SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACCURATE DETECTION OF FEBRILE CONDITIONS WITH VARYING BASELINE TEMPERATURES

Abstract

The present invention is directed to systems and process for detecting a febrile condition in screening of multiple or large groups of persons for the likelihood of infectious diseases. The system comprises a temperature measurement device having at least a processor, a display, temperature sensor, camera module, and facial recognition software. The display may include a positional overlay. The system further includes a database containing baseline temperatures for a number of persons, including baseline temperatures by age group and by gender. An input device optionally may identify the specific person or provide survey questions to a person to further determine a febrile condition. Based on the baseline temperatures, measured temperature and other characteristics of the person, a febrile condition may be determined. Additionally, the system may include a secondary screening component providing nasal swabbing or saliva testing.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A system for detecting the presence of a febrile condition, the system comprising: a processor; a camera module for capturing an image of a user; a wireless temperature sensor configured to measure a first temperature of the user; and a display screen; wherein the processor is configured to perform steps comprising: causing the image of the user to be provided to the display screen; causing a positional overlay in an outline of a person's head to be presented on the display screen for guiding the user to the wireless temperature sensor; and comparing the first temperature of the user with a second pre-stored baseline temperature of the user to determine if the user has a febrile condition in real time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second pre-stored baseline temperature of the user is calculated from an average of a plurality of historical temperatures of the user.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising an RFID scanner configured to detect an RFID card identifying at least the one user.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a code reader configured to detect a code identifying at least the one user.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising a test kit storage adapted for storing rapid test kits for secondary screening.

19. A method of detecting the presence of a febrile condition, the method comprising: capturing an image of a user using a camera; displaying the image of the user on a display coupled to the camera; guiding the user via a positional overlay in an outline of a person's head to a wireless temperature sensor; measuring a first temperature of the user using the wireless temperature sensor; comparing the first temperature of the user with a second pre-stored baseline temperature of the user to determine if the user has a febrile condition in real time.

20. The method of claim 20, wherein the second pre-stored baseline temperature of the user is based on an average of a plurality of stored historical temperatures of the user.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying the user based on a user identification card.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying the user based on a user code.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising scanning the user facial activity for hypoxia.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising directing the user to a secondary screening upon determining the presence of a febrile condition of the user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein directing the user to the secondary screening comprises directing the user to take one of a nasal swab or saliva test.

26. A system for detecting the presence of a febrile condition, the system comprising: a processor; a non-volatile memory storing facial recognition software; a camera module for capturing an image of a user; a wireless temperature sensor configured to measure a first temperature of the user; a display screen; wherein the processor is configured to perform steps comprising: causing the image of the user to be provided to the display screen; causing a head shaped positional overlay to be presented on the display screen for guiding the user to the wireless temperature sensor; calculating an approximate age of the user based on the facial recognition software; comparing the first temperature of the user with a second pre-stored baseline temperature of an age group corresponding to the approximate age of the user to determine if the user has a febrile condition in real time.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the second pre-stored baseline temperature of an age group is calculated from an average of a plurality of stored temperatures for the age group.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the step of discarding any image of the user after calculating an approximate age of the user.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising a test kit storage adapted for storing rapid test kits for secondary screening.

30. A method of detecting the presence of a febrile condition, the method comprising: capturing an image of a user using a camera; displaying the image of the user on a display coupled to the camera; guiding the user via a face shaped positional overlay to a wireless temperature sensor; calculating an approximate age of the user based on facial recognition software; measuring a first temperature of the user using the wireless temperature sensor; comparing the measured temperature of the user with a second pre-stored baseline temperature of an age group corresponding to the approximate age of the user to determine a febrile condition in real time.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the second pre-stored baseline temperature of an age group is calculated from an average of a plurality of stored temperatures for the age group.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising: discarding any image of the user after calculating an approximate age of the user.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising scanning the user facial activity for hypoxia.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising directing the user to a secondary screening upon the determining of a febrile condition of the user.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein directing the user to the secondary screening comprises directing the user to take one of a nasal swab or saliva test.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the novel combination of components of an exemplary embodiment of a kiosk system in accordance with the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention as it may exist in operation.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the novel combination of components of an alternate exemplary embodiment of a kiosk system in accordance with the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 4a is a graph showing average baseline temperatures based on ages of persons.

[0041] FIG. 4b is a graph showing average baseline temperatures for men and women of different age groups.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a flow chart detailing a novel method of improving the accuracy of determining baseline temperatures for febrile persons in accordance with the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a flow chart detailing an exemplary method of accurately determining febrile conditions in persons having different baseline temperatures in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] While the inventions disclosed herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments are shown by way of examples in the drawings and described in detail. It should be understood that the figures and detailed description discussed herein are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present inventions as defined by the appended claims. Description will now be given of the invention with reference to FIGS. 1-6.

