Temperature sensing apparatus for use with a photo-thermal targeted treatment system and associated methods

Inventors

Hofvander, Henrik • Estes, Michael John

Assignees

Accure Acne Inc

Abstract

A temperature measurement system for measuring a temperature of a measured surface includes: 1) a first temperature sensor; and 2) a reference surface including a second temperature sensor integrated therein. The first temperature sensor includes a field of view simultaneously covering both at least a portion of the measured surface and at least a portion of the reference surface, thus is configured for simultaneously taking a first measurement of both the portion of the measured surface and the portion of the reference surface. The first measurement of the reference surface taken by the first temperature sensor is compared to a second measurement taken by the second temperature sensor for use in calibrating the first temperature sensor.

Core Innovation

A scanner arrangement is provided for a temperature measurement system that measures a temperature of a measured surface. The arrangement includes a first temperature sensor and a reference surface including a second temperature sensor integrated therein, and the first temperature sensor includes a field of view simultaneously covering at least a portion of the measured surface and at least a portion of the reference surface.

The first temperature sensor simultaneously takes a first measurement of the measured surface portion and the reference surface portion. The first measurement of the reference surface taken by the first temperature sensor is compared to a second measurement taken by the second temperature sensor for use in calibrating the first temperature sensor, and a comparison value is calculated between the first and second reference measurements.

The reference surface is configured with reference emissivity matching to the measured emissivity value, and includes texture and/or a light-baffle to prevent stray reflections within the field of view of the first temperature sensor. A temperature stabilization mechanism can be included to support calibration, and the arrangement can be used with a photo-thermal targeted treatment system that administers a treatment protocol using a photo-thermal treatment unit while measuring a temperature of a measured surface covering at least a portion of a medium.

A method is also described for continuously calibrating the temperature measurement system for use with a dermatological treatment, including simultaneously taking a first measurement of a measured surface and a first reference measurement of a reference surface, taking a second reference measurement of the reference surface using the second temperature sensor embedded within the reference surface, and calibrating the first temperature sensor in accordance with the comparison value.

Claims Coverage

The document provides three independent claims that share a common inventive concept: simultaneous temperature measurement of a measured surface and an integrated reference surface, followed by calibration of the first temperature sensor using a comparison to a second reference measurement, and use of this measurement system within a photo-thermal targeted treatment context with continuous calibration.

Across the independent claims, the coverage centers on a scanner arrangement and calibration framework in which a first temperature sensor measures both the measured surface and an integrated reference surface within a shared field of view, and the reference measurement is compared to a second temperature sensor measurement integrated in the reference surface to calibrate the first temperature sensor. The photo-thermal targeted treatment system and the continuous calibration method extend this framework for dermatological photo-thermal use.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications