FBG sensors for measuring human body temperature

FBG sensors for temperature measurementThe opportunity to measure body temperature plays a crucial role in both physiological studies and clinical investigations. New wearable sensors based on fiber Bragg grating or FBG technology offer such an opportunity in intelligent clothing for human body temperature measurement.

The main purpose of the development is the integration of FBG sensors into functional textiles to enhance the abilities of wearable fiber optic solutions for body temperature monitoring. Thus, the FBG sensing system provides a temperature sensitivity of 150 pm/°C, which is almost 15 times higher than that of a bare fiber Bragg grating.

It should be noted that fiber Bragg grating is regarded as a type of distributed FBG reflector installed in a short segment of optical fiber that reflects particular wavelengths of light and transmits all the others. The FBG technology is used here as an inline optical filter to block specific wavelengths, or as a wavelength-specific reflector.

Additionally,  FBG sensors offer great benefit over electronic sensing systems for the use in intelligent structures, civil engineering, harsh environmental conditions, built structural health monitoring system and other. Distributed temperature sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings measure human body temperature at fiver places: left chest, right chest, left armpit, right armpit, and at the center of the upper back. Herewith, the data information provided by these FBG sensors at five places is not the same because different parts of the human body have different temperatures.

The application of distributed temperature sensors based on FBG technology allows developing a sample of intelligent clothing and testing the heat transmission mechanism from numerous aspects. A new mathematical model of heat transmission for the human skin, the air and clothing has been created. Therefore, FBG sensors provide the theoretical basis of human temperature measurement applying intelligent clothing with distributed temperature sensors and demonstrate the implementation of optical fiber grating into the clothing. 

Finally, the temperature measured by DTS systems can be useful to represent human body temperature in clinics. Nonetheless, it is planned to enlarge “research in intelligent clothing to cover the measuring and recording of real-time physiological information, such as human respiration, heartbeat, blood pressure, and other physiological signals.”

The biomedical application of wearable FBG sensors, which are non-intrusive, non-invasive, and continuously being monitored, is considered to become a highly potential monitoring and diagnostic devices. Thus, these distributed temperature sensors can determine and process physiological signals, extract signal characterization, transmit data, and have other basic options.

Optromix is a manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market. The company provides the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for the clients. Optromix produces a wide range of fiber optic devices, including cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Moreover, Optromix is a top choice among the manufacturers of fiber Bragg grating monitoring systems. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com