Measuring device for the wire-free measurement of temperature

• US 5,682,149 A
• Filed: 05/16/1996
• Issued: 10/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Idento Electronics BV
• Original Assignee: Idento Electronics BV
• Inventors: Hofman, Hendrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hill, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US08/649,016
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.16, 340/870.17, 340/870.18, 340/870.26, 340/870.3, 340/870.31, 340/825.54, 340/825.73, 455/41, 455/69
• US Class Current: 340/870.17
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication

Abstract

The invention relates to a measuring device for the wire-free measurement of temperatures, in particular for the measurement of the body temperature of animals. A transponder is injected as a probe in each animal with the aid of a hollow needle, which is supplied wire-free by a transmitter/receiver and which modulates the interrogation field with two or more abruptly changing tones in a cyclic sequence.

The time duration of the tones as well as the frequency of the tones contain the desired information in coded form.

By monitoring individually and continuously the body temperature of useful and/or breeding animals in the animal shed or on the pasture, it is possible to detect in time completely automatically the symptoms of an animal becoming ill and appropriate measures can be taken in order to keep the costs as low as possible in the animal husbandry business.

Claims

1. A measuring device comprising:

at least one transponder including;

a temperature sensor;

a temperature to frequency converter controlled by said temperature sensor;

a transceiving coil for generating an unstabilized voltage from an interrogation field;

a frequency generator supplied with said unstabilized voltage, for generating a frequency based on said unstabilized voltage;

a frequency converter for producing at least two different frequencies based on the frequency generated by said frequency generator, said temperature to frequency converter switching between said at least two different frequencies;

a modulating unit controlled by said at least two different frequencies for modulating the interrogation field; and

a transceiver for generating an interrogation field including means for determining the measured temperature from the modulated interrogation field based on the time duration of an interval of one of said at least two frequencies,

wherein the transmitting power of the transceiver is controlled on the basis of one of said at least two frequencies being present in the modulated interrogation field such that said unstabilized voltage is kept constant.

2. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein said transponder further comprises a memory for modulating the sequence of said at least two frequencies, produced by said frequency converter and switched by said frequency generator, in a predetermined manner based on the information programmed into said memory.

3. A measuring device according to claim 2, wherein said information relates to an identification number.

4. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the transponder further modulates the interrogation field by further frequency changes each having a predetermined time duration.