Electronic clinical thermometer

• US 5,473,629 A
• Filed: 11/30/1993
• Issued: 12/05/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: Muramoto, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): GUTIERREZ, DIEGO F
• Application Number:
  US07/313,964
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 374/102, 374/103, 374/169, 374/170, 374/171, 128/736, 364/413.03, 364/557, 364/581
• US Class Current: 374/102
• 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

Abstract

A predictive-type electronic clinical thermometer comprises a temperature sensing unit, a measuring unit for measuring elapsed time from the start of measurement and an arithmetic unit. The arithmetic unit performs a predictive operation in order to obtain a corrective value utilizing one selected prediction function at one time from among a plurality of prediction functions in which elapsed measurement time is a variable, each function defining a temperature change up to a final temperature. The arithmetic unit calculates the equilibrium temperature based upon the obtained corrective value and the sensed body temperature. In a case where an unstable temperature rise curve exhibits a transition not covered by the group of standard curves which are defined by the predictive functions, the prediction operation is suspended immediately and the actually measured temperature value is displayed at such time.

Claims

1. An electronic clinical thermometer comprising:

temperature sensing means for sensing body temperature at a prescribed part of a body;

means for measuring elapsed time from a start of measurement;

memory means for storing weighting factors which are selectable in response to the time elapsed from the start of measurement;

arithmetic means for obtaining a corrective value at a measured elapsed time utilizing one selected prediction function, according to the measured elapsed time, from among a plurality of prediction functions;

predictive calculation means for calculating an equilibrium temperature by adding the obtained corrective value to the sensed body temperature at the measured elapsed time;

measuring mode setting means for setting a measurement mode to one of a predictive measurement mode and a direct measurement mode, wherein the measurement mode is initially set to the predictive measurement mode and changed over to the direct measurement mode after a predetermined measured elapsed time; and

display means for displaying a temperature value obtained using the measurement mode in which the thermometer is set.

2. An electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the temperature value determined by the predictive measurement mode and the temperature value determined by the direct measurement mode in such a manner that it is possible to discriminate which is being displayed.

3. An electronic clinical thermometer comprising:

temperature sensing means for sensing body temperature at a prescribed part of a body;

means for measuring elapsed time from a start of measurement, and for generating an elapsed time signal which indicates the measured elapsed time;

arithmetic means for obtaining a corrective value at a measured elapsed time utilizing one selected prediction function at one time from among a plurality of prediction functions, each prediction function defining a temperature change as a function of measured elapsed time, up to a final temperature;

predictive calculation means for calculating an equilibrium temperature based upon the obtained corrective value and the sensed body temperature at the measured elapsed time used by the arithmetic means to determine the corrective value;

measuring mode setting means for setting a measuring mode of the thermometer;

direct reading means for directly reading the body temperature sensed by the temperature sensing means;

evaluating means for evaluating a possibility of establishing a prediction of body temperature;

means for changing the-measuring mode from a prediction measuring mode to a direct reading mode in accordance with the evaluation made by the evaluating means; and

displaying means for displaying a temperature value obtained by the measuring mode in which the thermometer is set.

4. An electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 3, wherein the evaluating means evaluates a possibility of establishing prediction of body temperature based upon the magnitude of a parameter used by the predictive calculation means.

5. An electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 3, wherein the evaluating means uses measured elapsed time as an evaluating element for evaluating the possibility of establishing prediction of body temperature.

6. An electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 3, wherein the display means further includes means for displaying the measuring mode in which the thermometer is set.