Patent Application
20250230586
Monitoring a patient's vital signs, such as blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, body temperature, and electrocardiogram is important in the process of assessing a patient's wellbeing. Among all the vital signs, monitoring body temperature can be especially important. For certain types of patients, such as young children and infants, monitoring body temperature is utilized to not only generally assess wellbeing, but also determine ideal environmental temperatures for optimal growth and development. Despite advances in temperature monitoring methods, there is still a scarcity of articles that can be used to continuously and relatively unobtrusively measure the temperature of patients. These and other needs are satisfied by the present disclosure.
In accordance with the purpose(s) of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, the disclosure, in one aspect, relates to articles comprising: a cloth comprising a first yarn, wherein the first yarn is treated with a thermochromic pigment, and the first yarn has the characteristic of changing from a first color to a second color upon reaching a temperature threshold. Also disclosed herein are articles comprising: a cloth comprising a primary layer and at least one additional layer; the primary layer comprising a first yarn, wherein the first yarn is treated with a thermochromic pigment, and the first yarn has the characteristic of changing from a first color to a second color upon reaching a temperature threshold; and the additional layer comprising a second yarn. Also disclosed herein are methods comprising: interweaving a first yarn and a second yarn together to produce a primary layer of a cloth, wherein the first yarn is treated with a thermochromic pigment and the first yarn changes from a first color to a second color upon reaching a temperature threshold; and interweaving a third yarn to produce at least one additional layer of the cloth.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims. In addition, all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described aspects are usable in all aspects of the disclosure taught herein. Furthermore, the individual features of the dependent claims, as well as all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described aspects are combinable and interchangeable with one another
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Additional advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the disclosure. The advantages of the disclosure will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure, as claimed
This disclosure is not limited to particular embodiments described, and as such may, of course, vary. The terminology used herein serves the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims.
Where a range of values is provided, each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will employ, unless otherwise indicated, techniques of medicine, organic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, and the like, which are within the skill of the art. Such techniques are explained fully in the literature.
The following examples are put forth so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how to perform the methods and use the compositions and compounds disclosed and claimed herein. Efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers (e.g., amounts, temperature, etc.), but some errors and deviations should be accounted for. Unless indicated otherwise, parts are parts by weight, temperature is in ° C., and pressure is at or near atmospheric. Standard temperature and pressure are defined as 20° C. and 1 atmosphere.
It should be noted that ratios, concentrations, amounts, and other numerical data may be expressed herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity, and thus, should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. To illustrate, a concentration range of “about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited concentration of about 0.1 weight percent to about 5 weight percent but also include individual concentrations (e.g., 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, and 4 percent) and the sub-ranges (e.g., 0.5 percent, 1.1 percent, 2.2 percent, 3.3 percent, and 4.4 percent) within the indicated range. The term “about” can include traditional rounding according to significant figures of the numerical value. In addition, the phrase “about ‘x’ to ‘y’” includes “about ‘x’ to about ‘y’”.
It is to be understood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity, and thus, should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. To illustrate, a numerical range of “about 0.1% to 5%” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 0.1% to about 5%, but also include individual values (e.g., about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, and about 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., about 0.5% to about 1.1%; about 5% to about 2.4%; about 0.5% to about 3.2%, and about 0.5% to about 4.4%, and other possible sub-ranges) within the indicated range.
Before the embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail, it is to be understood that, unless otherwise indicated, the present disclosure is not limited to particular materials, reagents, reaction materials, manufacturing processes, dimensions, frequency ranges, applications, or the like, as such can vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purposes of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It is also possible in the present disclosure that steps can be executed in different sequence, where this is logically possible. It is also possible that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to additional embodiments involving measurements beyond the examples described herein, which are not intended to be limiting. It is furthermore possible that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined or integrated with other measurement techniques beyond the examples described herein, which are not intended to be limiting.
It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a support” includes a plurality of supports. In this specification and in the claims that follow, reference will be made to a number of terms that shall be defined to have the following meanings unless a contrary intention is apparent.
