Light Weight Flexible Temperature Sensor Kit

Abstract

A thin sensor film that is capable of indicating temperature and an associated sensor readout kit that illuminates the sensor film and detects the return fluorescence for analysis to determine temperature. The sensor film may be detached and reattached in order to be reused. The initial design achieves high sensitivity and accuracy in the range of interest to biologistics and can potentially address temperatures ranging from −200 to 300° C. A variation allows for the use of optical fibers for measurements of surfaces inside enclosures.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for determining a temperature of a packaged material, the method comprising:
 causing luminescence of a phosphor-doped sensor film on a surface of a package that comprises the packaged material; wherein the sensor film comprises at least two layers and at least one of the two layers comprises a phosphor-containing substance embedded within a transparent elastomer;   capturing the resultant luminescence via a suitable detector; and   assessing the temperature of the phosphor-doped sensor film using the resultant luminescence, wherein the assessed temperature indicates the temperature of the packaged material.   
     
     
         1 - 20 . (canceled)