Thermal measuring and testing – Temperature measurement – In spaced noncontact relationship to specimen
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-04
2004-11-23
Verbitsky, Gail (Department: 2859)
Thermal measuring and testing
Temperature measurement
In spaced noncontact relationship to specimen
C374S128000, C600S474000, C600S549000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06821016
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an infrared ear thermometer which is inserted into an external ear canal and detects an infrared radiation to estimate a body temperature, and a temperature state estimation method, an information notification method, and a measurement operation management method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An infrared ear thermometer measures a dose of infrared ray radiated from an ear drum to determine a body temperature. A temperature detection unit of the infrared ear thermometer is constituted by an infrared sensor which captures an infrared radiation and a temperature sensor which measures the temperature of the sensor itself, and measures a target temperature by using output signals from the infrared sensor and the temperature sensor. As an ideal measurement condition, it is required that the temperature of the infrared sensor and the temperature of the temperature sensor are equal to each other. However, in actual use, these temperatures are different from each other, and measurement body temperature accuracy is deteriorated. In particular, when an environment temperature (atmospheric temperature) at which the clinical thermometer is placed sharply changes before and after the measurement, different heat flows are generated from the clinical thermometer to the infrared sensor and the temperature sensor. A temperature difference between the sensors is generated. As a result, the body temperature measurement value has an error.
For this reason, in a conventional clinical thermometer, in measuring a body temperature by detecting an environment temperature, when the environment temperature is different from a normal room temperature, the environment temperature is checked to see if it is stabilized and whether the body temperature can be measured. When the environment temperature is detected as described above, in the prior art, the environment temperature and a change in the environment temperature are detected by a change in temperature of the temperature sensor of the clinical thermometer. Furthermore, a temperature measurement value is also corrected in consideration of the environment temperature.
However, when a change in environment temperature is detected by using a change in temperature of the temperature sensor of the clinical thermometer, even though the change of the temperature sensor is converged in a state in which the temperature of the temperature sensor and the temperature of the infrared sensor are different from each other, a measurement error is not converged, and the temperature measurement value has an error. When the temperature measurement value is corrected in consideration of the environment temperature, accurate correction cannot be performed in a state in which the environment temperature changes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art, and provides a clinical thermometer which can perform accurate measurements by properly estimating the environment temperature and a thermometer temperature.
The present invention is an infrared clinical thermometer including: infrared detector for detecting infrared rays; infrared detection temperature measurement unit for measuring a temperature of the infrared detector or a temperature of a nearby position; at least two temperature measurement units for measuring temperatures of positions having different thermal environments; temperature state estimation unit for estimating a temperature state of at least one of the body of the clinical thermometer and the environment in which the clinical thermometer is placed based on the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit; and body temperature estimation unit for estimating a body temperature of a test subject based on a dose of infrared ray detected by the infrared detector, the temperature measured by the infrared detection temperature measurement unit, and the temperature state estimated by the temperature state estimation unit.
When the temperatures of the positions having different thermal environments are measured, a thermal time constant of a part between these positions is calculated, and the thermal time constant is converted to obtain a thermal time constant of an arbitrary position. For this reason, one or both of the temperature states of the clinical thermometer body and the environment in which the clinical temperature is placed can be accurately estimated. Therefore, in not only a case in which the environment temperature is stable, but also in a case in which the environment temperature and the temperature of the clinical thermometer body change, the clinical thermometer can appropriately cope with the changes in temperature, and accurate body temperature estimation can be performed regardless of the position where the clinical thermometer is held and the position where the clinical thermometer is used.
The different thermal environments mentioned here are, e.g., environments in which thermal time constants around positions where the temperature measurement unit are arranged are different from each other, and indicate environments in which heat flows from a surrounding area to the temperature measurement unit. As the temperature measurement unit, at least two temperature measurement units may be used. One of the temperature measurement units may be the same as the infrared detection temperature measurement unit.
The temperature state estimation unit preferably includes an environment temperature change index calculation unit for calculating an environment temperature monotonously changed with respect to a change in environment temperature based on the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit.
As the environment temperature change index monotonously changed with respect to the change in environment temperature, for example, a function such as a linear expression which uses, as variables, a change rate of a temperature of a first position which is easily influenced by the environment in which the thermometer is placed and a difference between a temperature of a second position which is any position (may be a typical position of the inside of the thermometer) in the thermometer body and the temperature of the first position is used.
The environment temperature change index calculated by the environment temperature change index calculation unit is preferably an index which is correlated to an estimation error of a body temperature.
The environment temperature change index which is correlated to the estimation error of the body temperature is more preferably an index which changes as well as the estimation error of the body temperature and which can equated with the estimation error.
The temperature state estimation unit preferably estimates at least one of temperature states of the body of the clinical thermometer and the environment in which the clinical thermometer is placed based on a change pattern of the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit.
As the change pattern of the measured temperature, for example, a combination of a positive or negative sign (including 0) of the temperature of the first position which is easily influenced by the environment in which the clinical thermometer is placed and a positive or negative sign (including 0) of a difference between the temperature of the second position which is any position (may be a typical position of the inside of the thermometer) in the thermometer body and the temperature of the first position is known. However, the change pattern is not limited to this combination.
The infrared clinical thermometer preferably causes the temperature state estimation unit to estimate that a temperature state corresponding to a state obtained immediately after the clinical thermometer is used for a test subject is set.
The state obtained immediately after the clinical thermometer is used for a test subject unit a state in which a temperature state (heat) obtained when the test subject uses the clinical thermometer remains
Onishi Yoshihide
Ota Hiroyuki
Sato Taiga
Sato Tetsuya
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Omron Corporation
Verbitsky Gail
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