Each of the applications and patents cited in this text, as well as each document or reference cited in each of the applications and patents (including during the prosecution of each issued patent; “application cited documents”), and each of the PCT and foreign applications or patents corresponding to and/or claiming priority from any of these applications and patents, and each of the documents cited or referenced in each of the application cited documents, are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Further, documents or references cited in this text, in a Reference List before the claims, or in the text itself; and each of these documents or references (“herein cited references”), as well as each document or reference cited in each of the herein-cited references (including any manufacturer's specifications, instructions, etc.) are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Prior to describing the various embodiments, the following definitions are provided and should be used unless otherwise indicated.
As used herein, “comprising” is to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more features, integers, steps, or components, or groups thereof. Moreover, each of the terms “by”, “comprising,” “comprises”, “comprised of,” “including,” “includes,” “included,” “involving,” “involves,” “involved,” and “such as” are used in their open, non-limiting sense and may be used interchangeably. Further, the term “comprising” is intended to include examples and aspects encompassed by the terms “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of.” Similarly, the term “consisting essentially of” is intended to include examples encompassed by the term “consisting of.
As used herein, the terms “about,” “approximate,” “at or about,” and “substantially” mean that the amount or value in question can be the exact value or a value that provides equivalent results or effects as recited in the claims or taught herein. That is, it is understood that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art such that equivalent results or effects are obtained. In some circumstances, the value that provides equivalent results or effects cannot be reasonably determined. In such cases, it is generally understood, as used herein, that “about” and “at or about” mean the nominal value indicated ±10% variation unless otherwise indicated or inferred. In general, an amount, size, formulation, parameter or other quantity or characteristic is “about,” “approximate,” or “at or about” whether or not expressly stated to be such. It is understood that where “about,” “approximate,” or “at or about” is used before a quantitative value, the parameter also includes the specific quantitative value itself, unless specifically stated otherwise.
As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a yarn,” “a thermochromic pigment,” or “a fiber,” includes, but is not limited to, two or more such yarns, thermochromic pigments, fibers, and the like.
The terms “subject”, “individual”, or “patient” as used herein are used interchangeably and refer to an animal preferably a warm-blooded animal such as a mammal. Mammal includes without limitation any members of the Mammalia. A mammal, as a subject or patient in the present disclosure, can be from the family of Primates, Carnivora, Proboscidea, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, Rodentia, and Lagomorpha. In a particular embodiment, the mammal is a human. In other embodiments, animals can be treated; the animals can be vertebrates, including both birds and mammals. In aspects of the disclosure, the terms include domestic animals bred for food or as pets, including equines, bovines, sheep, poultry, fish, porcines, canines, felines, and zoo animals, goats, apes (e.g. gorilla or chimpanzee), and rodents such as rats and mice.
As used herein, the term “threshold temperature” or “transition temperature” refers to the temperature at which a thermochromic pigment or a material or device comprising a thermochromic pigment undergoes a color change. The threshold temperature of a material or device comprising a thermochromic pigment can be adjusted by various methods, including changing the structure of the material or device and/or changing the composition of the material or device.
Unless otherwise specified, temperatures referred to herein are based on atmospheric pressure (i.e. one atmosphere).
The present disclosure provides for cloth comprising yarn with a thermochromic pigment applied to it. The thermochromic yarn can have a threshold temperature or transition temperature. In some aspects, the cloth can be incorporated into headwear, such as ski caps, baby caps, or headbands. The threshold temperature of the yarn can be selected based on a temperature point to be monitored in a subject, such as high temperatures or low temperatures relative to a subject's average or optimum temperature. For example, the headwear can be constructed so that the thermochromic yarn reacts to fever temperatures in a subject, allowing for continuous and non-invasive temperature monitoring.
The cloth can comprise yarn that has been treated with a thermochromic pigment (functional yarn or thermochromic yarn) and, optionally, yarn that has not been treated with a thermochromic pigment (nonfunctional yarn). The functional and nonfunctional yarn can be interwoven to produce the cloth. In one aspect, the weaving method is a plating stitch. In one aspect, the nonfunctional yarn comprises the same fibers as the functional yarn. In another aspect, the nonfunctional yarn comprises at least one different fiber than the functional yarn. In yet another aspect, the nonfunctional yarn comprises entirely different fibers than the functional yarn.
In another aspect, the cloth can comprise nonfunctional yarn. The nonfunctional yarn can be interwoven with itself or other functional or nonfunctional yarns to produce the cloth. In a further aspect, a thermochromic pigment can be printed onto the cloth.
