Abstract:
The present disclosure describes an apparatus and method for monitoring the environment of a baby, i.e. the outside environment and the direct environment in direct contact with the baby. Environment elements which can be monitored include the temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity and whether or not the environment is damp. Using the temperature and humidity data, the heat index can also be calculated. The child&#39;s direct environment is a weighted value which considers the environment elements relating directly to the child and the direct ambient surroundings of the child. This weighted value, for instance, takes into account the skin temperature of the child as well as the ambient temperature, humidity, dampness of the direct surroundings of the child.

Description:
PRIORITY STATEMENT 
     This application claims the non-provisional priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/926,342 filed Jan. 12, 2014, and entitled “Portable Environment Monitoring System for Babies” and also claims the non-provisional priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/062,560 filed Oct. 10, 2014, and entitled “Portable Environment Monitoring and Early Warning System for Babies.” Each of these documents is fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to maintaining comfort and safety of a baby or small child via a monitoring system possibly integrated with a garment. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure describes an apparatus and method for monitoring the environment of a baby, i.e the outside environment and the direct environment in direct contact with the baby. Environment elements which can be monitored include the temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity and whether or not the environment is damp. Using the temperature and humidity data, the heat index can also be calculated. The child&#39;s direct environment is a weighted value which considers the environment elements relating directly to the child and the direct ambient surroundings of the child. This weighted value, for instance, takes into account the skin temperature of the child as well as the ambient temperature, humidity, dampness of the direct surroundings of the child. 
     New parents are faced with many challenges when having a child. One of these challenges is knowing how to create the best environment for their baby. Every parent is interested in the wellbeing of their child, but for new parents, having no prior experience, issues like the proper bundling or dressing of their baby are difficult to address. This challenge can be minimized by knowing information about that environment, allowing the parent to better react, early enough, before a medical emergency occurs. Such information can include temperature, humidity/dampness and intensity of sunlight their child is exposed to. 
     One of the most important attributes to monitor is the temperature of the baby&#39;s environment. Regulating the temperature of a baby is essential, given that a baby&#39;s heat control center is still developing, meaning a baby is unable to regulate their own body to properly react to varying temperatures. This makes a baby more susceptible to hot and cold conditions than that of their caregivers, and varying changes to their environment in general. An adult&#39;s body can regulate itself in order to keep comfortable. These regulations can be in form of goose bumps or shivering to help reduce heat loss when it&#39;s cold or perspiration in order to cool the body when it&#39;s hot. Caregivers may not recognize when a change to a child&#39;s environment has occurred and requires immediate attention, as their own body has performed measures to adjust to the changing environment. 
     Not knowing the temperature of a baby&#39;s environment leads to the question of how much, or how little, to bundle or dress a child. Given babies are still developing their heat control centers, it is particularly important to know how much insulation and how much clothing is needed to assure the child isn&#39;t too cold, resulting in such medical emergencies as hypothermia or frostbite. At the same time, it is just as important to insure that a child is not overly dressed for particular weather conditions, which can lead to such medical conditions as heat rash, heat cramps and heat exhaustion or medical emergencies like heat stroke. 
     A further consideration to take into account is the “feels like” temperature, the so-called Heat Index. This calculated value uses the temperature, as well as the relative humidity, in order to calculate a temperature value of how the body perceives a particular temperature [Steadman, 1979]. This can be significantly different than the measured temperature, so-called “dry bulb temperature,” given that moisture in the air can cause the human body to perceive the environment to be either substantially warmer or colder than the dry bulb temperature. This value is of great importance when monitoring a baby&#39;s environment because, as mentioned previously, a baby&#39;s heat control center is still developing and can&#39;t react to changes in the environment as well as adults. Given that the heat index considers the temperature in which a human body perceives an environment to be, this offers an even better indicator as to how comfortable the environment is for a baby is exposed to it. 
