GB2577889A

GB2577889A - Baby/children's garment comprising of multifunctional body temperature-sensing properties

Info

Publication number: GB2577889A
Application number: GB1816397.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ellis John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-10-08
Filing date: 2018-10-08
Publication date: 2020-04-15
Also published as: GB201816397D0

Abstract

A garment for a child or baby comprises temperature-sensing properties by means of temperature sensitive inks and sensors. The inks 1, 3, 4 and sensors 2 provide sensory indication of temperature, which may be visual. The sensors are capable of providing an alert that the wearer’s body temperature is changing by means of an application on a smart device. Preferably a pattern on the garment changes colour above 37.5 degrees Celsius or below 36 degrees Celsius. The temperature sensors are preferably removable.

Description

DESCRIPTION:

Baby/children's garment comprising of multifunctional body temperature-sensing properties.

This invention relates to baby and children's garments comprising of themocromic material to sense both hot and cold temperatures of the body of the wearer, and flexible sensors places under each armpit of the garment that can be removed.

The thermocromic inks on the front of the garment would act as a visual indicator and the sensors would work as a warning to parents that the wearer of the garment was too hot. The sensors would work via Bluetooth connecting with devices such as a cellular phone or similar device and would send an alert to an application on the device.

Babies can cry for many reasons, some reasons may be due to sickness where the baby could display feverish signs and symptoms. It is the aim of this current invention to reduce the risk of potentially life threatening situations; both the garment acting as a visual indicator and the sensors within the armpits of the garment could achieve this. Most sickness in infants starts with a rise in the core temperature.

As the body temperature of the wearer of the garment rises the pattern on the garment comprising of both colour changing properties will change colour, alerting parents that the wearer may be becoming too hot or could be in the early stages of becoming sick. If the baby becomes too cold the garment will also change colour, acting as a visual indicator that the wearers body temperature has lowered. In the event that the wearer of the garment is sleeping a parent can check just by looking at the colour of the pattern on the garment, however because of the sensors placed within the garment the parent can access an application on a device to check the wearers body temperature. The sensors will automatically set off an alarm if the body temperature of the wearer rises above 382c, which is the NHS defines as a fever.

The front of the garment will be infused with a substance called leuco dye and thermo chromatic material; these materials are responsive to temperature.

The design on the garment will be a two-tier effect, the top part will change colour at around 37.52c and the bottom part will change colour at around 362c with a degree in tolerance and variation. The top part of the garment will act as a visual indictor should the wearer become too hot and the bottom part of the garment will act as a visual indicator should the wearer become to cold; hypothermia in a baby is considered to be around 362c.

The sensors in the armpits of the garment will be powered either by a small battery (flexible plastic coated sensor) or by using piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity is a solid material, which reacts to very small mechanical stresses resulting from pressure or latent heat, and the change can be stored in a capacitor or battery.

Thermo electric generators could also power the sensor by simply using the current or increased body heat of the wearer of the garment; a sensor of this kind has a thermally conductive material, which again can generate an electric charge via body heat.

This current invention will probably use a small flexible battery with the sensor and be in a slim plastic casing that can be placed and removed underneath each armpit inside a clocked pocket of the garment.

The sensors will work via Bluetooth, this form of communication only requires 1 milli watts to operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHC and has a radius of around 10 meters, enough for parents to walk around the home (scientific information from Tech Crunch, researchers in communications).

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and reference to accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 shows the front view of the garment with two leuco dyes on the chest that change colour if the wearer is either too hot or too cold along with the temperature sensors in the armpits.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the garment with how the sensors will work and send a signal to an application on a device if the wearer becomes too hot or too cold and is not in visual distance of the parent.

Figure 1 shows the leuco dye pattern print on the front of the garment that will change colour according to the body temperature of the wearer, number 3 and 4.

The leuco dyes on the front of the garment will change colour if the body temperature of the wearer falls to a dangerously low level, number 1.

Both of the above will be made from thermo chromic inks and will be infused into the fabric of the garment by but not limited to sublimation or heat press.

The sensors within the garment will be but not limited to small flexible battery powered sensors that can be placed inside the armpit of the garment and be removed/replaced for washing. The sensors will be linked to an application on a device so parents can monitor the body temperature of the wearer, number 2.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the temperature sensitive garment. The chest of the garment has a visual indication leuco dye ink pattern that will change colour according to the body temperature of the wearer, both hot and cold temperatures as explained in number 1, 3 and 4.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A garment comprising of multifunctional body temperature-sensing properties by way of temperature sensitive inks and sensors, acting as a visual indication and or sensory indication, by which the garment alerts via an application on a device, such as a mobile phone that the wearers body temperature is either increasing or decreasing.
2. A garment comprising of a patterned chest abstract that changes colour above 37.512c, visually indicating the high temperature of the wearer.
3. A garment comprising of a patterned chest abstract that changes colour above 362c, visually indicating the wearer is too cold.
4. A garment comprising of removable temperature sensors in the armpits of the garment that will monitor the wearers body temperature and send alert signals to an application on a device, such as a mobile phone indicating to parents that the wearing is either too hot or too cold.