Thermal measuring and testing – Temperature measurement – Composite temperature-related paramenter
Patent
1993-11-30
1995-12-05
Gutierrez, Diego F. F.
Thermal measuring and testing
Temperature measurement
Composite temperature-related paramenter
374169, 128736, 36441303, 364557, 364581, G01K 300
Patent
active
054736293
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
RELATED U.S. PATENTS AND PATENT APPLICATIONS
U.S. patent applications directly or indirectly related to the subject application are the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,734, issued Sep. 17, 1985 by Hideo Ishizaka, entitled Electronic Clinical Thermometer, and Method of Measuring Body Temperature;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,000, issued May 27, 1986 by Hideo Ishizaka, entitled Electronic Clinical Thermometer, and Method of Measuring Body Temperature;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,359, issued Mar. 4, 1986 by Hideo Ishizaka, entitled Electronic Clinical Thermometer, and Method of Measuring Body Temperature; and
Ser. No. 748,663, filed Jun. 24, 1985 by Hideo Ishizaka, entitled Electronic Clinical Thermometer, and method of Measuring Body Temperature (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,336).
Ser. No. 021,775, filed Mar. 4, 1987 by Yutaka Muramoto, entitled Electronic Clinical Thermometer (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,577).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electronic clinical thermometer and, more particularly, to a predicting-type electronic clinical thermometer in which a displayed temperature reading rapidly attains an equilibrium temperature even before temperature is sensed in real time.
The advantage of an electronic clinical thermometer which predicts temperature that will be attained at thermal equilibrium is that the equilibrium temperature is displayed at an early stage during the course of measurement. In an electronic clinical thermometer of this type, the early display of temperature is expected to follow a gradient curve and a predicted value of equilibrium temperature is determined on the bais of the sensed temperature. This difference value shall be referred to as an "add-on value hereinafter. However, when the detected temperature describes an expected curve, the equilibrium temperature cannot be predicted or the reliability of the prediction declines significantly. Though it may be contemplated when such a temperature rise curve is detected, there is very little probalility of success even if re-measurement is effected, and the reliability of the prediction is low even if the re-measurement is successful.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is presented to solve the drawbacks of the prior art, and an object of the invention is to provide an electronic clinical thermometer which presents a reliable temperature display in accordance with the measurement conditions.
According to the present invention, the foregoing objects are attained by providing an electronic clinical thermometer comprising temperature sensing means for sensing body temperature, means for measuring elapsed time from the start of measurement, arithmetic means for obtaining a corrective value at that instant utilizing one selected prediction function at one time from among a plurality of the predection functions in which elapsed measurement time is a variable, each function defining a temperature change up to a final temperature, predictive calculation means for calculating the equilibrium temperature based upon the obtained corrective value and the sensed body temperature at that instant, evaluating means for evaluating the possibility of establishing a prediction, means for altering the measurement mode to a direct reading mode in accordance with the evaluation made by the evaluating means, and display means for displaying a temperature value obtained in a predictive mode or direct reading mode(a mode for displaying the actually measured temperature value).
According to another aspect of the present invention, the evaluating means evaluates the possibility of establishing a prediction based upon the magnitude of a parameter employed in the prediction function.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the evaluating means employs the measured elapsed time as one evaluating element.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the electronic clinical thermometer further includes discriminating means for discriminating the measuring mode in which the thermometer is placed.
Other features and advantages of the present
REFERENCES:
patent: 4541734 (1985-09-01), Ishizaka
patent: 4592000 (1986-05-01), Ishizaka et al.
patent: 4629336 (1986-12-01), Ishizaka
patent: 4735512 (1988-04-01), Suzuki
patent: 4811198 (1989-03-01), Ota et al.
patent: 4843577 (1989-06-01), Muramoto
patent: 4846583 (1989-07-01), Yamamoto
patent: 4877333 (1989-10-01), Ota et al.
patent: 4878184 (1989-10-01), Okada et al.
Gutierrez Diego F. F.
Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
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