     The heat index (HI) which was developed by the National Weather Service, based on the work of [Steadman, 1979], can be calculated using one of three equations which consider the relative humidity (R) percentage value (0-100), and dry bulb temperature (T) in Fahrenheit: 
     (1) HI=−42.379+2.04901523T+10.14333127R−0.22475541TR−6.83783×10−3T 2 ×5.481717×10−2R 2 +1.22874×10−3T 2 R+8.5282×10−4TR 2 ×1.99×10−6T 2 R 2    
     (2) HI=0.363445176+0.988622465T+4.777114035R−0.114037667TR−8.50208×10−4T 2 ×2.0716198×10−2R 2 +6.87678×10−4T 2 R+2.74954×10−4TR 2    
     (3) HI=16.923+0.185212T+5.37941R−0.100254TR+9.41695×10−3T 2 +7.28898×10−3R 2 +3.45372×10−4T 2 R−8.14971×10−4TR 2 +1.02102×10−5T 2 R 2 −3.8646×10−5T 3 +2.91583×10−5R 3 +1.42721×10−6T 3 R+1.97483×10−7TR 3 −2.18429×10−8T 3 R 2 +8.43296×10−10T 2 R 3 −4.81975×10−11T 3 R 3  [Stull, 2000]. 
     The heat index in Celsius can be then extracted using the standard conversion T[° C.]=(5/9)(T[° F.]−32). 
     [Steadman, 1979]—R. G. Steadman, J. Appl. Meteor., 18, 861-873 (1979). [Stull, 2000]—R. Stull, Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers, Second Ed. Brooks/Cole, (2000). 
     As described above, the measurement of a child&#39;s weighted environment can be performed in several ways, described in further detail herein. For example, two ways are described in brief directly below. 
     1) A measurement resulting from a single sensor located in 1 of 6 orientations relative to child, whereby the weighted environment is directly related to how the sensor is oriented relative to the baby and is influenced by both the baby as well as the ambient environment. This weighted environment can be shifted based on the direction the sensor is placed in relation to baby (namely towards, perpendicular facing up, perpendicular facing down, parallel facing up, parallel facing down and away from baby) 
     Away from child—Clip on same side as sensor with device tucked into the child&#39;s garments (Decided at time of manufacturing due to clip-to-sensor orientation) 
     Perpendicular facing in or out in relation to the transportation device (assuming a sitting or outward facing child)—Clip on either one of the sides perpendicular to the side the sensor is located on (adjustable by caregiver since clip will be perpendicular to side the sensor is on) 
     Towards child—clip on opposing side to that of the sensor (decided at time of manufacturing due to Clip to sensor orientation). This allows for the sensor to be in direct contact with the baby or its undergarments/onesie/bodysuit which is direct contact with the baby. 
     Parallel to baby&#39;s body, lengthwise—facing up towards the head or down towards the feet. 
     2) A measurement resulting from two identical sensors, one of which is facing towards the child, in direct contact with the baby or its undergarments/onesie/bodysuit, ENVIR1, and the other of which is facing out towards the environment, ENVIR2. Whereby the weighted environment is a weighted average of the two sensed data which can then be calculated and presented to the caregiver as the weighted environmental condition. The average of which is calculated as:
 
WeightedENVIR= x ENVIR1+(1− x )ENVIR2; where  x  is between 0 and 1.
 
     The apparatus described may be designed to assist parents in the early phase of their child&#39;s life, particularly for babies under the age of 2 years of age. Monitoring the temperature notifies a parent as to whether or not their baby has been bundled or dressed up too much or too little for the current outside weather conditions. A sensor can also be implemented to warn them if the environment of the child, unbeknownst to the parent, has become damp, as well as if the child is being exposed to too much harmful radiation, like ultraviolet (UV) light. 
     Embodiments of the apparatus and methods described herein provide for the in situ monitoring of a child&#39;s weighted environment while in some mode of transportation, assisting parents and caregivers in guaranteeing the child is transported within the most comfortable environment possible. Most importantly, such a device ensures that the child is not exposed to inappropriate environmental elements which can lead to medical conditions including hypothermia, frostbite, heat rash, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The device can also help in reducing the number of child hot car deaths because of warnings sent to the caregiver. The device consists of two parts, namely a sensor module and separate main module for processing the data sent from the sensor module. The main module can also be used for measuring the outside environment in order to provide an early warning to changes which will soon affect the child&#39;s direct ambient environment. Temporal changes in the child&#39;s environment and outside environment are also monitored in order to provide an early warning of rapidly changing environments for the caregiver. 
