Device to aid in the determination of ovulation in a female mamalian

• US 4,312,360 A
• Filed: 02/25/1980
• Issued: 01/26/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Conway Julian C
• Original Assignee: Conway Julian C
• Inventors: Andrews, James, Conway, Julian C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Michell, Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US06/124,590
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 128/736, 128/738, 73/362 R, 73/362 AR, 73/362 SC, 324/71 R, 324/72
• US Class Current: 600/549
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0012 Ovulation-period determination for animals A61D17/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0019 based on measurement of temperature
• 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 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor

Abstract

A body voltage measurement circuit and body temperature measurement circuit are simplified to the point that they can be both included in a single low cost hand held package through the use of twin voltage ladder output circuits. The temperature and voltage measurements circuits are functionally joined together by virtue of the fact that the temperature probe of the temperature measurement circuit is used as a common mode rejection voltage reference for the differential amplifier in the voltage measurement circuit.

Claims

1. A body voltage and temperature measuring instrument comprising:

a housing which is sufficiently small to be held in a hand;

two electrical terminals on said housing which are accessible from the exterior of said housing;

a differential amplifier within said housing;

means coupling the input of said differential amplifier to said electrical terminals;

a first voltage ladder circuit within said housing coupled to the output of said differential amplifier;

a first plurality of output indicators on said housing which are visible from the exterior of said housing;

means coupling each of said output indicators to a separate rung of said voltage ladder;

a probe;

a temperature responsive element in said probe;

a second voltage ladder circuit within said housing coupled to said temperature responsive element;

a second plurality of output indicators on said housing which are visible from the exterior of said housing;

and means coupling said second plurality of output indicators to said second voltage ladder circuit.

2. The instrument defined in claim 1 when each of said ladder circuits comprises:

a plurality of resistors coupled together in series to form a series resistor network;

means coupling the outermost ends of said series resistor network to different voltage levels to create a series of voltage steps at the junction of adjacent resistors;

a plurality of voltage comparators each having two inputs and one output;

one input of each voltage comparator being coupled to a corresponding voltage step of said series resistor network;

the other input of each voltage comparator being coupled and parallel to the output of said differential amplifier, and

the output of each voltage comparator being coupled to a corresponding one of said plurality of output indicators.

3. The instrument defined in claim 2 wherein said output indicators are light emitting diodes and also including a current limiting resistor coupled between each light emitting diode and the corresponding voltage comparator output.

4. The instrument defined in claim 1 and also including an inverter, means coupling the output of said differential amplifier to said inverter, and means coupling the output of said differential amplifier and inverter in parallel to said first voltage ladder circuit.

5. The instrument defined in claim 4 wherein the last mentioned means includes a pair of diodes, one coupled in series with each of said outputs.

6. The instrument defined in claim 1, wherein said temperature responsive element is a thermistor and also including a voltage source and a variable resistor coupled in series with said thermistor.

7. The instrument defined in claim 6 and also including at least two fixed resistors coupled in series between said variable resistor and said thermistor, the resistance of said variable resistor, when it is at its calibration point, plus the resistance of said fixed resistors being equal to the resistance of said thermistor when the probe is inserted into a user'"'"'s mouth.

8. The instrument defined in claim 6 where said variable resistor is a potentiometer with both of its end terminals coupled together.

9. The instrument defined in claim 6 wherein said voltage source also supplies power for said differential amplifier, and also including an electrically conductive tip on the outer end of said probe and means coupling said electrically conductive tip to said voltage source to serve as a common mode rejection reference voltage for said differential amplifier.

10. The instrument defined in claim 9 wherein said power source includes a battery and wherein one terminal of said battery is coupled to said electrically conductive tip of said probe.