JP3109005U - Bendable probe and thermometer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bendable probe used for a thermometer.
The bendable probe 100 includes a bendable probe body 130 and a hollow tip member 20 fixed to the bendable probe body 130. Further, the bendable member 2 has a main portion disposed on the bendable probe body 130. When stress is applied to the refractable probe body 130, the deformation of the main part occurs. In particular, this deformation cannot be released by the return stress from the refractable probe body 130 when the applied stress is removed, and the refractable probe body 130 is held in an inclined form.
[Selection] Figure 1A

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermometer technique, and more particularly to a medical thermometer technique using a thermal probe for measuring a patient temperature, which can be applied to other temperature measurement techniques as well.

  Electronic thermometers generally provide many advantages over conventional glass mercury thermometers used in medical technology. The advantages of these electronic thermometers are that there is no need to sterilize glass thermometers manufactured using disposable covers; there is no possibility of glass breakage if the thermometer is dropped; Digital temperature display eliminates temperature reading errors; and with proper circuit design and calibration, accurate measurement allows for higher accuracy and resolution and facilitates display at 1/10 ° F .; and so on.

However, many probes used in today's electronic thermometers are robust, which can be damaging to patients, especially in children who generally use thermometers transrectally. It is remarkable. Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic thermometer having a flexible probe that is safe and does not pose a risk to a patient, particularly a child. Prior art probes are not bendable and therefore tend to return to their original shape, and the thermometer body tends to remain linear. The fact that it cannot be bent becomes very uncomfortable when the body cavity to be measured cannot accommodate the longitudinal dimension of the probe having the above flexibility. Another drawback is that the above flexible probe shape cannot be adapted well to body cavities measured for bedridden patients and children.
US Pat. No. 3,946,613

  An object of the present invention is to provide a thermometer having a bendable probe that overcomes the limitations in the prior art.

  By using the bendable member, the probe according to the present invention can be easily adapted to the body cavity of the patient to be measured. Further, the main part of the bending member is constructed of a bent metal wire preferably made of copper having a diameter of about 0.5 to 2.0 mm. In this manner, the thermometer probe can be easily bent and can be held in a folded configuration, thereby increasing the lifetime of the probe.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a bending thermometer probe includes a refractable probe body, a hollow tip member, and a bending member. This hollow tip member having a thermal contact surface is fixed to the bendable probe body. The bending member includes a main portion disposed in the hollow pipe of the bendable probe body.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the hollow pipe provides a space for deforming the main part of the bending member. In one embodiment, the hollow pipe has at least a portion having a diameter larger than the diameter of the main portion of the bendable member. Preferably, a defense head is formed at the front end of the bending member. Further, a groove is defined at the end of the bendable probe body, and a corresponding hook formed at the rear end of the bendable member is embedded in the groove.

  When stress is applied to the refractable probe body, its main part is deformed. In particular, this deformation cannot be undone by the return stress from the refractable probe body so that when the applied stress is removed, the refractable probe body is held in a bent configuration.

  Referring to FIG. 1A, the bendable probe 100 includes a bendable probe body 130 and a hollow tip member 20 fixed to the bendable probe body 130. The refractable probe body 130 is typically made of a plastic or rubber material. The hollow tip member 20 has a thermal contact surface 30 that surrounds the hollow cavity 80. In one embodiment, the hollow tip member 20 is preferably made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as stainless steel.

  The thermal sensor 40 is disposed at the end 150 of the hollow chip member 20 and is mounted on the inside of the thermal contact surface 30. The thermal sensor 40 can sense the temperature of the thermal contact surface 30 to obtain a temperature signal. In order to transmit this temperature signal, a set of lead wires 90 coupled to the thermal sensor 40 is placed.

  The bendable member designated by reference numeral 2 in FIG. 1A has a main portion 3 b disposed on the bendable probe body 130. When stress is applied to the refractable probe body 130, the main portion 3b is deformed. Once this applied stress is removed, the above deformation cannot be undone by the return stress from the refractive probe body 130. Therefore, the bendable probe body 130 is held in an inclined form even after the stress is removed.

  Further, the bendable probe body 130 has a hollow pipe 1302 for holding the bendable metal wire 2. The lead wire 90 is also designed to pass through the hollow pipe 1302.

  Note that the main part 3b of the bendable member 2 is constructed of a bendable metal wire 2 made of a bendable metal such as copper. Referring to FIG. 1B, a groove 130a is preferably defined in the side wall of the end portion 130b of the bendable probe body, while a hook 2a corresponding to the end portion of the bendable metal wire 2 is formed. The hook 2a itself may be embedded in the groove 130a so as to firmly fix the bendable metal wire 2.