     The monitoring and relaying the data relevant to the environment a baby occupies may include: sensor elements for measuring temperature, and/or humidity, and/or dampness, and/or sunlight intensity; a means to relay and process the data, wired or wirelessly, to a main module; a visual indicator or indicators for communicating data to a user; an audible alarm and/or vibrating motor; as well as an internal processor for storing, processing and relaying data. The sensor elements are positioned closely to the baby&#39;s mid-section in order to properly react to changes in the baby&#39;s direct environment which pose a risk. This location is much more effective than say sensors located on a wrist or ankle, as these locations of measurement do not represent immediate risks to the baby&#39;s health. For instance, a baby&#39;s arm can be cool or cold even if the baby is at no risk because its body is well protected against the elements. A wrist band or ankle band is also impractical based on the size needed to be small enough to be worn by an infant given the size of all the electronic components and battery required. Also, the smaller the device is, the risk of a potential choking hazard is increased. 
     Additionally, the main module, wherein the data, more specifically the temperature, is indicated to the user, can be clipped to and/or hung from and/or strapped to the carrier/object the baby is being transferred in, (i.e. stroller, car seat, carrier, rucksack, etc.). The main module can also be used for measuring and indicating data collected from the outside environment, more specifically, the environment in which the child&#39;s object of transportation is in direct contact with, i.e. outside, inside a house, inside a shopping center, inside a car, etc. The sensor module can relay the data from the child&#39;s environment to the main module. Namely, the sensor element, more specifically the temperature probe, is connected to the main module through a wire or fiber optic. In another embodiment the data can be sent from the sensor module wirelessly to the main module via a radio frequency (RF) or optical signal. The data can be sent using one or more transmission techniques including universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), universal synchronous/asynchronous receiver/transmitter (USART), serial communication and line coding. Wherein line coding can be in the form of but is not limited to Not Return-to-Zero (NRZ) coding, Return-to-Zero (RZ) coding, NRZI (Not-Return-to-Zero Inverted) coding, BiPhase coding, Manchester/Phase Coding, Constant weight coding and Paired-Disparity coding. In order to avoid noise during transmission and receiving of data, the sent data can be preceded by a sync bit or bytes. In order for multiple units to be able to work in the same frequency regime at the same time, without interacting with one another, an address bit or bytes can be used to distinguish individual units and can be sent in the data packet before or after the main set of sensor data. 
     On the main module the data from the sensor element is displayed by a visual indicator. The outside environment measured at the main module can also be displayed by a visual indicator. Such a visual indicator can be light emitting diodes (LED), and/or LED bar graph or arrays, and/or a liquid crystal display (LCD) and/or a heads up display (HUD), and/or a charge coupled device (CCD) display, and/or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. More specific, the visual indicator can be used to represent the temperature through an LED bar graph or array which indicates three temperature and/or heat index ranges for the environment of the baby, namely: too low, normal/OK, and too high as well as two transition regions, namely: warning too low and warning too high. The LED bar graph or array can be with/or without the corresponding numerical temperature indicated next to, or on top of the corresponding LED on the main module. The extreme ranges in temperature and/or heat index on the temperature scale can further be relayed to the caregiver of the baby as a warning through an audible or vibrating alarm. Additionally, improper temperature and/or heat index ranges which have been reached for a predetermined time can also set off an alarm. 
     Furthermore, the visual indicator can be used to represent the outside temperature and/or heat index within predetermined ranges of too low, OK and too high. Abrupt changes to the outside environment in time are also monitored in order to offer an early warning. These temporal changes can be displayed on the main unit using a visual indicator as well as representing such changes by the blinking frequency of the visual indicator, for instance an LED, used to display the environmental parameter. 
     In one embodiment, the sensor module uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the main unit, of which could be a cellphone, tablet or computer. On the main unit a program known as an app, can be used to visually display all sensor data from baby&#39;s environment. The app can also use weather data from another application or internal sensor in order to determine the outside environmental conditions. The app can connect to the world wide web in order to transmit data of baby&#39;s environment to a central database. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of a main module with accompanied sensor elements connected via wire or optical fiber. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a side view and internal components of a main module. 
         FIG. 3  depicts a second embodiment of a main module with visual indicators for the baby&#39;s and outside environment. 
         FIG. 4  depicts the side view of the second embodiment of a main module revealing the internal components. 
         FIG. 5  depicts the side and perspective view of an environment sensor module which is placed next to a baby. 
         FIG. 6  depicts a side view and internal components of an environment sensor module which is placed next to a baby. 
         FIG. 7  depicts an environment sensor module placed next to a baby, which relays measured data to any of a number of main units handled by a caretaker while the baby is in an object designed for transportation. 