In one aspect, the cloth can comprise at least a functional yarn and a nonfunctional yarn woven together using a plating stich in a rib pattern of one-by-one, one-by-two, one-by-three, or one-by-four. The numerical sequence in the name of the rib structures denotes the number of knit columns in the front as well as the back sections. For example, one-by-two ribs refer to a structural design that consists of one front knit column followed by two back knit columns, repeated in a regular pattern. In one aspect, the functional yarn can be used to produce the larger column number (e.g., a one-by-two rib knit can comprise one front knit column comprising the nonfunctional yarn and two back knit columns comprising the functional yarn). In another aspect, the functional yarn can be used to produce the smaller column number.
In another aspect, the cloth can comprise a primary layer and at least one additional layer. The primary layer can include a functional yarn and, optionally, a nonfunctional yarn. The functional yarn and nonfunctional yarn can be woven together to produce the primary layer. In one aspect, the weaving method is a plating stitch. The primary layer can comprise at least a functional yarn and a nonfunctional yarn woven together using a plating stich in a rib pattern of one-by-one, one-by-two, one-by-three, or one-by-four. The additional layer can comprise a third yarn that can be functional or nonfunctional. In another aspect, the third yarn can comprise at least one fiber that is the same as the functional yarn, at least one fiber that is the same as the nonfunctional yarn, or comprise fibers of both. In another aspect, the third yarn can comprise fibers different from those of the functional and optional nonfunctional yarn of the primary layer.
The yarns of the present disclosure, such as functional and nonfunctional yarns, can include natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. Natural fibers include, but are not limited to, cotton, bamboo, hemp, wool, silk, angora, and cashmere. Synthetic fibers include, but are not limited to, nylon, polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, acrylic, and spandex.
The cloth disclosed herein can be incorporated into clothing to be worn by a subject, such as headwear. The headwear disclosed herein can include any type of headwear produced at least in part by a method of knitting fabric. Examples of such headwear includes, but is not limited to, ski caps, baby caps, watch caps, sock caps, stocking caps, skull caps, beanies, earflap beanies, knit hats, sock hats, slouch hats, tuques, tams, berets, headbands, and the like. In one aspect, the articles or clothing comprising the articles can have a stretch ratio of about 0.5 to about 1.0, about 0.5 to about 0.8, about 0.7 to about 1.0, or about 0.6 to about 0.8. Herein, the stretch ratio refers to the ratio of the length of article to the length it stretches to fit a subject.
In one aspect, the functional yarn has a threshold temperature. Once the functional yarn is heated or cooled past the threshold temperature, the yarn can undergo a color change from one color to another. When incorporated into headwear to be worn by a subject, the color change can be used as an indicator that a target temperature has been reached or passed. A healthy subject can have an optimum body temperature, and a body temperature too far above or too far below the optimum body temperature can indicate a health problem. In adult humans, this temperature can be approximately 37° C.±0.5° C.
In one aspect, the functional yarn can have a threshold temperature that is at or above a subject's optimum body temperature, so that when a subject wears headwear that includes a cloth of the present disclosure, a color change may indicate an elevated body temperature, such as a fever. A temporal artery temperature of approximately 38° C. or higher can be considered a fever temperature in a human subject. In certain human subjects, such as infants, a temperature of approximately 37.5° C. or higher can be considered a fever temperature. The functional yarn threshold temperature can be about 37.0° C., about 37.5° C., about 38.0° C., about 38.5° C., or about 39.0° C. In another aspect, the functional yarn threshold temperature can be from about 37.0° C. to about 39.0° C., about 37.5° C. to about 38.5° C., about 37.0° C. to about 38.0° C., or about 38.0° C. to about 39.0° C.
In another aspect, the functional yarn can have a threshold temperature that is at or below a subject's optimum body temperature, so that when a subject wears headwear that includes a cloth of the present disclosure, a color change may indicate low body temperature, such as hypothermia. In a human subject, a temporal artery temperature of approximately 35° C. or lower can be considered hypothermia. The functional yarn threshold temperature can be about 34.0° C., about 34.5° C., about 35.0° C., about 35.5° C., or about 36.0° C. In another aspect, the functional yarn threshold temperature is from about 34.0° C. to about 36.0° C., about 34.5° C. to about 35.5° C., about 34.0° C. to about 35.0° C., or about 35.0° C. to about 36.0° C.
