JPH06504852A - Thermometer with digital and audio display - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Thermometer industrial applications with digital and audio display The present invention relates to a thermometer having a digital display and an audio display function.

Conventional technology , Current thermometers well known in the art display the measured temperature value and is indicated numerically, sometimes with other indications. With this known model may be difficult to read for people with visual impairments, especially from a certain distance. Yes, this is especially true if an LCD is used.

The thermometer disclosed herein emits an easy-to-understand sound that corresponds to a letter indicating temperature. It is characterized by This makes it possible for people who are blind or have other visual impairments to There is no need to read the temperature reading (just listen to the audio to use this thermometer). I can do it. To this end, the electronics of this new thermometer include a speech synthesizer and display At the same time, the device displays a number corresponding to the measured temperature, and at the same time it becomes a word, Emit an audio signal indicating the numerical value measured by the device.

This patent describes a circuit structure that is the basis of a device for measuring the temperature of a human body.

The circuit is connected on the one hand to a probe devised to come into contact with the human body, and on the other hand Now, we will introduce a speaker that gives a signal corresponding to a temperature value, and a sign corresponding to that value. It is connected to a display device designed to emit a signal.

This unique circuit, represented in the block diagram that accompanies the patent description, functionally the adjustment stage of the audio signal, the fine tuner, and the adjustment stage of the audio signal applied to the loudspeaker. include.

The circuit can be expressed in several ways, one of which is however, the physical structure of current electronic circuits makes it difficult to An integrated structure of elements is preferred, where the elements have a logical function that initiates the operation of the device. Fulfill.

In order to better understand the above description, a practical example of an embodiment of the invention is presented. Attach diagram. This figure is an overview and is not presented as a limiting example.

The figure is a block diagram and the stages identified by numbers are shown below in the circuit. corresponds to a portion.

Block 1 consists of a thermal probe, an instrument sensitive to temperature levels and fluctuations; It provides an electrically measurable signal that is proportional to the applied temperature. The probe is NTC, It contains a negative temperature coefficient resistor whose ohmic value decreases as the applied temperature decreases. It is characterized by This system is in accordance with the usage instructions supplied by the manufacturer. The operation and resistance-to-temperature ratio is quick and simple.

Block 2 adjusts the signal emitted by the thermal probe and adjusts the value of the NTC resistor. directly by a fine-tuner or microprocessor built into the instrument. Translate the data into manageable data. This circuit uses precision resistors, NTC resistors and It is based on a resistive-capacitive load network formed by capacitors.

In this way, the temperature is measured directly from the fine regulator and analog/digital within the device. does not require a converter. Additionally, the method used also reduces battery voltage drop. Errors caused by errors or errors due to the condition of the capacitor are eliminated.

Block 3 forms a fine regulator for the entire device, by which the temperature is measured and the device The information is provided to a set of crystal oscillators built into the is also provided. The fine adjuster is manufactured to order, is based on a limited machine, and has a thermometer. general operating algorithms and some external modules (synthesizer, crystal, properly programmed to perform communication with the NTC resistor).

Due to the technology used, the synthesis module and LCD module interface are physically is integrated with the fine adjuster. The technology is called ASIC.

Block 4 ensures conditioning of the analog audio signal, filtering and amplifying the signal. include. The modules forming this stage are integrated into the components described above.

The stage 4 comprises, according to the above, a set of signals for eliminating the false signals reproduced in the previous stage. Contains a filter and includes a speech synthesizer. The signal of the synthesizer has a small amplitude. is amplified by the amplifier incorporated in the same stage 4, and the speaker constituting stage 5 is give the appropriate amplitude to drive the car. In a preferred embodiment, the speaker The thermometer is integrated into the thermometer housing.

The display device 6 is based on an LCD and is of a simple perceptual type. Numerical values equivalent to the level, maximum value, minimum value, and other information of the human body's temperature at the moment of Display.

Functional components forming the thermometer disclosed in the first patent.

Among them, three parts are constant and essential. : That is, the size to be measured. A probe that instantly senses the heat level of the human body; emits an audio signal indicating the measured value. a speaker that displays the measured values; and a display that visually displays the measured values. Therefore, this These parts are not the subject of further consideration.

The functional components defining the essence of the circuit forming the thermometer according to the first patent are constitute the subject matter. This patent considers practical embodiments of the above-mentioned components. .

According to the appended claims, what is important is that the unique equivalent block shape Blocks 2.3 and 4 of the diagram accompanying the original patent description shown in the ASI integrated circuits of a type called C or a type specific to the anticipated application. . The circuit performs the functions of the blocks described above and provides simplicity and reduction in size and weight. have advantages.