[0045] As a preliminary matter, there are several factors that may, or ought, to be taken into account in making a determination about whether a person is exhibiting a febrile condition. One of the easily measured factors is a person's thermal temperature as measured by an infrared sensor. However, according to the research related to the present invention, core body temperature (T.sub.c) varies from one person to another, as well as varies from one age group to another, as well as for different genders, and when measured at different times of days. Therefore, T.sub.c is not constant for all persons, although 98.6 F is regarded as “normal” (i.e., not febrile). And the CDC considers a person to have a fever when he or she has a measured temperature of at greater 100.4° F. However, as taught herein, a more accurate determination whether a person has a febrile condition is to accumulate a database of that specific person's temperature over a period of time and to obtain a baseline or cluster of T.sub.c from that accumulated data for that specific person. However, in situations where mass detection is necessary, a person may not have a database of their specific baseline temperatures to compare to. As such, accuracy can be increased by comparing an unknown or unidentified person with baseline temperatures according to that person's age range, gender, etc. Furthermore, even the time of the day a person is measured may affect the person's temperature. Therefore, the comparison between the baseline temperature and a measured temperature may be adjusted to compensate for different baseline temperature for different times of day as peoples' temperature tend to be lower in the morning and higher in the evenings. Additionally, to further increase accuracy, the measured temperature may be adjusted to compensate for differences in the ambient temperature.

[0046] Referring now to FIG. 1, the primary temperature monitor 100 includes microprocessor 110 and memory 160. Memory 160 may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. In the exemplary embodiment, memory 160 includes facial recognition software 165 and a database 167 which stores baseline temperatures for known persons, age ranges, genders, times of data, or any other baseline temperatures in accordance with the present invention. Although FIG. 1 depicts the database 167 as stored onboard local memory 160, the database 167 may also be stored remotely from temperature monitor 100 on a local network or a remote server. In an alternate embodiment, the facial recognition software 165 or the baseline temperature comparison software may be stored remotely from the temperature monitor on a local network or a remote server to offload processing power.

[0047] Temperature monitor 100 preferably includes a camera module 120 for capturing an image of a person's face so as to play back to the person on display 130. The display 130, along with the microprocessor 110 and software 165, ideally projects a positional overlay 137 onto the display 130 thereby indicating to the person the optimal position for both facial recognition and for detection by the temperature sensor 140 of the monitor 100 to obtain the person's T.sub.c. For example, positional overlay 137 may instruct the person to move further or closer away until the entirety of the person's face is within the positional overlay 137.

[0048] The temperature sensor 140 may be infrared and optimally obtains a temperature reading from the person's forehead. Although scanning other areas of the of the person's person's body may also be applicable, scanning the forehead typically results in a more rapid continuous scanning. The temperature monitor 100 further includes a transmitter 150 to transmit to a remote server the obtained temperature readings and associated data such as the ambient temperature, person's age range, gender, and/or the time of the day the reading was taken. The transmission of the temperature along with the additional associated data helps improve the accuracy of the baseline of persons in various group by aggregating data from multiple kiosks resulting in more comprehensive sample sizes.

[0049] Additionally, the camera module 120, along with the microprocessor 110, and facial recognition software 165 are used in conjunction to identify the person if the person is a known person or to classify the person by age and/or gender if the person is an unknown person. To accomplish this, camera module 120, equipped to zero in on facial features, focuses on the facial features of the person and compares facial recognition image data with the database stored in memory or sends the facial recognition image data to a server that includes a database having facial recognition data of known persons. For a known person, using the facial recognition image data, microprocessor 110 along with software 165 determines the identity of the known person, which may be used to provide stored baseline temperature information for the known person. For an unknown person, using the facial recognition image data, microprocessor 110 along with software 165, calculates an approximate age for the person and/or identifies the likely sex of the person, which may be used to provide stored baseline temperature for the approximate age and sex.

[0050] In an alternate embodiment, microprocessor 110 and facial recognition software 165 scans the face of the person for signs of hypoxia. Such signs of hypoxia include changes in the color of the skin.

[0051] The display 130 may further include resistive, capacitive, or any other touch sensors 135 to allow the person to enter his or her information as well as provide responses to a survey or screening questions. Such survey or screening questions may include whether or not the person feels sick, whether or not the person has been exposed to sick individuals within a certain time period, and/or whether or not the person has traveled to certain known regions of infection hotspots.