In another aspect, a thermochromic pigment used to treat the yarn prior to producing the cloth or printed onto the cloth can have a threshold temperature similar to that of a functional yarn. The thermochromic pigment threshold temperature can be about 37.0° C., about 37.5° C., about 38.0° C., about 38.5° C., or about 39.0° C. In another aspect, the thermochromic pigment threshold temperature is from about 37.0° C. to about 39.0° C., about 37.5° C. to about 38.5° C., about 37.0° C. to about 38.0° C., or about 38.0° C. to about 39.0° C. In another aspect, the thermochromic pigment threshold temperature is about 34.0° C., about 34.5° C., about 35.0° C., about 35.5° C., or about 36.0° C. In another aspect, the functional yarn threshold temperature is from about 34.0° C. to about 36.0° C., about 34.5° C. to about 35.5° C., about 34.0° C. to about 35.0° C., or about 35.0° C. to about 36.0° C.
The threshold temperature of the functional yarns or thermochromic pigment can be selected based on the intended use of the product, the thickness of the cloth, and the color of the yarns used to produce the cloth. Variables such as environmental temperature can be considered in regard to how the product will be used. The thickness of the cloth can be affected by the weave of the cloth and the type of functional or nonfunctional yarn used to produce the cloth.
While embodiments of the present disclosure are described in connection with the Examples and the corresponding text and figures, there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the embodiments in these descriptions. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present disclosure.
References are cited herein throughout using the format of reference number(s) enclosed by parentheses corresponding to one or more of the following numbered references. For example, citation of references numbers 1 immediately herein below would be indicated in the disclosure as [1].
The following listing of exemplary aspects supports and is supported by the disclosure provided herein.
Aspect 1. An article, comprising: a cloth comprising a first yarn, wherein the first yarn is treated with a thermochromic pigment and the first yarn has the characteristic of changing from a first color to a second color upon reaching a temperature threshold.
Aspect 2. The article of aspect 1, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 37° C. to about 39° C.
Aspect 3. The article of aspect 1, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 34° C. to about 36° C.
Aspect 4. The article of any one of aspects 1-3, wherein the first yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 5. The article of any one of aspects 1-4, wherein the cloth further comprises a second yarn, wherein the second yarn is interwoven with the first yarn.
Aspect 6. The article of aspect 5, wherein the second yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 7. The article of aspect 5 or aspect 6, wherein the first yarn comprises synthetic fibers and the second yarn comprises natural fibers.
Aspect 8. The article of any one of aspects 5-7, wherein the second yarn is interwoven with the first yarn in a plating stitch.
Aspect 9. An article, comprising: a cloth comprising a primary layer and at least one additional layer; the primary layer comprising a first yarn, wherein the first yarn is treated with a thermochromic pigment and the first yarn has the characteristic of changing from a first color to a second color upon reaching a temperature threshold; and the additional layer comprising a second yarn.
Aspect 10. The article of aspect 9, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 37° C. to about 39° C.
Aspect 11. The article of aspect 9, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 34° C. to about 36° C.
Aspect 12. The article of any one of aspects 9-11, wherein the first yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 13. The article of any one of aspects 9-12, wherein the second yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 14. The article of any one of aspects 9-13, wherein the first yarn comprises synthetic fibers and the second yarn comprises natural fibers.
Aspect 15. The article of any one of aspects 9-14, wherein the primary layer further comprises a third yarn, wherein the third yarn is interwoven with the first yarn.
Aspect 16. The article of aspect 15, wherein the third yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 17. The article of aspect 15 or aspect 16, wherein the third yarn comprises natural fibers.
Aspect 18. The article of any one of aspects 15-17, wherein the third yarn is interwoven with the first yarn in a plating stitch.
Aspect 19. The article of any one of aspects 1-18, wherein the article is an article of clothing.
Aspect 20. The article of aspect 19, wherein the article of clothing comprises headwear.
Aspect 21. A method, comprising: interweaving a first yarn and a second yarn together to produce a cloth, wherein the first yarn is treated with a thermochromic pigment and the first yarn has the characteristic of changing from a first color to a second color upon reaching a temperature threshold.
Aspect 22. The method of aspect 21, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 37° C. to about 39° C.