         FIG. 8  shows one embodiment with a single or main unit wired to sensors monitoring a complete environment surrounding a baby. 
         FIG. 9A  shows another embodiment with a sensor unit or module with a wireless connection to a main unit or module completing a system for monitoring a complete environment surrounding a baby. 
         FIG. 9B  shows a diagram of the main unit or module making up a system ( FIGS. 9A and 9B ) for monitoring a complete environment surrounding a baby. 
         FIG. 10  depicts different temperature ranges of different relevant systems. 
         FIG. 11  shows the flow of operations performed by the sensor module of  FIG. 9A . 
         FIG. 12A  shows the flow of operations performed by the main module of  FIG. 9B . 
         FIG. 12B  shows the operational flow for the measures-outside-environment operation  1213  within the main module of  FIG. 12  B. 
         FIG. 13A  depicts a graph of ΔEnvironment vs. ΔTime for determining different warning regions based on temporal changes in the environment. 
         FIG. 13B  depicts a table of ΔEnvironment vs. ΔTime for determining different warning regions based on temporal changes in the environment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of a main unit or module  100  which consists of a main casing  110 . In the wired and fiber optic version, a connection port  120  is present for receiving sensor data, via an electric jack or optical sensor, from a sensor element  130 . The data can be transmitted from the sensor element through a connecting wire or optical fiber  131 . Sensor element  130  may contain numerous sensors for sensing an environment surrounding a baby including, but not limited to: temperature, humidity, heat index, moisture/dampness, ultraviolet light intensity levels, and visible light intensity levels. For a wireless embodiment of an apparatus, connecting port  120  and connecting wire or fiber optic  131  are omitted and an additional sensor device  500 , described below, is required. The main module  100  can be switched off when not in use via a switch  150 . 
     The data relayed from sensor element  130  can be projected, via main module  100  to an end user through a visual indicator  160 . Visual indicator  160 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is comprised of a light emitting diode (LED) bar graph or array, wherein the bar graph or array can be separated into three predetermined ranges. The predetermined ranges in which data can be split into include a range which is too high (red LEDs  161 ), normal/OK (green LEDs  162 ), or too low (blue LEDs  163 ). The range of the sensor data, which can be represented by the LED bar graph or array, can be split into one or more of predetermined ranges. 
     Additionally  FIG. 1  depicts sides B and C as well as a top D view of the main module  100 .  FIG. 1B  also displays that the main casing  110  is composed of two interconnecting parts  111  and  112  which can be screwed or snapped together. Two methods are revealed which can be used for attaching the device to the baby&#39;s transportation object. The device can be clipped on via a built-in belt clip  170 . Another option is connecting a key ring around a rod  180  built into main casing  110  and then attaching a hooking unit, like a carabineer. 
     The backside of the main module  100  shown in  FIG. 1E  reveals a latching cover  190  which can clip  191  to or be screwed to the main module  100  for accessing a battery pack. 
       FIG. 2  shows an internal view of main module  100  revealing a PCB board  200  on which the circuitry is soldered to metal leads for interconnecting all components. One component is a microcontroller  210  for managing the whole system and storing a program for managing the sensor data, performing calculations and transmitting/receiving data. The circuitry is comprised of typical electronic components, capacitors, resistors, etc. required for general operation, but also includes distinctive electrical components. These distinctive components include a visual indicator  160  and an audible piezo  220 . The audible piezo is for alerting when predetermined ranges of the sensed environment are reached or if a non-ideal range has been maintained for a predetermined amount of time. The circuit is powered by a battery pack  230 . For the wireless version of the apparatus, an RF or optical receiver  240  can be mounted for collecting the transmitted data from the temperature sensor. A solar cell  250  can also be mounted for providing a continued trickle charge for the battery pack  230 . 
     The visual indicator  160  can be one or more of the following: an LED bar graph or array, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or a charge coupled device (CCD) display. 
       FIG. 3A  reveals an alternative embodiment of main module  100 , which is more compact and offers a number of additional options and components. For one, an indication LED  300  can be used for indicating that data from sensor unit  500  was received by main module  100 . The top section  111  and bottom section  112  of the main casing  110  can be screwed together via screw holes  340 . The visual indicator  160  can be split up further into more detailed indicator regions namely, too high (red LEDs  161 ), warning becoming too high (yellow LEDs  161 ′), normal/OK (green LEDs  162 ), warning becoming too low (yellow LEDs  163 ′), or too low (blue LEDs  163 ). The outside environmental sensors  310  can measure environmental factors relating to the environment in direct contact with the transportation device  700  the child is being transported in. This data can be visually displayed in an additional visual indicator, here a set of three LEDs to represent too high (a red LED  311 ), normal/OK (a green LED  312 ), or too low (a blue LED  313 ). 
     Also shown in  FIG. 3  are sides B and C as well as a top D view and backside E of the main module  100 . A latching battery cover  320  consists of a battery cover  190  with a belt clip  170  built in, which is secured to the main module  100  either by a releasable latch  321  or screw. The main module  100  can be secured to transportation device  700  using a hook-and-loop fastener strap which is laced through slots  330 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an internal view of the alternative embodiment of main unit or module  100  revealing a transparent window  400  for separating the visual indicator  160  from the outside environment. The battery cover  320  can be secured to the main body  110  by sliding tabs  421  on one side into the bottom section  112 . The other side of the battery cover  320  snaps into the bottom section and is held secure with a releasable button  321  which can unlatch a tab  420 . The audible alarm  220  or a vibration motor  430  can be used for alerting the caregiver of warning or alarm conditions based on the outside or baby&#39;s environment. 
       FIG. 5  shows one embodiment for a wireless apparatus embodiment which requires an additional sensor unit or module  500  for measuring and transmitting the sensed data of the environment surrounding a baby. The figure illustrates a perspective view A of sensor unit or module  500  as well as a side views B, C, D and E. The sensor module comprises a casing  510  for enclosing the electronics and sensor elements  130 . The casing  510  is made up of two parts, a bottom section  512  which contains the electronics and the top section  511  which covers the battery and snaps into or screws to the bottom section  512 . The release button  513  allows the battery cover  511  to be removed from the main bottom casing  512 . The wireless sensor module  500  has an LED  520  for indicating the status of data transmission. The module can be turned off when not in use by a switch  530 . The module can have a clip  514  which can be used for securing the module to the clothing of the baby or the bundles of blanket the child is wrapped in. This allows for placement of the unit to sit between the undergarments, or onesie/bodysuit, of the baby and the rest of the baby&#39;s garments and/or bundles of blanket. 
     The sensor module is positioned in such a way where, when clipped to the pants of a baby, the sensor unit  500  is placed on the inside of the pants, in between the baby and the pants. The weighted environment of the child can be either measured as a weighted average of the baby&#39;s direct environment measured by sensor  540  and the baby&#39;s skin/core temperature measured by sensor  542 , which is in direct contact with the baby or the baby&#39;s undergarments/onesie/bodysuit. Or the weighted environment can be measured from a single sensor  541  which measures the weighted environment which is influenced by both the baby&#39;s skin/core temperature as well as the baby&#39;s direct environment, based on the location of the sensor, namely parallel to baby, more specifically not aimed directly at child nor directly out towards the child&#39;s direct environment. 
       FIG. 6  shows a side view of the internal components of sensor module  500 . Sensor module  500  has a PCB board  600  which all electrical components are soldered to, interconnecting them. A microcontroller  210 ′ is needed for interpreting, calculating and transmitting/receiving the data from the sensor elements  130 , at sensor locations  540 ,  541  and  542 , of which are able to measure any of a number of aspects of a baby&#39;s environment as mentioned above. Sensor module  500  has an RF or optical transmitter  610  and the whole system is battery powered  620 . The battery cover  511  can be secured to the bottom section  512 , by sliding tabs  631  on the battery cover  511  into the bottom casing  512 , snapping them together. By pressing the release button  513 , a tab  630  is pushed in, allowing for the battery cover  511  to be removed from the bottom unit  512 . If two sensors are used to determine the weighted environment of the baby, namely  542  and  540 , the weighting factor can be either preset at time of manufacturing or it can be selected by the caregiver using a tuning knob/switch  640  for adjusting the weighting factor to one of a set of predetermined ratios. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates the relative location of an apparatus with respect to a child&#39;s transportation vehicle  700 , i.e. baby carriage/stroller/carrier/rucksack. This includes sensor module  500  placed within bundles or clothing  710  a baby is wrapped in or wearing, which measures an environment a baby occupies. Any number of devices can be used to interpret the transmitted data from sensor module  500  and relay data to the end user. Potential receiving units include any of the following main component or sub-component of an independent or integrated device: A main module  100  as mentioned above; a stroller apparatus  720  built in as part of the transportation vehicle  700 ; a watch or wristband  730 ; a pair of glasses or headware  740 ; and a cellphone  750 . An additional outside environmental sensor device  760  can also collect data pertaining to the outside environment, and relay such data to the main module  100 , a watch/wristband  730 ; a pair of glasses  740 ; or a cellphone  750 . 
       FIG. 8  shows a system diagram for the organization of main unit  100  which is connected directly to sensor element  130 , through a wire or optical fiber  140  and whose data is processed by the microcontroller using analog to digital converter (ADC), Serial Peripheral Interface Bus (SPI) or Inter-Integrated Circuit (I 2 C) methods  801 . Sensor element  130  can comprise numerous individual sensors for measuring acceleration  810 , temperature  811 , humidity  812 , light intensity  813  and moisture  814 . A microcontroller  210  receives the sensor data directly from sensor element  130 . Microcontroller  210  then processes the data  802 , performing necessary calculations using the central processing unit (CPU)  800 , and can present it to the end user through an audible alarm  220  and displays it onto a visual indicator  160 . Visual indicator  160  can be any or all of the following: an LED bar graph or array  820 ; a CCD display  821 ; an LCD/OLED display  822 ; or a HUD display  823 . An audio indicator  220  can also be used for indicating to the user that certain functions performed by the microcontroller  210  have been performed or to indicate numerous alarm or warning conditions. 
     The microcontroller  210  performs actions based on predetermined timings using timers  807  which are determined and kept accurate by internal or external oscillators  806 . The program, variables, data and device history can be stored in different memory locations including electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)  803 , static random-access memory (SRAM)  804 , flash memory  805  or dynamic random-access memory (DRAM)  806  which can be internal or external to the microcontroller  210 . Status LEDs  300  can be used for different purposes including being used to inform that data has been received and/or processed. 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  show a system diagram for the two-module embodiment. The layout is very similar to that presented in  FIG. 8 . However, there is no physical connection from the sensor element  130  to the visual indicator  160 . Instead, two independent units are required, a main unit or module  100  and a sensor unit or module  500 .  FIG. 9A  depicts sensor module  500  which collects the environmental data from sensor element  130  and sensor processing  900  is performed by a microcontroller  210 ′. The data is encoded 910 and is transmitted to the main module  100  using an RF or optical transmitter  610 . The main module  100 , depicted in  FIG. 9B , then receives the signal using an RF or optical receiver  912 . The signal is then decoded  913  and processed  901 . A microcontroller  210  then processes the signal and presents it to the end user through an audible alarm  220  and/or vibrational motor  430  and displays it onto a visual indicator  160 . The visual indicator  160  can be any or all of the following: an LED bar graph or array  820 ; a CCD display  821 ; an LCD/OLED display  822 ; or a HUD display  823 . The outside environment can be measured using sensors  310  on the main unit  100 . Sensors can be used for measuring acceleration  910 , temperature  911 , humidity  912 , light intensity  913  or moisture  914 . This data is processed  901  by the microcontroller  210  and displayed on a visual indicator  311 - 313 . 
       FIG. 10  depicts different temperature ranges of relevant different systems including the core temperature of humans  1000  and the normal skin temperature range of humans  1001 . Also included are: An example of the movable scale of ranges of the weighted average of a baby&#39;s environment (the ranges of which can be smaller or larger than shown here) which can be used 1010; the range of thermal neutrality  1020 , also known as room temperature; and one embodiment of the outside temperature range  1030 . The core temperature of a human  1000  should be 37° C. Plus or minus 1° C. from the optimal 37° C. is considered a range of warning where the body has started to become too cold or too hot. For ranges which lie greater or less than 2° C. it is considered too hot or too cold, is dangerous and can become life threatening. The range of the normal skin temperature of a human  1001  is much larger. The skin has thermoreceptors which, in an adult, are active for detecting both warmth and coldness to act as a warning system. In the OK skin temperature range, both of these types of thermoreceptors are active. As the temperature increases or decreases, the thermoreceptors for detecting heat or cold become more or less active, depending on the temperature. These allow the body to react to non-optimal conditions by, for instance sweating if it&#39;s too hot or shivering if it&#39;s too cold. Within the warning ranges, these thermoreceptors are most active. As the skin temperature becomes too cold or too hot, the thermoreceptors will result in creating a pain sensation for the body and eventually go numb if the temperature is too extreme. Optimal room temperature  1020  is determined by a temperature range in where the human body feels thermally neutral. 
     The ranges in which the weighted average of the baby&#39;s environment  1010  that is measured are chosen on a movable scale which lies between the normal skin temperature of a human  1001  and the outside environment when in a thermal neutral range  1020 . The deciding factor on how close the scale of the weighted average is to that of the normal skin temperature  1001  and room temperature  1020  is based on how much the ambient temperature of the baby&#39;s environment is considered in the calculation  1010 ′ versus the baby&#39;s skin/core temperature. If the baby&#39;s skin/core temperature is weighted more, the scale is placed closer to the normal skin temperature of humans  1001 . Whereas if the ambient temperature of the baby&#39;s environment is weighted higher, the scale can be shifted down closer to the optimal room temperature range  1020 . The ranges of the weighted average of the environment of the baby  1010  can be split up into five different ranges including too cold  163 , warning of becoming too cold  163 ′, OK  162 , warning of becoming too hot  161 ′ and too hot  161 . 
     One example of the OK range  312  of the outside range  1030  is chosen to be centered on the thermal neutral range of humans  1020 , as this is considered a range in which humans are within an optimal temperature zone. The too hot range  311 , or the too cold range  313  are placed in regions outside of this thermal neutral zone  1020 , as these are marginal ranges in which a person will have to compensate by wearing more or less clothing in order to stay safe and comfortable. 
       FIG. 11  shows an operations flowchart  1100  according to one embodiment. The operation flow may be performed by hard wired logic or by a program-controlled microcontroller  210 ′ within the sensor module  500 . Accordingly, the “operations” referred to herein may be performed as process steps by hard wired logic, an intelligent electronic chip or module, or any combination of both. At power-on, operation  1110  loads the weighting factor to be used by environment analysis operation  1141  when determining the baby&#39;s weighted environment. This weighting factor can be preset in the sensor module or setup by the parent for loading into the sensor module. Data collect operation  1120  waits for the sensor data via an ADC, SPI or I 2 C signal  1110  from one or more sensors in sensor unit  130 . Averaging operation  1121  can ignore the first few readings and average the following readings in order to obtain a stable result. This data is then converted into the appropriate units of the measurement (i.e. degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit for temperature). Test operation  1130  detects if the reading is valid, for example within an expected range. If the reading is not valid, the operation flow branches NO to error marking operation  1131  where an LED is turned on and the error stored in memory. If the reading is valid, the operation flow branches YES to test operation  1140 . Test operation  1140  detects if all sensor data has been collected. If not, the operation flow returns back to data collect operation  1120 . If all sensor data has been collected, the operation flow branches YES to environment analysis operation  1141 . This operation uses the weighting factor to combine the baby&#39;s core sensed data with the baby&#39;s ambient sensed data. When X1 number of minutes have lapsed since the last lifetime update, save data operations stores the unit lifetime data into the internal or external EEPROM. 
     The sync store operation  1160  then stores a sync signal, for synching to the receiver unit, the unit&#39;s personal address, in order to have multiple units working side-by-side without cross-talk, and the sensor data. Send data operation  1161  encodes data signals using one of, but not limited to, the following methods: Not-Return-to-Zero (NRZ) coding, Return-to-Zero (RZ) coding, Not-Return-to-Zero-Inverted (NRZI) coding, BiPhase coding, Manchester (Phase) coding, Constant-Weight coding, or Paired Disparity coding. The encoded signal is then transmitted  1161  using UART, USART or serial communication transmissions techniques. The sensor unit then goes to sleep at operation  1170  for X2 seconds in order to save energy, and is woken back up at operation  1171  to start the sensor module process  1100  all over again. 
       FIG. 12A  shows the flow of operations  1200  performed by the main unit or module  100  ( FIG. 9B ) to process data from the sensor unit or module  500  ( FIG. 9A ) to issue warnings and display monitoring results. The operation flow  1200  begins with sample operation  1210  sampling the transmission line  1210  sampling the data signal from the sensor unit  500  and the outside environment data from measure-outside-environment operation  1213 . Test operation  1211  detects whether it has been more than X3 seconds since the last successful received data. If it has been more than X3 seconds, the operation flow branches YES to clear display operation  1212 . If not, the operation flow branches NO to decode operation  1214 . Clear display operation clears the visual display is either cleared  1212  (in case LEDs are used to represent the data) or a notification is displayed (if a display unit like a CCD, etc is used). This assures that the caregiver does not have old data presented to them, giving them false information. Measure outside environment operation  1213  measures the outside environment from sensors in the main unit and updates the outside environment display in the main unit  100 . Measure operation  1213  is described hereinafter with reference to  FIG. 12B . 