[0052] In an alternate embodiment, the kiosk may further include a testing kit. A testing kit may be one of a saliva-based test, nasal swab, or any other acceptable rapid test. In a situation when the kiosk determines a likely febrile condition, the test kit may be unlocked and presented to a person such that a secondary testing can be performed to ensure the elimination of false negatives or false positives.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 2, where an exemplary kiosk containing the temperature monitor 100 is depicted. When placed at a point of ingress, such as an office building, an exemplary kiosk may further include a label printer 210. Once the temperature monitor 100 determines whether or not a person has a febrile condition or is likely to have febrile condition, the label printer 210 subsequently prints an ID or access badge which grants or denies access. To optimize scanning efficiency, an exemplary kiosk further includes an adjustable height stand 220. The exemplary kiosk is typically placed in a place of ingress to a location or event and to expedite monitoring of multiple persons attempting to enter, and the temperature monitor is typically placed at or near eye level such that only minimal guidance is needed from the positional overlay 137.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 3, an alternate embodiment of the temperature monitor 100 is depicted. In certain work environments, where information regarding each employee has been recorded, such as their age, sex, and/or known baseline temperature, an RFID card or badge provides reliable identification of an employee. As such, a badge scanner 320 may be adapted for use with the with temperature monitor 100 to identify the employee. In another alternative embodiment, a keyboard 310 or other input means may be used in lieu of a touch screen display. The keyboard 310 may be used to identify the employee, or for providing responses to a survey and/or screening questions in lieu of a touch screen display. Additionally, a label printer 220 may be attached to indicate access for the employee.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 4a, shown is a graph comparing the average temperature of non-febrile persons with respect to their approximate age. A sample size of approximately 6000 persons of varying age and taken at varying times of day was used. To determine the age, an approximation was determined using the facial recognition software with a likely range of error of +/−5 years of age. As depicted in FIG. 4a, as the approximate age of a person increases, their average baseline temperature decreased. For those persons between ages 20-30, the approximate median baseline temperature is 97.8 F degrees. However, as shown in FIG. 4a, for those persons between ages 30-40, the approximate median baseline temperature is 97.6 F degrees. For those persons between ages 40-50, the approximate median baseline temperature is 97.4 F, and the approximate median temperature continues to trend downward for those older in age such that those persons between ages 60-70 have an approximate median baseline temperature of 97.2 F.

[0056] Understanding these different baseline temperatures for different age groups in the present invention operates to prevent older persons who may have a temperature below the CDC guideline of fever to escape detection despite the likelihood that such persons may have a febrile condition. As other studies have shown, for persons ages 65 years and older, a temperature of 98.6 F is likely indicative a fever.

[0057] Furthermore, as confirmed by the sample size, there is a slight, although noticeable change in approximate baseline temperatures for those in the same age group when temperatures are measured in the morning versus in the evening, thereby verifying the conclusion that baseline temperatures of persons are slightly higher when taken in the evening. These results are for a person in a diurnal cycle, and a person in a nocturnal cycle would have reversed results. With respect to the time of day when a temperature measurement is taken for a person, studies have shown that mean temperature for persons varied with measurements taken at 6 AM generally being the lowest and with measurements taken between 4 to 6 PM generally being the highest.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 4b, the graph shows that for certain age groups, the baseline temperature between genders differ as women during ovulation and menstruation may maintain a slightly higher body temperature due to a spike of progesterone. This is further supported by results that show the while the baseline temperature of between men and women are similar in older persons, younger women have higher baseline temperature than younger men.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the temperature monitor 100 obtains a more accurate baseline to determine a febrile condition using the above factors, but any other identifiable factors affecting a person's baseline temperature may also be used.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 5, a flow chart of populating and gathering the database of the necessary baseline temperatures in the exemplary embodiment is depicted. In step 510, a statistically significant sample size is collected of various persons to populate the database. In one example, placing a data gathering kiosk in location such as a stadium, an airport, or any other mass transit point allows for a rapid collection of samples from a diverse range of persons. Accuracy could potentially be improved if each person in the sample size also provided their age, gender and other personal information. However, if the sample persons do not enter or provide their age or sex, the gathering process may rely on facial recognition software to estimate an approximate age and likely gender. In steps 520 and 530, the samples collected of various persons' baseline temperatures are associated with age ranges and gender of the persons, either provided by each person or by facial recognition software. In step 540, these samples collected of various persons' baseline temperatures are further correlated with the time of day each sample was taken. Despite a general uniformity in baseline temperature data within age groups, sex, and time of day, some outliers may be identified. Outliers may be averaged into the larger sample pool of their respective ages and/or sex. However, outliers may also be discarded from the final sample size.

