ELECTRONIC THERMOMETER AND BODY TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT METHOD

• US 20110158284A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: GOTO, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 9,113,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/163
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• 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 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7235 Details of waveform analysis A61B5/349 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• 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

An electronic thermometer includes first and second body surface temperature measurement portions to measure first and second values of a measurement object, first and second reference temperature measurement portions to measure values at each position having a predetermined thermal resistance relative to a measurement position of the first and second values, and having a first and second thermal resistance relative to the open air, third temperature measurement portion to measure a third value at a different position from the previous values, correction portion to correct the obtained values; and core body temperature calculation portion to calculate a value of the object using the obtained values.

Claims

1. An electronic thermometer comprising:

first body surface temperature measurement portion subjected to measure a first body surface temperature of a measurement object;

first reference temperature measurement portion subjected to measure, as a first reference temperature, a temperature at a position having a predetermined thermal resistance value relative to a measurement position of the first body surface temperature, and having a first thermal resistance value relative to the open air;

second body surface temperature measurement portion subjected to measure a second body surface temperature at a body surface position different from the measurement position of the first body surface temperature;

second reference temperature measurement portion subjected to measure, as a second reference temperature, a temperature at a position having a predetermined thermal resistance value relative to the measurement position of the second body surface temperature, and having a second thermal resistance value different from the first thermal resistance value relative to the open air;

third temperature measurement portion subjected to measure a third temperature at a different measurement position from the first body surface temperature and the second body surface temperature;

temperature correction portion subjected to correct the first body surface temperature, the first reference temperature, the second body surface temperature, and the second reference temperature using the third temperature; and

core body temperature calculation portion subjected to calculate a core body temperature of the measurement object using the first body surface temperature, the first reference temperature, the second body surface temperature, and the second reference temperature corrected by the temperature correction portion.

2. The electronic thermometer of claim 1, wherein

a heat insulating part having a shared value for the predetermined thermal resistance is provided between a measurement position of the first body surface temperature and a measurement position of the first reference temperature, and between a measurement position of the second body surface temperature and a measurement position of the second reference temperature;

a first heat radiation control part having the first thermal resistance value is provided between the measurement position of the first reference temperature and the open air; and

a second heat radiation control part having the second thermal resistance value is provided between the measurement position of the second reference temperature and the open air.

3. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein

a display device having a display part for displaying the core body temperature calculated by the core body temperature calculation portion;

a thermometer assembly having the first body surface temperature measurement portion and the second body surface temperature measurement portion; and

the display device and the thermometer assembly being configured as separate units.

4. The electronic thermometer according to claim 3, wherein

the core body temperature calculation portion is provided to the display device.

5. The electronic thermometer according to claim 3, wherein

the display device and the thermometer assembly each include transceiver portion capable of mutually transmitting and receiving information by wireless communication.

6. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, characterized in being configured so as to be capable of being affixed to a body surface of the measurement object.

7. A body temperature measurement method for measuring a core body temperature of a measurement object, the body temperature measurement method comprising:

a first temperature measurement step for measuring a first body surface temperature of the measurement object, and for measuring, as a first reference temperature, a temperature at a position having a predetermined thermal resistance value relative to a measurement position of the first body surface temperature, and having a first thermal resistance value relative to the open air;

a second temperature measurement step for measuring a second body surface temperature at a body surface position different from the measurement position of the first body surface temperature, and for measuring, as a second reference temperature, a temperature at a position having a predetermined thermal resistance value relative to the measurement position of the second body surface temperature, and having a second thermal resistance value different from the first thermal resistance value relative to the open air;

a third temperature measurement step for measuring a third temperature at a position different from the measurement positions of the first body surface temperature and the second body surface temperature;

a temperature correction step for correcting the first body surface temperature, the first reference temperature, the second body surface temperature, and the second reference temperature using the third temperature; and

a core body temperature calculation step for calculating the core body temperature on the basis of the first body surface temperature, the first reference temperature, the second body surface temperature, and the second reference temperature corrected in the temperature correction step.