Aspect 23. The method of aspect 21, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 34° C. to about 36° C.
Aspect 24. The method of any one of aspects 21-23, wherein the first yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 25. The method of any one of aspects 21-24, wherein the second yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 26. The method of any one of aspects 21-25, wherein the first yarn comprises synthetic fibers and the second yarn comprises natural fibers.
Aspect 27. The method of any one of aspects 21-26, wherein the first yarn and second yarn are woven together in a plating stitch.
Aspect 28. A method, comprising: interweaving a first yarn and a second yarn together to produce a primary layer of a cloth, wherein the first yarn is treated with a thermochromic pigment and the first yarn changes from a first color to a second color upon reaching a temperature threshold; and interweaving a third yarn to produce at least one additional layer of the cloth.
Aspect 29. The method of aspect 28, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 37° C. to about 39° C.
Aspect 30. The method of aspect 28, wherein the temperature threshold is from about 34° C. to about 36° C.
Aspect 31. The method of any one of aspects 28-30, wherein the first yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 32. The method of any one of aspects 28-31, wherein the second yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 33. The method of any one of aspects 28-32, wherein the first yarn comprises synthetic fibers and the second yarn comprises natural fibers.
Aspect 34. The method of any one of aspects 28-33, wherein the first yarn and second yarn are woven together in a plating stitch.
Aspect 35. The method of any one of aspects 28-34, wherein the third yarn comprises natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 36. The method of any one of aspects 28-35, wherein the third yarn comprises natural fibers.
Aspect 37. An article produced by the method of any one of aspects 28-36.
Aspect 38. The article of aspect 37, wherein the article is an article of clothing.
Aspect 39. The article of aspect 38, wherein the clothing comprises headwear.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that aspects herein are well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.
While specific elements and steps are discussed in connection to one another, it is understood that any element and/or steps provided herein is contemplated as being combinable with any other elements and/or steps regardless of explicit provision of the same while still being within the scope provided herein.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
Since many possible aspects may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings and detailed description is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to be limiting. The skilled artisan will recognize many variants and adaptations of the aspects described herein. These variants and adaptations are intended to be included in the teachings of this disclosure and to be encompassed by the claims herein.
Now having described the aspects of the present disclosure, in general, the following Examples describe some additional aspects of the present disclosure. While aspects of the present disclosure are described in connection with the following examples and the corresponding text and figures, there is no intent to limit aspects of the present disclosure to this description. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
Introduction. Parents prioritize safety as an important factor for their young children. Integrating sensing functions in children's clothing to monitor vital signs such as blood pressure [1], pulse, respiratory rate [2], temperature [3], and electrocardiogram [4] allows for early detection of potential health risks with the potential of obeying the safety protocols [5]. The approaches can be achieved using functional and smart textiles, allowing for real-time biological signal monitoring [6]. For example, Jabubas and Łada-Tondyra [7] developed a method to measure respiratory rhythm using knitted fabric made of electrically conductive strands integrated into baby underwear, which can help detect respiratory disorders like asthma, choking, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Ghosh et al. [8] define functional textiles as those primarily valued for their technical performance and functionality rather than aesthetics, and smart textiles as a subset of functional textiles that can detect and interpret signals to respond accordingly.
Among all the vital signs, monitoring young children's body temperature is especially important because it indicates infection and the infant's overall well-being. This metric is also utilized to determine the ideal temperature of the environment for optimal growth and infant development [3]. Fever phobia, initially described by Schmitt [9], reflects parents' heightened anxieties about their child's fever. Parents lower their young children's temperature to prevent febrile convulsions, brain damage, and pain and to enhance overall well-being [10]. Childhood fever impacts parents in socio-economic, physical, and emotional ways. Parents of children with a fever may need to take time off work, consult a doctor, buy medications, and require additional help at home. Fear of fever can heighten the physical and mental strain by leading to frequent temperature monitoring, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, thereby impacting parents' behaviors [11]. The current predominant methods for monitoring temperature in smart textiles rely on traditional sensors such as thermo-elements, thermistors, and semiconductor sensors [5]. Traditional sensors on clothing are attached to the fabric rather than integrated into it, leading to substantial discomfort for users and skin irritation due to their rigidity [6]. Other challenges of smart textile solutions in monitoring temperature include battery size, energy suitability, and washability. Some require removing the electronic components before washing [6].