[0061] In another embodiment, where a specific person's details are known to the data gathering kiosk and temperature system, an individualized baseline temperature may be stored for that specific person. In situations where a known person has a baseline temperature that would otherwise be considered an outlier, multiple recoded samples of baseline temperatures for that specific person may be stored for future individualized determination of a febrile condition for that specific person in step 550. Finally, for all persons in the sample size, individual baseline temperatures and their associated characteristic information are stored in a database 560. The database may be stored in memory on the temperature monitor, on a local server, on a cloud-based server, or on any other form accessible by the temperature monitor.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 6, a flow chart depicting an exemplary method of accurately determining febrile conditions in persons having different baseline temperatures is shown. When a person approaches a temperature monitor kiosk, preferably located at an ingress, instructions are displayed to guide the person to the optimal measurement position 610. This may be done by text instruction or by a positional overlay. A positional overlay typically includes an outline of a person's head and instructs the person to position his or her head entirely within the outline. Alternatively, an Al facial detector may be used along with or instead of the positional overlay. Similar to the positional overlay, the Al facial detector assists positioning of the person's head. Additional instructions may be given to the person if the temperature sensor is unable to detect the person from the ambient environment.

[0063] In step 620, the person's temperature is measured using an infrared thermometer. preferably an FDA Class II cleared thermometer. Optimally, the temperature sensor is an FDA approved non-contact infrared thermometers, as the quality and accuracy of the temperature sensor significantly affects the determination of a febrile condition. In step 630, the identity of the person is determined. This may be done by facial recognition, manual login, RFID card, badge or any other means of identifying persons. In one embodiment determining identity refers to identify the exact identity of the person. This may be done by a user login, an employee badge or other identifier, an RFID card, facial recognition comparison with facial data of known persons, or any other method known in the art.

[0064] In step 640, the system determines if the person is known. If the person is one recognized by the system, that person is a known person. As such, in step 645 the known person may be compared with stored baseline temperatures for that specific person to determine uniquely his or her current measured temperature to his or her respective baseline temperatures. Based on his or her respective baseline temperatures, in step 670 a febrile condition score may be determined. In lieu of a full diagnosis, this score is used to determine next steps on whether additional data from the person is needed to determine a febrile condition or whether access should be granted or denied.

[0065] In the exemplary embodiment, if during steps 630 and 640, the person is determined to be an unknown person or if no specific baseline temperature data exists for that person, step 650 determines the age, or approximate age and gender of the person. This may be performed by a facial recognition process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,582,807, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes, provides disclosure on generating a baseline gender model and an age estimation model. Numerous other models for determine gender and age from facial recognition exist in the art as the human face provides prior perceptible information about one's age, gender, identity, ethnicity, and mood. Once the unknown person's age and/or gender is determined, in step 660 the measured temperature of that person is compared with group baseline temperatures for persons within the same age range and same gender. Additionally, the comparison may be further refined based on the time of day the measured temperature was taken. Based on the respective baseline temperatures for his or her age and/or gender, in step 670 a febrile condition score may be determined. In lieu of a full diagnosis, this score is used to determine next steps on whether additional data from the person is needed to determine a febrile condition or whether access should be granted or denied in step 680.

[0066] In another exemplary embodiment, additional screening tests may be combined to further increase the accuracy to eliminate false positives or false negatives. Two of three methods are typically used by facilities to economize a person's time and expense. They can be typically chosen from the following: 1) setting the temperature screening baseline on the higher side of a person's normal temperature (e.g., elevated temperature; 2) survey screening that the CDC contends is useful (e.g., Do you feel sick; have you been to a [insert high contagion area]); and 3) providing a saliva-based test (e.g., COVID-19 test). However, these three methods have varying time and costs. The first method of temperature screening is typically the fastest and most economical at an average rate of 5 cents per scan for highly trafficked areas. The second method of survey screening is slightly slower and more expensive. Finally, the third method of using a saliva based COVID-19 test is far more expensive at 5 dollars per self-test.

[0067] To further improve accuracy, along with step 670 of determining a febrile condition score, the temperature screening described herein may be combined with survey screening or combined with saliva testing. Although this increases the screening/clearance time for persons or employees, the additional methods increase true positive results. Furthermore, in the case of adding saliva self-testing, the accuracy of the temperature screening in addition to saliva self-testing would likely increase confidence level of the results to 95% and can still be performed in a short period. Such features can be added to kiosks to enhance contagion screening. For example, if step 670 determines a likelihood of a febrile condition, a kit may be provided by the screening kiosk to the person such that a nasal swab or saliva test may be administered.

[0068] The invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment details and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.