Ear-Thermometer With Ear Identification

• US 20080281169A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Akkermans, Ton H., Schobben, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/089,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281169A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• 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: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/04 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/049 Casings for tympanic thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0846 having multiple detectors for performing different types of detection, e.g. using radiometry and reflectometry channels
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

A physiological measurement device (10) that concurrently measures a physiological state of an individual and determines an identity of the individual includes at least a measurement component (12), an identification component (14), and processing component (16). The measurement component (12) measures the physiological state of the individual, and the identification component (14) concurrently determines the identity of the individual. The processing component (16) associates the physiological state of the individual with the identity of the individual.

Claims

1. A physiological measurement device that concurrently measures a physiological state of an individual and determines an identity of the individual, comprising:

a measurement component that measures the physiological state of the individual;

an identification component that concurrently determines the identity of the individual; and

a processing component that associates the physiological state of the individual with the identity of the individual.

2. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the measurement component includes an electronic ear thermometer that measures a temperature of the individual from an ear of the individual.

3. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the identification component determines the identity of the individual from the same information used by the measurement component to determine the physiological state of the individual.

4. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the identification component uses one of a reflected sound and an otoacoustic technique to determine the identity of the individual.

5. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the measurement component measures at least one of temperature, blood pressure, eye pressure, heart rate, heart electrical activity, pulse, and blood oxygen level of the individual.

6. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the identification component determines the identity of the individual through biometric identification including at least one of a unique physical characteristic of an ear, a fingerprint, and an iris map.

7. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a storage component for storing multiple temperatures for a plurality of individuals, wherein each temperature is associated with a corresponding individual based on the identity of the individual as determined by the identification component.

8. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a display component for displaying the temperature and the identity of the individual.

9. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, further including:

portable storage for transferring stored temperatures and identity information from the system to devices that reads the portable storage.

10. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a network component for conveying the temperature and the identity of the individual to other devices over a network.

11. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a shaft that houses the measurement component and the identification component, the shaft is designed to be inserted within an ear of the individual.

12. The physiological measurement device as set forth in claim 1, the physiological measurement system uses a local body area network to convey the physiological state information and the identity of the individual to other components.

13. An ear thermometer with ear identification device, comprising:

a probe including;

an ear thermometer that measures a temperature of an individual, and

an identification component that determines an identity of the individual, the identification component;

a processing component that associates the temperature with the identity; and

a display component for presenting the temperature and an indication of the identity of the individual.

14. The ear thermometer with ear identification device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the ear thermometer includes:

a sensor that captures signals emitted from within an ear canal; and

a signal processing system that converts the collected signal to a temperature.

15. The ear thermometer with ear identification device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor that captures heat waves emitted from within an ear of the individual.

16. The ear thermometer with ear identification device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the identification component includes a plurality of transceivers that emit acoustic signals into an ear canal of the individual and that receive signals reflected from the physical structured within the ear, wherein the received signals uniquely identify the individual.

17. The ear thermometer with ear identification device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the identification component uses one of a reflected sound and an otoacoustic approach to determine the identity of the individual.

18. The ear thermometer with ear identification device as set forth in claim 13, further including at least one of:

portable storages; and

a network component for transferring the temperature and the identity of the individual to other devices.

19. A method for measuring a physiological state of an individual and determining an identity the individual, comprising:

concurrently determining;

a physiological state of the individual, and

an identity of the individual; and

associating the physiological state with the identity of the individual.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the physiological state is one of a temperature, a blood pressure, an eye pressure, a heart rate, a heart electrical signal, a pulse, and a blood oxygen level.

21. The method as set forth in claim 19, further including:

storing a plurality of temperatures, each of which is associated with an identity of a corresponding individual;

displaying the plurality of temperatures with the identity information; and

transferring the stored temperatures and identity information to at least one other device.