Electronic clinical thermometer

• US 5,892,448 A
• Filed: 10/23/1996
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shingo, Fujikawa, Toyoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US08/722,223
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 340/584, 340/692, 340/636, 340/693, 340/384.6, 340/870.17, 340/581, 340/589, 340/588, 73/170.2, 73/170.21, 73/172, 73/170.22, 73/171, 73/490, 73/865.1, 73/866.3, 73/19.12, 73/864.55, 374/110, 374/111, 374/112, 374/169, 374/163, 116/216, 128/736
• US Class Current: 340/584
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/42 Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature

Abstract

The electronic clinical thermometer of the present invention has a temperature sensing portion (3), a control signal generating circuit (2) for generating a control signal for controlling operation of each of structural elements, a converting circuit (4) for converting an output signal generated from the temperature sensing portion into a digital signal, a temperature measuring section (6) for measuring the temperature based on the digital signal, storage circuits (7) for storing and updating a maximum value of the temperature measured by the temperature measuring section in order. Data comparing circuits (8) are provided for comparing the temperature stored in the storage circuits with a present measured value. Temperature rise detecting means (21) is provided for detecting a rising amount of the temperature based on a compared result of the data comparing circuits, and a buzzer (103) is provided for informing the rise of the temperature based on a signal of the temperature rise detecting means. The temperature rise detecting means has a temperature change determining circuit (12) for generating a determining signal responsive to a temperature rising rate. The temperature change determining circuit is formed such that a period of the determining signal is changed in accordance with a temperature rising rate. Therefore, the period of the informing sound changes in accordance with the temperature change.

Claims

1. An electronic clinical thermometer comprising a temperature sensing portion,

a control signal generating circuit for generating a control signal for controlling operation of each of structural elements,

a converting circuit for converting an output signal generated from said temperature sensing portion into a digital signal,

a temperature measuring section for measuring the temperature based on said digital signal,

storage circuits for storing and updating a maximum value of the temperature measured by the temperature measuring section in order,

a display for displaying the temperature stored in said storage circuits,

data comparing circuits for comparing the temperature stored in said storage circuits with a present measured value,

temperature rise detecting means for detecting a rising amount of the temperature based on a compared result of said data comparing circuits,

a buzzer driving circuit operated based on a signal of said temperature rise detecting means,

informing means operated by the buzzer driving circuit for informing the rise of the temperature by generating an informing sound,

wherein said temperature rise detecting means has a temperature change determining circuit for generating a temperature change determining signal responsive to a coincidence signal which is produced from the data comparing circuits during the measuring of temperature at the temperature measuring section,

whereby the buzzer driving circuit operates to change a period of said informing sound in accordance with the temperature change.

2. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 1 wherein the temperature change determining circuit generates the determining signal when a predetermined constant rise of the temperature is detected.

3. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 1 wherein the control signal generating circuit generates a sampling signal for setting an operating period of the structural elements.

4. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 1 wherein the temperature measuring section has counter circuits for measuring the temperature by counting the digital signal.

5. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 4 wherein the counter circuits generate a counted result at the predetermined operating period set by the sampling signal.

6. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 5 wherein the counter circuits comprise four digits frequency dividers connected in series.

7. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 6 wherein the four digits frequency dividers comprise a unit of 10 degrees, a unit of 1 degrees, a unit of 0.1 degrees, and a unit of 0.01 degrees from a higher digit to a lower digit.

8. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 6 wherein the comparing circuits have a first comparing section for comparing higher digits of frequency dividers connected in series for forming the counter circuits and for generating a first coincidence signal, and a second comparing section for comparing a lower digit of a frequency divider and for generating a second coincidence signal.

9. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 7 wherein the comparing circuits have a first comparing section for comparing higher digits of frequency dividers connected in series for forming the counter circuits and for generating a first coincidence signal, and a second comparing section for comparing a lower digit of a frequency divider and for generating a second coincidence signal.

10. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 8 wherein the second comparing section is a comparator for comparing the coincidence of the frequency divider of the unit of 0.01 degrees, and the first comparing section comprises a comparing section for comparing the coincidence of frequency dividers of units of 0.1 degrees, 1 degrees and 10 degrees.

11. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 8 wherein the temperature change determining circuit is applied with the first coincidence signal from the first comparing section for generating the temperature change determining signal.

12. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 9 wherein the temperature change determining circuit is applied with the first coincidence signal from the first comparing section for generating the temperature change determining signal.

13. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 10 wherein the temperature change determining circuit is applied with the first coincidence signal from the first comparing section for generating the temperature change determining signal.

14. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 10 wherein the temperature rise detecting means includes stability detecting means, the stability detecting means generates a stability signal when the first coincidence signal does not become a low level after the first coincidence signal has become a high level during the counting operation of the temperature measuring section.

15. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 11 wherein the temperature change determining circuit generates the temperature change determining signal when the first coincidence signal becomes a low level after the first coincidence signal has become a high level during the counting operation of the temperature measuring section.

16. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 14 wherein the buzzer driving circuit is formed such that the informing means is operated to generate a different sound in dependency on the temperature change determining signal and the stability signal.

17. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 15 wherein the temperature change determining circuit has condition determining means for detecting the lowering of the first coincidence signal during the existence of the sampling signal generated from the control signal generating circuit.

18. The electronic clinical thermometer according to claim 17 wherein the condition determining means is a determining circuit using the sampling signal as a data signal and the first coincidence signal as a writing signal.