Alternatively, functional textiles can be used to detect body temperature changes, including thermochromic materials. Thermochromism is the reversible alteration in a compound's color triggered by temperature change, with the color shift being obvious, sometimes dramatic, and happening within a narrow temperature range [12]. Thermochromism occurs due to various mechanisms based on the compound's molecular structure. The thermochromic mechanism can be categorized into three main groups: change in crystal structure, stereoisomerism, and molecular rearrangement [13]. To aid use on textiles to detect body temperature, the component can (1) have a reversible, solid (or encapsulated) system that is appropriate for dyeing and printing, (2) display a distinct color change within a narrow temperature range, usually from low ambient temperatures to body temperature, and (3) be cost-effective [14,15]. These criteria make the molecular rearrangement mechanism a reasonable option. For molecular rearrangement, temperature changes lead to a molecular rearrangement in a compound, causing an increase in conjugation within the molecule and the creation of a new chromophore, resulting in a color change [13]. However, thermochromic materials cannot dye the fiber directly due to their lack of affinity with the fiber, making microencapsulation a reasonable alternative method [16].
Potuck et al. [17] applied thermochromic pigments to sportswear to visually spot muscle fatigue by observing color changes in the garment as the skin temperature rises. A thermal manikin set in a controlled environment validated the pigment color change. The manikin simulated average skin temperature according to ISO standards and replicated high skin temperature. While the garment reacted appropriately to the temperature change, the coated thermochromic fabric caused the fabric to curl naturally, making it challenging to stitch evenly. The increased thickness of the fabric makes the garment's breathability questionable. Zou and Feng [18] conducted research to explore various prototyping concepts utilizing thermochromic materials. However, testing was not conducted at skin temperature, making it impossible to determine if the prototype could effectively detect fever.
While much research exists on innovative textiles and applications, researchers often focus solely on developing new products without exploring consumer perceptions of them [6]. Ju and Lee identified various obstacles affecting consumers' interest in smart clothing, including but not limited to safety, functionality, availability, reliability, price, aesthetics, and size. While Zou and Feng [18] conducted interviews with consumers, the discussion was mainly on how consumers react to the importance of body temperature monitoring instead of their attitudes toward the prototype ideas. Consequently, due to their current absence, it is advisable to incorporate consumer preference investigations into developing new smart and functional textile goods [20].
A literature analysis highlights a need for body temperature monitoring devices that can continually and inconspicuously measure the temperatures of young children. Such a product will ease parents' worries about fever and provide a means to monitor their children's body temperature. Advanced textiles, such as smart textiles or functional textiles, have the potential to provide answers because of their flexibility and ability to be worn near the body. Current studies on thermochromic fabrics encounter difficulties in maintaining material flexibility [17], conducting tests in a simulated body temperature environment [18], or exploring consumer perception of the product [17,18].
Materials and Methods—Prototyping. Fever is characterized as an increase in body temperature that exceeds the typical daily variation. The core temperature is usually defined as the temperature measured inside the pulmonary artery. However, because of the impracticality of accessing deep tissue measuring locations, physicians have resorted to using alternative sites such as the axilla, skin, beneath the tongue, rectum, and tympanic membrane to monitor body temperature [21]. A newborn's head plays a part in controlling his/her body temperature because of the heat produced by the brain and the heat loss from its surface area. Stothers [22] discovered that wearing a hat can significantly reduce heat loss in infants. This is potentially associated with the risks of hypothermia, a significant and potentially dangerous drop in body temperature. Therefore, the designed prototype disclosed herein utilized a hat as the medium for applying the thermochromic materials.