  Referring again to FIG. 1A, a recess 1301 is defined in the outer surface of the front end of the bendable probe body. The rear end of the hollow tip member 20 has an internal surface adapted to receive the recess 1301 of the deflectable probe body 130 to form a lap joint.

  Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment of a thermometer having a bendable probe is shown. The thermometer 10 is manufactured by the body member 135 and the hollow tip member 20. In FIG. 2, the hollow tip member 20 is shown in an enlarged manner for detailed explanation. The body member 135 includes a refractable probe body 130 and a display unit 140. The hollow tip member 20 is fixed to the bendable probe body 130 of the body member 135; the hollow tip member 20 has a hollow tip member 20 that surrounds the hollow cavity 80. In one embodiment, the hollow tip member 20 is preferably made of a metal having good thermal conductivity, such as stainless steel.

  The thermal sensor 40 is disposed at the end 150 of the hollow chip member 20, and the thermal sensor 40 is attached inside the thermal contact surface 30. The thermal sensor 40 senses the temperature of the thermal contact surface 30 and generates a temperature signal. There is a set of lead wires 90 coupled to the thermal sensor 40 to transmit this temperature signal.

  The display means 50 is attached on the display unit 140. The display means 50 comprises a display 48 and a circuit 45 coupled to the display 48. Circuit 45 is connected to lead wire 90 to receive the temperature signal described above; circuit 45 drives display 48 to indicate the corresponding temperature reading. The thermometer 10 has a switch 250 so that the display means 50 is turned on and off.

  The features of this embodiment are described below in combination with FIGS. The bendable member 2 has a main portion 3b disposed on the bendable probe body 130. When the stress F is applied to the refractable probe body 130, the main portion 3b is deformed. As shown in FIG. 3, the main portion 3b is deformed at the bending angle θ1. When this applied stress F is removed, this deformation cannot be reversed by the return stress F1 from the refractive probe body 130. As a result, the bendable probe body 130 is held in an inclined form even after the stress F is removed.

  Note that the main part 3b of the bendable member 2 is constructed of a bendable metal wire 2 made of a bendable metal such as copper. The latter embodiment is similar to FIG. 1B, but a groove is preferably defined in the side wall of the end of the bendable probe body, while a hook corresponding to the end of the bent tube metal wire 2 is formed. In order to firmly fix the bendable metal wire 2 to the bendable probe body, the hook itself may be embedded in the groove. Furthermore, the bendable probe body 130 has a hollow pipe 1302 so as to hold the bendable metal wire 2. The lead wire 90 is designed to pass through the hollow pipe 1302.

  Referring again to FIG. 2, a recess 1301 is defined on the outer surface of the front end of the bendable probe body. The rear end of the hollow tip member 20 has an internal surface adapted to receive the recess 1301 of the refractable probe body 130 to form a lap joint.

  According to this embodiment, the hollow tip member 20 is preferably made of a metal having good thermal conductivity such as silver, platinum or stainless steel. The hollow tip member 20 is manufactured in a tubular form and sealed with a dome-shaped end of a hemisphere or a semi-elliptical shape. The hollow tip member 20 also has a thermal contact surface 30 that surrounds the hollow cavity 80. The thermal contact surface 30 is in contact with the patient's skin so that heat can be transferred from the patient's skin to the hollow tip member 20. In one embodiment, the thermal sensor 40 is a thermistor. Both the lead wire 90 and the thermal sensor 40 are bonded onto the inside of the thermal contact surface 30 with a thermally conductive adhesive. This adhesive is an insulating material having good thermal conductivity such as an epoxy resin. Furthermore, the lead wires 90 are manufactured with a pair of electrical lead wires; these are used to connect the thermal sensor 40 to the circuit 45.

  However, the lead wire 90 may be easily cut when the bendable metal wire 2 is pushed into the hollow cavity 80. To overcome this problem, the hollow pipe provides a space 1303 for deformation of the main portion of the bendable member to prevent the bendable member 2 from being pushed into the hollow cavity 80. In order to promote this effect, the hook 2a may be embedded in the groove 130a so as to firmly fix the bendable metal wire 2 to the bendable probe body 130 as shown in FIG. 1B.

  Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the hollow pipe 1302 preferably has at least a portion having a diameter larger than the diameter of the main portion 3 b of the bendable member 2. Further, a defense head 1304 is formed at the front end of the bendable member 2. The defense head 1304 is disposed on the hollow tip member 20 so as to prevent the bendable member 2 from cutting the lead wire 90.

