed at a boundary between the mounting region and a region in which the ground layer is formed,
• wherein the body temperature estimation unit is configured to:
• calculate the amount of change in the external temperature by Equation 1 below, in response to the change amount of the external temperature calculated in the monitoring time of (ti+1−ti) being greater than or equal to the threshold,
• replace the external temperature and skin temperature measured at time ti+1 with the external temperature and skin temperature measured at time ti, and
• estimate the body temperature at time ti+1 based on the correlation between the replacement skin temperature and external temperature,
• ΔT=Ti−Ti+1 [Equation 1]
• Ti:
• External temperature at time ti
• Ti+1:
• External temperature at time ti+1
• ti+1−ti:
• Monitoring time.

A body temperature estimation system continuously estimating a body temperature of a target person, comprising:

• a wearable temperature patch attached to a skin of the target person and configured to continuously estimate the body temperature;
• and
• a management terminal configured to receive the estimated body temperature of the target person from the wearable temperature patch,
• wherein the wearable temperature patch includes:
• a flexible base film including a first base film and a second base film connected to the first base film and bent over the first base film;
• a skin temperature sensor mounted on a lower surface of the first base film, being in contact with the target person's skin, and configured to measure a skin temperature;
• an external temperature sensor mounted on an upper surface of the second base film and configured to measure an external temperature outside the target person's skin;
• an inertia measurer installed on the first base film and configured to measure movements of the target person;
• a controller installed on the first base film and configured to:
• receive measured movement information from the inertia measurer,
• receive the measured skin temperature from the skin temperature sensor,
• receive the measured external temperature from the external temperature sensor,
• estimate the body temperature based on a correlation between the skin temperature and the external temperature,
• monitor a change in the external temperature per monitoring time, and determine whether the change in the external temperature is greater than or equal to a threshold,
• estimate a current body temperature based on the body temperature estimated before the change in the external temperature greater than or equal to the threshold occurs, in response to the change in the external temperature being greater than or equal to the threshold, and
• correct the estimated current body temperature based on the received movement information;
• and
• a ground layer formed on the first base film to be spaced apart from a mounting region in which the skin temperature sensor is mounted,
• wherein the first base film has a heat conduction blocking slot formed for blocking heat conduction to the mounting region, and
• wherein the heat conduction blocking slot includes a guard slot formed in the first base film along circumference of the skin temperature sensor, and a boundary slot formed at a boundary between the mounting region and a region in which the ground layer is formed,
• wherein the controller is configured to:
• calculate the amount of change in the external temperature by Equation 1 below, in response to the change amount of the external temperature calculated in the monitoring time of (ti+1−ti) being greater than or equal to the threshold,
• replace the external temperature and skin temperature measured at time ti+1 with the external temperature and skin temperature measured at time ti, and
• estimate the body temperature at time ti+1 based on the correlation between the replacement skin temperature and external temperature,
• ΔT=Ti−Ti+1 [Equation 1]
• Ti:
• External temperature at time ti
• Ti+1:
• External temperature at time ti+1
• ti+1−ti:
• Monitoring time.