The principle of the hat is that when the body reaches a fever status the hat's headband changes color to indicate the detection of a fever. According to Herzog and Coyne [23], fever is defined as a temperature equal to or higher than 38.0° C. for newborns under 30 days old, equal to or higher than 38.1° C. for infants who are 1 month old, and equal to or higher than 38.2° C. for infants who are 2 months old. The yarn is composed of synthetic materials (e.g., polyester) with a 250/2 Denier weight and possesses a somewhat rigid texture. This aligns with the research conducted by Potuck et al. [17], who discovered that the thermochromic coating stiffens the fabric and makes it uncomfortable. To ensure the hat's comfort, 100% cotton yarn was utilized with a 30/3 English Cotton Count (177/3 Denier) as the foundation for the entire hat structure, as illustrated in beige color in
The experiments were designed to test the accuracy of color changing under the variation of different yarn color combinations, knit structures, and stretch ratios. To simplify the operating procedure, only headbands were knitted for testing purposes on the simulated body temperature settings. Considering that consumers value both comfort and aesthetic aspects, which can significantly impact the performance of color changes, various combinations of colors, rib structures, and stretch ratios were used to create the knitted samples. The thermochromic yarns remain purple at low temperatures, but the colors of the cotton yarns are altered as follows: (1) white, which is a commonly used color and also the color that the purple turns into when it reaches the threshold temperature, (2) black, which is a commonly used color and also the complementary color of the color that the purple turns into when it reaches the threshold temperature, (3) lime, which represents the complementary color of purple, and (4) purple, which represents an analogous color. The fifth color option supplemented the cotton yarn with the thermochromic yarn, representing the scenario when just thermochromic yarn was utilized on the headband. Three rib knitting structures were evaluated, namely the 1 by 1 rib, 1 by 2 rib, and 1 by 3 rib. Two stretch ratios, namely 0.6 and 0.8, were tested. The stretch ratio refers to the ratio of the length of fabric to the distance it stretches to fit. For instance, if we assume that the headband is meant to fit a head with a circumference of 20 cm, a headband with a stretch ratio of 0.8 would have a length of 16 cm when no stretching is applied. The stretch ratio means the length of fabric to the distance it stretches to fit. For example, assuming the circumference of the head that the headband is designed to fit is 10 cm, a 0.8 stretch ratio headband would be 8 cm long when no stretch was applied. A smaller headband ratio corresponds to a greater distance that the band needs to be stretched and a higher amount of stress that needs to be exerted on the head in order for it to fit; in other words, it needs to be tighter and could be less comfortable. There are a total of 30 possible sample combinations for testing.
Materials and Methods—Body Temperature Simulation and Color Measurement. An identified gap in the literature is the absence of research that tests the performance of thermochromic materials in the setting of body fever temperature, ranging from 38.0° C. to 38.2° C. for young children, depending on their days of birth [18,23]. In order to address this issue, an experimental environment was created that mimics the forehead's temperature (illustrated in
As previously stated, the testing samples were knitted in headband shapes rather than complete hat shapes. The band occupies a spatial dimension of approximately 4 inches in width and 15 inches in length. While the dimensions of the knitted samples varied among different knitting structures, this difference should not influence the assessment of color change performance. All samples were knitted on a 14 gauge Shima Seiki SSR112 machine. Potuck et al. [17] assessed the variation in color perception by observing visual discrepancies. In contrast, other researchers examined color variations by analyzing the spectrum of reflected light [13,24]. This study examined both visual differences and spectrum changes for performance comparison. During the testing process, a band was placed around the beaker and secured with clippers to ensure the desired stretch ratio. After being set, the band's color was first measured at room temperature using color meter Xrite's i1 spectrophotometer at ten locations around the beaker. Subsequently, the liquid in the beaker was heated until it reached the seven specific temperature measurement points. At each of these measurement points, colors were measured roughly at the same ten measurement locations. The researcher ensured that the temperature displayed on the heating plate remained constant at the predetermined setting for at least one minute before taking color measurements. Each testing sample generated a total of 70 data points. The gathered data was then examined to determine which combination yielded the most favorable outcomes in terms of the linearity and steepness of the color variations. The spectrum readings of the ten measured locations were averaged before being plotted for comparison. Photo images were captured at room temperature (23° C.) and fever temperature (40° C.) for all samples using Canon EOS Rebel SL3 in the automatic focus setting. A quick overview of the comparison between room temperature and 40 degrees Celsius under 0.8 stretchiness is illustrated in
Materials and Methods—Consumer Survey. Another gap identified in the literature is the dearth of consumer research on functional and smart textiles, particularly the absence of studies on newly developed products [20]. In order to tackle this issue, a consumer study was conducted to gauge the response of potential buyers, who were caregivers for young children, towards the product prototype and gathered their valuable comments. The survey was designed and distributed through Quatrisc. The survey included Likert-scale and open-ended questions (Table 1). Filter questions were added to ensure participants were parents of children aged three or younger, and validation questions confirmed that participants were paying attention when responding. Of 3,155 attempted responses, 267 were valid. Descriptive statistics were used to study participants' responses to the demographic and Likert scale questions.