The cost of the integrated circuit also increases, even if manufactured according to the thermometer manufacturer's specifications. However, it is significantly reduced.

Analyzing the functional structure of the unified blocks that form the main components of the thermometer structure Then, the next subassembly is quoted. The division is merely formal; This is to follow the order of input and output signals.

Based on 1.3-bit ADPCM technology, the sound quality is sufficient for the output stage. A speech synthesizer that allows you to obtain a range of possible frequencies. The synthesizer is configured to synthesize Based on 12 kilobytes of memory containing the desired audio, and machines operating simultaneously. do. The machine directs the memory and coordinates the appropriate messages, The code to be displayed is formed within the range of 32.0°C to 42.0°C.

2. Digital signals to make direct measurements on the NTC resistor associated with the probe. Measuring circuit based on synchronously operating machines using This allows analog/digital Digital conversion interfaces are eliminated.

3. Based on synchronous machines, sending appropriate signals to every ideal module of the circuit. A useful fine tuner. The fine tuner implements the algorithms and operations necessary for: It is intended to perform: starting the device, measuring physical strength, speech synthesizer and sign. supply of current applied to the number indicator, removal of the device.

There are no modules designed to cause analog-to-digital conversion. In some cases, the measurement method for thermometer probes is such that the input signal conditioning device is not just a cookie-cutter solution. It is worth pointing out that it can be considered software. The method used was To perform the temperature conversion, we directly use the signal obtained with the fine regulator. i.e. above The A/D converter module is not physically present in the integrated circuit that brings together the functional steps described above. Doesn't exist.

Temperature measurement is based on the charging and discharging cycles provided by the capacitor's NTC resistor. Calculate the number and refer to it as the number of charges and discharges that occur in the resistor for a known number done by doing. The NTC value is obtained from the resulting ratio, and first According to established tables, this value corresponds to the temperature of the probe. This measurement method to obtain measured values and to simplify the related modules as much as possible. It becomes possible. The measurements are (provided by a set of batteries contained in the housing of the device) of the variation in the supply voltage (supplied) and the tolerance of the ohm value of the capacitor used. Stable with respect to differences.

A further advantage of the described example is that the number of components directly relevant to the measurement is very small. It's a small thing. The only components are: capacitors, low tolerances. NTC resistor coupled to a small resistor and probe.

In the preferred embodiment, the new thermometer is placed in a heat probe in an easily accessible location. The probe has a housing in which the probes are arranged, and the probe can be applied to a human body.

The housing includes a speaker compartment and a set of openings for emitting the generated sound.

Continuation of front page (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, DE.

DK, ES, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, SE), AT, AU, BG, BR, CA, CH, C5, DE, DK, ES, FI, GB, HU, JP, LU, NL, No, PL, RO, R U, SD, SE.

UA, US

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. generates a signal that causes a symbol to be presented on a display and is given by a speaker. A thermometer with a digital and audio display that is designed to produce audible sounds. in; the thermometer includes a set of memories and is programmable; Use of a central processing unit with inputs connected to sensors capable of reacting to temperature fluctuations The sensor includes an electronic circuit based on (a) a negative coefficient temperature resistor; ) a signal conditioning block for the signal provided by the sensor; (c) a fine tuner; (2) an analyzer that produces an audible sound provided by a speaker; Consisting of a step of adjusting the log signal and (e) a step of displaying numerical values on the display. The above-mentioned thermometer, which is characterized by 2. The signal generated by the negative temperature coefficient resistor is integrated into the device and resistor-capacitor formed by the negative temperature coefficient resistor and capacitor It is characterized by consisting of data that can be directly processed by a fine tuner including a tee load network. A thermometer having a digital and audio display according to claim 1. 3. Built-in fine tuner supports crystal oscillator for stabilization and speech synthesizer module Supply the necessary data to the module and form the synthesis module and numerical display into the module A digital display device as claimed in claim 1 showing an output including a liquid crystal interface for Thermometer with a voice indicator. 4. The thermometer described above has a unique integrated circuit that controls the input signal sent from the probe. adjuster, fine tuner and adjust the low frequency signals emitted by the loudspeaker, respectively. the integrated circuit includes a physical and functional combination of the steps of: (a) measured A speech synthesizer that generates an audible frequency signal that forms an audio signal indicating a temperature value , (b) for directly evaluating the magnitude at the negative coefficient resistor coupled to the probe. , a measurement circuit using the digital signal, and (c) a logic circuit for performing each operation. including a fine tuner designed to send a corresponding signal to the virtual module; A thermometer with digital and audio display according to claim 1, characterized in that: