Medical body core thermometer

• US 20050043631A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Monitors Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advanced Monitors Corporation
• Inventors: Fraden, Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 7,938,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/474
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/165 for application in zero heat flux sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/20 Compensating for effects of temperature changes other than those to be measured, e.g. changes in ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2215/00 Details concerning sensor power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/42 Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/427 Temperature calculation based on spatial modeling, e.g. spatial inter- or extrapolation

Abstract

A medical thermometer with a miniature sensor that touches the patient'"'"'s skin by a spring-loaded probe. The device computes a deep body temperature by using data of probe housing temperature and accounting for multiple responses of skin contact temperature sensor before and after touching the skin. A motion detector is employed to turn power on automatically.

Claims

1. A non-invasive contact thermometer for intermittent determination of temperature of a patient interior, being comprised of

a housing containing a probe;

a first temperature sensor positioned inside said probe for contacting skin of a patient;

a plate attached to first temperature sensor;

a computational means for computing body core temperature from at least two sequential responses of first temperature sensor;

a display means;

a power supply means.

2. A thermometer of claim 1 where said first temperature sensor is positioned on a movable shaft fabricated of a thermally insulating material.

3. A thermometer of claim 1 further comprising a second temperature sensor that is thermally insulated from the first temperature sensor.

4. A thermometer of claim 1 where said first temperature sensor is surrounded by a movable guard that slides inside of the probe when temperature sensor touches skin of a patient.

5. A thermometer of claim 1 where said computational means is activated by a motion detector positioned inside said housing.

6. A method of a deep body temperature measurement from skin of a patient, consisting of steps of

measuring probe housing temperature

measuring temperature of a first temperature sensor before it is brought in thermal contact with a skin of a patient,

measuring temperature of a first temperature sensor at least two times after it is brought in contact with a skin of a patient,

computing a deep body temperature of a patient by accounting for the probe housing temperature, temperatures meassured by the first temperature sensor prior and after contacting the patient skin and by experimentally determined constants.