ELECTRONIC THERMOMETER

• US 20100328090A1
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujita, Yasuo, Nakanishi, Yoshihito, Ishihara, Daisuke, Tomioka, Masaki, Onishi, Yoshihide, Fukui, Atsuko, Hiramatsu, Hiroshi, Morita, Katsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,816,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/687
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/146 arrangements for moving thermometers to or from a measuring position
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals

Abstract

An electronic thermometer includes a hollow probe provided at its longitudinal tip with a temperature measuring unit having a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature, electrodes neighboring to the temperature sensor and arranged in the hollow of the probe, and a determining unit for determining whether temperature measuring unit is in appropriate contact with a measurement target portion of a user or not, based on a change in electrostatic capacity sensed using the electrodes.

Claims

1. An electronic thermometer comprising:

a hollow probe including a temperature measuring unit having a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature at the longitudinal end of said hollow probe;

an electrode arranged in a hollow of said probe without being exposed to an outside of said probe and located near said temperature sensor; and

a determining unit for determining whether said temperature measuring unit is in appropriate contact with a measurement target portion of a user or not, based on a change in electrostatic capacity sensed using said electrode.

2. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein

a pair of said electrodes are employed,

said electronic thermometer further comprises a measuring unit for measuring an electrostatic capacity between the paired electrodes, and

said determining unit determines whether said temperature measuring unit is in appropriate contact with the measurement target portion of the user or not, based on a change in electrostatic capacity measured by said measuring unit.

3. The electronic thermometer according to claim 2, wherein

said paired electrodes are a pair of cylindrical conductors aligned to each other in a longitudinal direction of said probe with a space therebetween.

4. The electronic thermometer according to claim 2, wherein

said paired electrodes are a pair of conductors extending spirally in the longitudinal direction of said probe.

5. The electronic thermometer according to claim 2, wherein

said paired electrodes are a pair of semicylindrical conductors arranged symmetrically with respect to an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of said probe.

6. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein

said determining unit determines whether said temperature measuring unit is in appropriate contact with the measurement target portion of the user or not, based on the change in electrostatic capacity formed between a body of the user and said electrode.

7. The electronic thermometer according to claim 6, further comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring an electrostatic capacity produced by composition of an electrostatic capacity formed between the user'"'"'s body and said electrode, an electrostatic capacity formed between the electronic thermometer and a ground, and an electrostatic capacity formed between the user'"'"'s body and the ground, wherein

said determining unit assumes the change in electrostatic capacity measured by said measuring unit as the change in electrostatic capacity formed between the user'"'"'s body and said electrode, and determines whether said temperature measuring unit is in appropriate contact with the measurement target portion of the user or not.

8. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein

said electronic thermometer is an electronic thermometer predicting said user'"'"'s temperature.

9. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notifying unit for providing a notification to the user when said determining unit determines that said temperature measuring unit is not in appropriate contact with the measurement target portion of the user.

10. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein

said determining unit determines whether said temperature measuring unit is in appropriate contact with the measurement target portion of the user or not, based on the change in said electrostatic capacity and the change in temperature sensed by said temperature sensor.

11. The electronic thermometer according to claim 9, wherein

said notifying unit includes an LED, and performs notification by a state of turn-on/off of said LED.

12. The electronic thermometer according to claim 9, wherein

said notifying unit includes a buzzer, and said buzzer performs notification by issuing an alarm when a state of contact is inappropriate.