Design and Characterization of a Blackbody for the calibration of non-contact medical thermometers

耳部体温计在临床环境中广泛用于测量患者体温，而前额体温计在大流行期间已越来越多地用作发热筛查方法。为了可靠的体温测量，设备的性能需要通过使用合适的黑体源校准来验证。对于合适的光源，它必须具有足够高的发射率，足够大的开口以完全填满温度计的视场，良好的温度均匀性以及可追溯到1990年国际温标（ITS-90）的测量温度的手段。更好地了解额头和耳朵温度计的性能和校准的必要性已得到BIPM温度计咨询委员会（CCT）的国际认可- [https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cc/cct/guides-to-thermometry][0]The ISO 80601-2-56:2017标准提供了合适黑体源的规格，但这些是基于搅拌液体浴，使用起来相对麻烦。设计和开发一种具有所需规格但不依赖水浴的黑体，将为用户校准耳朵和额头温度计提供更实用的解决方案，并有助于确保它们适合预期用途。我们有一系列用于校准非接触式温度计的现有产品，但这些产品主要是为更通用的红外温度计设计的，而不是医疗温度计。对医用温度计的实验室性能的要求，因此用于校准它们的黑体源，往往更严格，目前尚不清楚，没有进一步的研究，Isotech的源是否适用于目前设计的医用温度计的校准。与国家物理实验室合作，Isotech将能够确定现有校准器对这些医用温度计的适用性，从分析和建模中，我们可以了解最佳几何形状，然后获得性能证据。然后我们将能够通过我们的全球分销网络将我们的产品销售到英国和海外的新市场。拥有一个已知性能的便携式产品，将使用户能够对设备进行常规校准。[0]: https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cc/cct/guides-to-thermometry

Ear thermometers are widely used in a clinical setting for the measurement of patient temperature, whereas forehead thermometers have been increasingly used during the pandemic as a method of fever screening. For reliable body temperature measurement, the performance of the devices needs to be validated by calibration using a suitable blackbody source. For a source to be suitable it must have a sufficiently high emissivity, sufficiently large opening to completely fill the field-of-view of the thermometer, good temperature uniformity and a means to measure the temperature which is traceable to the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (the ITS-90).The need for better understanding of the performance and calibration of both forehead and ear thermometers has been recognised internationally by the BIPM Consultative Committee for Thermometry (CCT) - [https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cc/cct/guides-to-thermometry][0]The ISO 80601-2-56:2017 standard provides the specifications for suitable blackbody sources, but these are based on stirred liquid baths which are relatively cumbersome to use. Designing and developing a blackbody which has the required specifications, but which does not rely on a water bath, would provide users with a more practical solution for the calibration of ear and forehead thermometers and help ensure they are fit for the intended use.We have a range of existing products used to calibrate non-contact thermometers but these are primarily designed for the more generic infrared thermometers, not medical thermometers. The requirements for the laboratory performance of medical thermometers, and hence the blackbody sources used to calibrate them, tend to be more stringent, and it is not clear, without further study, whether or not Isotech's sources are suitable for the calibration of medical thermometers in their current design.Working with NPL, Isotech will be able to determine the suitability of an existing calibrator for these medical thermometers, from analysis and modeling we can learn of the optimal geometry and then have evidence of the performance.Then we will be able to sell our product into a new market both in the UK and overseas via our global distribution network.Having a portable product, of known performance, will enable routine calibration of the devices by users.[0]: https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cc/cct/guides-to-thermometry