  As is apparent from FIG. 3, when the stress F is applied to the refractable probe body 130, the main portion 3b is deformed. Subsequently, the main portion 3b is deformed at the bending angle θ1. Since the bending stress F2 is larger than the return stress F1 from the refractable probe body 130, the bending angle θ1 cannot be canceled by the return stress F1 when the applied stress is removed. As a result, the bendable probe body 130 is held in an inclined form even after the stress F is removed.

  Conversely, when the applied stress F is insufficient, the main portion 3b is bent at a smaller angle θ2. In this case, the bending stress F2 is smaller than the return stress F1 from the refractable probe body 130, and the bending angle θ2 can be canceled by the return stress F1 when the applied stress F is removed. Therefore, the bendable probe body 130 returns to its original shape after the stress F is removed.

  In view of the above, by using a bendable member, the thermometer probe according to the present invention can be well adapted to the body cavity of the patient to be measured. In addition, the bendable member is preferably made of a metal wire having a diameter of about 0.5-2.0 mm. Accordingly, the thermometer probe of the present invention is easily bent and held in an inclined configuration, thereby promoting the lifetime of the probe.

  Although the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to encompass various modifications and similar sequences (this will be apparent to those skilled in the art). Accordingly, the scope of the appended utility model registration should be subject to the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such variations and similar arrangements.

1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a bendable probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the refractable probe body of FIG. 1A. FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the thermometer by this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a thermometer according to the present invention, in which a sufficient stress is applied to the refractable probe. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a thermometer according to the present invention, in which insufficient stress is applied to the refractable probe. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a bendable probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the refractable probe body of FIG. 5.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Bendable member 10 Thermometer 20 Hollow tip member 30 Thermal contact surface 40 Thermal sensor 45 Circuit 48 Display 50 Display means 80 Hollow cavity 90 Lead wire 100 Bendable probe 130 Refractive probe body 135 Body member 140 Display part 150 End part 250 switch 1301 recess 1302 hollow pipe 1303 space 1304 defense head 130a groove 130b refractable probe body end 2a hook 3b main part F stress θ1 bending angle θ2 bending angle

Claims (6)

A refractive probe body having a hollow pipe;
A hollow tip member fixed to the bendable probe body and having a thermal contact surface;
A thermal sensor mounted on the thermal contact surface of the hollow tip member for sensing the temperature of the thermal contact surface and generating a temperature signal;
A set of lead wires coupled to the thermal sensor for transmitting the temperature signal; and a bendable member having a main portion disposed in the hollow pipe of the bendable probe body,
When stress is applied to the refractable probe body, deformation of the main part occurs,
A bendable member wherein when the applied stress is removed, due to the return stress from the bendable probe body, the deformation cannot be undone and the bendable probe body is held in an inclined form;
A bendable thermometer probe comprising:
The bendable thermometer probe characterized in that the hollow pipe has at least a portion having a diameter larger than the diameter of the main portion of the bendable member.   The probe according to claim 1, wherein the hollow pipe provides a space in which the bendable member is deformed.   The defense head formed at the front end of the bendable member is disposed on the hollow tip member so as to prevent the bendable member from cutting the lead wire. The probe as described.   The probe according to claim 1, wherein a groove is defined at an end of the bendable probe body, and a corresponding hook formed at a rear end of the bendable member is embedded in the groove. A body member having a refractable probe body and a display unit, the refractable probe body having a hollow pipe;
A hollow tip member fixed to the bendable probe body and having a thermal contact surface;
A thermal sensor mounted on the interior of the thermal contact surface of the hollow tip member that senses the temperature of the thermal contact surface and generates a temperature signal;
A set of lead wires coupled to the thermal sensor that transmits the temperature signal;
A bendable member having a main portion disposed in the hollow pipe of the bendable probe body,
When stress is applied to the refractable probe body, deformation of the main part occurs,
A bendable member wherein, when the applied stress is removed, the deformation cannot be canceled by a return stress from the refractable probe body and the refractable probe body is held in an inclined configuration;
A display mounted on the display portion and displaying the corresponding temperature reading and connected to the lead wire to receive the signal, wherein the hollow pipe is deformed in the main portion of the bendable member. A display that provides space; and a protective head formed at a front end of the bendable member, wherein the bendable member is disposed on the hollow tip member to prevent the bendable member from cutting the lead wire. Defensive head;
A thermometer having a bendable probe.   The thermometer according to claim 5, wherein a groove is formed in the refractable probe body, and a corresponding hook formed at an end of the bendable metal wire is embedded in the groove.

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