Results and Discussion—Applicability and Performance of the Product.
Results and Discussion—Performance Comparison of Different Stretch Ratios.
Results and Discussion—Performance Comparison of Different Rib Structures. Three rib structures; one-by-one, one-by-two, and one-by-three; were compared. The numerical sequence in the name of the rib structures denotes the number of knit columns in the front as well as the back sections. For example, one-by-two ribs refer to a structural design that consists of one front knit column followed by two back knit columns, repeated in a regular pattern. The visual comparison diagram (
Results and Discussion—Performance Comparison of Different Color Combinations.
It is feasible to employ yarn covered with encapsulated thermochromic pigment to produce a knitted hat that can detect fever. Plating thermochromic materials with cotton yarn would enhance the softness and comfort of the product since the rigidity of the materials would be lessened. Nevertheless, various aesthetic configurations would impact the performance of the product. It is recommended that future designers refrain from using one-by-one rib structures and instead try to keep a high ratio of back yarn visibility on the front when employing the plating technique. To achieve a noticeable visual difference, it is recommended to use a low stretch ratio and a high stretch distance without affecting the fit of the product. The product is most effective when the color of the cotton yarn matches either the color that the thermochromic yarn changes to or the complementary color of the thermochromic yarn at low temperatures. These tips would assist designers in making intelligent decisions when creating apparel products using thermochromic textiles.
Results and Discussion—Consumer Perceptions, Concerns, and Suggestions. Out of the 267 valid responses, (1) 99 participants reported having one child, 89 reported having two children, and 79 reported having three or more children. (2) There were 32 participants aged between 20 and 25, 138 aged between 26 and 35, and 97 aged above 35. (3) Out of the total, 33 participants possessed doctoral degrees, 80 held bachelor's degrees, and 154 had associate degrees or others. (4) 222 participants identified as white, 28 as black or African American, 13 as Native American, 9 as Asian, and 11 participants identified as belonging to other racial categories (note that some participants may identify with more than one race). (5) Out of the total, 118 participants had an annual household income of less than $60,000 before taxes, 66 participants had a household income beyond $100,000, and 83 participants had a household income range between these two values. (6) Among the participants, there were 221 females and 46 males.
Considering the testing results and all the comments collected from the potential consumers, a second prototype was developed, as illustrated in
In recent times, there has been a growing inclination to discuss the efficacy of hats in preventing hypothermia and raising concerns about overheating [26]. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends using axillary measurement to determine the body temperature of children under the age of five [27]. Alternative body and clothing and accessory categories for the application of thermochromic materials include fever-detection bodysuits. Bach et al. [28] discovered that back and neck temperatures are the most accurate indicators of typical proximal skin temperatures. Bodysuits could incorporate thermochromic yarns in the back, neck, or axilla regions.
Conclusions. This Example aimed to explore the application of thermochromic materials for fever monitoring in young children. This was achieved by conducting experiments in a simulated body environment and a consumer study with parents of young children. A knitted hat was developed, including a headband region plated with yarn coated with encapsulated thermochromic pigment. The thermochromic yarns serve as a sensor and indicator for measuring fever on the forehead. Headbands with different stretch ratios, rib structures, and color combinations were sampled and tested within the simulated body temperature ranging from 34° C. to 40° C. The experimental findings demonstrated the feasibility of the product concept. It also uncovered optimal configurations for maximizing the hat's performance, which would be plating a dark-colored thermochromic yarn onto a soft background yarn made of natural fibers like cotton or bamboo. The color of the background yarn should match the color that the thermochromic yarn changes to, or alternatively, the complementary color of the thermochromic yarn at low temperatures. An optimal rib structure for the headband would consist of either a one-by-two or one-by-three rib with a stretch ratio ranging from 0.6 to 0.8. This rib structure would ensure a comfortable fit around the head for which the hat is designed. The customer survey results indicated that the parents found the product idea intriguing but suggested that the product's aesthetics be enhanced.
Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described aspects. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/621,857 filed on Jan. 17, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63621857 | Jan 2024 | US |
