IR body tempreture sensor.

Thread Starter

ecjohnny

Joined Jul 16, 2005
142
Firstly.... sorry if i started another topic because i think its quite different from the one a few thread below(mine) to avoid confusion. Also i hope to get a reply soon on that thread.

Here... is there any product like this (topic name). i want a sensor or some device that can measure a person body temperature at a certain distance?? Any product that does this or similar??
i search Google and it couldn't help me much. maybe i am not well-knowledge enough. Prove that i am retarded please... i dun mean it :X :p

Thanks Bro and Sis...
 

KMoffett

Joined Dec 19, 2007
2,918
ecjohnny,

Details!...details!...details!...The devil's in the details!

What temp range? (37°c±3°?)
Accuracy? (±0.1°C?...±0.01°C?...)
Response time? (mSec?...Sec?...)
Distance? (mm?...cm?...meters?...)
Output? (LCD?...digital?...analog?...)

:)

Ken
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
One other detail: Are you asking for body core temperature or surface skin temperature?

Skin surface temperatures can be quite variable. Core temperature is usually measured at a protected site, such as under the arm, external auditory canal/ear drum, mouth, etc. For the latter there are numerous non-contact, IR thermometers available. There is no reason such thermometers can't be aimed at the bare skin.

A big problem will be the ratio of the area sensed to the distance of the sensor. Inexpensive instruments have a fairly broad capture and the area sensed becomes too large and is virtually useless at a distance of few feet. John
 

kender

Joined Jan 17, 2007
264
Yes, I saw a contactless medical IR thermometer for body temperature. They were used for screening in Asia during SARS epidemic few years ago. As Ken mentioned, they are good for skin temperature. Of course, you can still tell whether or not the person has a high fever. Skin temperature on the forehead is close to the core temperature, especially is the ambient temperature is 20C or higher.

I have an industrial contactless thermometer. It's calibrated. It reads 35C on my forehead. The ambient is 21C. I'm wearing pants and short sleeves.

- Nick
 

thingmaker3

Joined May 16, 2005
5,083
There is a factory not far from my home which makes forward-looking infrared cameras for the military and for industrial applications. There is a print hanging in their lobby of some folk hiding amongst thick foliage. The folk stand out quite clearly in the IR image.

Here's their website: http://www.flir.com/US/
 

Thread Starter

ecjohnny

Joined Jul 16, 2005
142
ecjohnny,

Details!...details!...details!...The devil's in the details!

What temp range? (37°c±3°?)
Accuracy? (±0.1°C?...±0.01°C?...)
Response time? (mSec?...Sec?...)
Distance? (mm?...cm?...meters?...)
Output? (LCD?...digital?...analog?...)

:)

Ken
body temperature ... fever/sick or temp falling.
accuracy ... not sure like thermometer used in clinic will do.
Response .... Seconds will do.
Distance ..... short IR distance
Output .... to a receiver .

i am getting the body temp of a person from a distance (IR) then transmit it to the receiver.

Also... dont know if anyone good in medical knowledge, will a person body temp fall if he/she faint or the heart attack/ related.


Thanks for the help... pls refer me to the product page if it exist.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Why not just use a inexpensive, drug-store, IR thermometer designed for home (and clinic) use? That would require the person's consent, of course.

If you intend to do this thing without the individual's consent and you are in the USA, I suggest you look up legislation that is known by the acronym HIPPA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIPPA). That legislation is intended to protect personal health information (PHI), which includes among many other things, a patient's identity and any related health information. Moreover, ethics in research require prior approval by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for any study that is not done in the normal course of care for a patient.

One area of confusion among some investigators is whether one must get IRB approval for research that is non-invasive. In other words, something as seemingly harmless as taking a pulse or temperature may be consider non-invasive and not require informed consent. However, that decision needs to be made by an IRB, not the investigator. Doing it without IRB approval is itself an offense, regardless of whether demonstrable harm to the person was done.

It has become a complex area. Before I would do anything like you suggest without consent, I would certainly read up on the matter. The real hook is not so much the Federal and State fines and penalties, you can be sued directly by the individual.

John
 

KMoffett

Joined Dec 19, 2007
2,918
body temperature ... fever/sick or temp falling.
accuracy ... not sure like thermometer used in clinic will do.
Response .... Seconds will do.
Distance ..... short IR distance
Output .... to a receiver .
Distance? Be specific! In almost all IR temp sensors, the area being measured varies at the square of the distance. At 0.5 meter you might be measuring on an area 2 cm in diameter. At 1 meter it would be 4 cm in diameter, and at 2 meters it would be 8 cm. So the actual distance to your target is very significant to the sensor's spec'.

Transmitter/Receiver? Wireless?...wired?...PC?...microcontroller?

Ken
 

Thread Starter

ecjohnny

Joined Jul 16, 2005
142
Distance? Be specific! In almost all IR temp sensors, the area being measured varies at the square of the distance. At 0.5 meter you might be measuring on an area 2 cm in diameter. At 1 meter it would be 4 cm in diameter, and at 2 meters it would be 8 cm. So the actual distance to your target is very significant to the sensor's spec'.

Transmitter/Receiver? Wireless?...wired?...PC?...microcontroller?

Ken
Sorry guys... i just realize that i got the IR wrong. i mean IR wouldn't work for my system. Anyway it just some thinking.
Heres the diagram. The "Blue" one is the device that i mean. if that device exist pls link me.. or guide me. Forget about the range all.... Does such product exist? i am not making it, i am asking if anyone come upon such product. i am buying for some modification to my existing system. So the range and all i will decide after looking into the product.
Thanks a lot.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
That seems awfully expensive compared to comparable imports in the USA. My IR thermometers were less than $10 each at Harbor Freight.

Moreover, note:
specifications said:
...ratio of distance to measuring spot is 1:1
So, the sensed spot grows very fast with distance. That's what I meant in my earlier post that at any distance greater than a few feet, the spot gets so large as to be basically a measure of room temperature. John
 
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