     In  FIG. 12A , if less than X3 seconds has gone by since the last sync, decode operation  1214  receives signal data from sensor unit  500  as sampled by the sampling operation  1210  and decodes it. Sync detect operation  1215  detects if the sync is successful. If sync is detected, operation flow branches YES to address test operation  1216 . If sync is not detected, the operation flow returns to sampling operation  1210 . Address test operation  1216  detects whether the received address matches the internal address of the main unit  100 . If these addresses match, the operation flow branches YES to process signal data operation  1217 . Process signal data operation sets a received data notification to be displayed to the user, saves the received signal data, and processes the signal data for display to the caregiver on the visual display in main unit  100 . The outside environment is then measured in measure operation  1213  and displayed as hereinafter described in reference to  FIG. 12B . Detect operation  1220  then checks to see if the range of the baby&#39;s environment has changed since the last measurement. If the range has changed, the operation flow branches to warning operation  1221 . The warning operation displays a visual warning, and alert operation  1222  generates an audible alert or vibratory alert. If the range has not changed, the operation flow branches NO to High/Low test operation  1223 . High/Low test operation detects whether the baby data environment has been too low or too high for X4 seconds. If it has been, there environmental conditions that could be hazardous to the baby, and the operation flow branches YES to alert operation  1224  which generates an additional audible of vibratory alert. If the baby&#39;s environment has not been too low or too high for X4 seconds, the operation flow branches NO to large change detect operation  1230 . The large change detect operation tests whether the temperature or heat index of the baby&#39;s environment or outside environment has changed by Y° in X5 seconds. If there has been significant change, the operation flow branches YES to warning operation  1231  which would indicate a warning that can be displayed to the caregiver as a visual indicator. If there is no large change, the operation flow branches NO to save operation  1240  to store history of the data on the EEPROM every X6 seconds. 
       FIG. 12B  shows a flow of operations performed by the measure-outside-environment operation  1213  ( FIG. 12A ). When the operation flow starts  1241 , data collect operation  1110 ′ waits for the data from sensors for outside environment received via an ADC, SPI or I 2 C signal from the outside environment sensor unit  310  ( FIG. 9B ). Averaging operation  1120 ′ can ignore the first few readings and average the following readings in order to obtain a stable result. This data is then converted into the appropriate units of the measurement (i.e. degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit for temperature). Test operation  1130 ′ detects if the reading is valid, for example within an expected range. If the reading is not valid, the operation flow branches NO to error marking operation  1131 ′ where an LED can be turned on and the error stored in memory. If the reading is valid, the operation flow branches YES to test operation  1140 ′. Test operation  1140 ′ detects if all sensor data has been collected. If not, the operation flow returns back to data collect operation  1110 ′. If all sensor data has been collected, the operation flow branches YES to process outside environment data operation  1250  for visual display to the caregiver, in one embodiment, with LEDs indicating that the outside environment is too low  313 , OK  312 , or too high 311. The operation flow then returns  1260  to the main flow  1200  from where it left off. 
     The main module can also check for changes in the environment within a given time  1230  as described earlier. This is visually explained in  FIG. 13  as a graph  FIG. 13A  and a table  FIG. 13B . If there is a quick change in the environment in a short amount of time it is considered a high warning  1330  and can be displayed as a visual indicator to the caregiver. This high warning region  1330  is treated as such because recognizing quick changes in, for instance, the outside environment can serve as an early warning to the caregiver that the condition of the baby&#39;s environment, although previously ok, can change rapidly if precautionary changes aren&#39;t made, i.e. adding or removing additional layers to the baby. For slower changes in the environmental conditions there exists a warning range  1310  to let the caregiver know that attention should be given soon, in order for the child&#39;s environment to remain OK. For even slower changes in the environment it is considered as a no warning range  1300 . 
     While this disclosure has described the invention by reference to the above preferred embodiments and priority applications, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the invention may be implemented in various other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.