Characterization of a Longwave Infrared Imager for Telemetric Measurement of Human Skin Temperature of Diabetic Foot

R. Bayareh, A. Vera, L. Leija, A. Ramos, J. Gutierrez
IEEE Xplore. 2017. Global Medical Engineering Physics Exchanges

This paper presents the characterization of an infrared (IR) Longwave camera kit (Lepton-Flir), based on a bolometer array; for the telemetry measuring of temperature in the human skin. It is important to adapt the device to the measured material since the radiometry depends on the emissivity of the material in question. The characterization took place with the comparison with a thermocouple placed on each skin phantom, and one placed inside a box with controlled room temperature. The thermocouples were calibrated with a thermometer pattern with a resolution of 0.1°C. The obtained equation describes a linear behavior in a window of 17°C to 40°C, and allows to know the approximate temperature in each bolometer. This work is an antecedent to the construction of a prototype for the early detection of the diabetic foot complication.