RU154466U1 - SENSOR TEMPERATURE STORAGE - Google Patents

Abstract

Accumulative temperature sensor for monitoring, storing and transmitting data remotely wirelessly for external reading via radio frequency communication, while the sensor's hollow body contains a temperature-sensitive element, a memory chip, a real-time clock, a power battery, a radio signal receiving unit and a radio frequency emitting antenna, characterized in that that the sensor has a sealed moisture-resistant shell made of a biocompatible material, and is equipped with a microcontroller with a built-in thermal sensing element and an ADC for measuring temperature and recording it in a non-volatile memory chip - EEPROM according to the IIC protocol, and connected to a real-time clock chip, which is equipped with a built-in high-precision quartz a resonator, wherein the radio receiver is configured to receive a radio signal to the antenna, which is represented by an electromagnetic coil of a parallel oscillatory circuit, which also functions as a radiating antenna when it is switched by a microcontroller from a parallel oscillatory circuit to a serial oscillatory circuit, and the microcontroller is adapted for signal transmission.

Description

The invention relates to the field of instrumentation for temperature measurements by contact thermosets and can be used to control a variety of processes in medicine, biology, veterinary medicine to record the body temperature of an animal remotely wirelessly.

Companies specializing in the production of veterinary equipment offer a diverse line of moisture-proof, shock-resistant electronic thermometers for animals of various anatomy and complexion. The shape of the tip is designed in such a way as to cause the patient a minimum of discomfort. The latest models include a large digital display, built-in memory for several series of observations and sound signals informing of the completion of the study, as well as the possibility of using implants for the rapid detection of the disease.

Known probe sensor for measuring the rectal temperature of the body of an animal according to patent RU No. 2073498, which contains a sensor, a cable with connectors and clamps. The cable from the side of the sensor on a length of 12.8-12.9 mm is made in a polymer tube, which has the shape of a truncated cone. The ratio of the diameter of the sensor to the diameter of the cable is 2.25. The disadvantage of this method and temperature sensor is that the animal must be fixed stationary motionless, there is no possibility of remote temperature measurement.

Also known is the electronic temperature sensor for remote temperature measurement, patent RU 2240518. The converter contains a power source, a generator and a sensing element. The power source contains a thermopile connected to a stabilized voltage converter. The output of the stabilized voltage source is connected to a generator. The sensor installed at the temperature control point is connected to the generator. In this case, the generator is connected to the antenna, and the sensitive element is connected by a transmission line with a length equal to half the wavelength of the operating frequency. The invention allows to convert the temperature into an information signal and carry out its remote transmission. However, the disadvantage of this invention is that the analog signal is transmitted from the temperature sensor and a very high-quality and, accordingly, complex receiver is required. Such a temperature measurement scheme does not allow constructing systems for long-term monitoring of the animal’s body temperature.

There is a known method for determining temperature, according to patent RU 2330250, in which temperature measurements are measured by contact thermometers and can be used to control a variety of processes that occur both in the framework of solving medical and domestic problems of a person, and during his production activities. The essence of the invention lies in the fact that in the method of measuring temperature, consisting in the fact that the temperature sensor is placed in the test medium and the temperature of this medium is determined, according to the invention, preliminarily graphs of the thermometer readings are plotted against time for discrete, predetermined calibrated values of the temperature of the test medium and the initial temperature sensor, create a reference database from the constructed graphs. Then the temperature sensor is placed in the test medium and the temperature of the test medium is measured at the maximum possible number of readings of the temperature sensor for a fixed time interval. Based on these readings, a graph is built and compared with graphs from the reference database, and the temperature of the medium under study is determined by the most matching curve from those in the reference database. The technical result is an improvement in the method for determining the temperature. The disadvantage of this method is that this method is acceptable only for measuring temperature in objects with a constant or slowly changing temperature.

Known electronic thermometer patent RU 2497441, which is used for medical purposes to measure the body temperature of patients. The electronic thermometer includes a hollow outer casing with a probe containing a temperature measuring unit, which is in contact with the measured area of the user with its front end, a temperature sensor located in the temperature measuring unit, for detecting temperature, and an inner case that is installed in the axial hole of the outer case. An electronic circuit board is fixed to the inner case. The device also contains a control circuit that processes the data from the temperature sensor formed in the electronic circuit board.

The temperature converter according to the patent RU 2235979 is also known from the prior art. The invention relates to radio electronics and can be used to solve the problem of measuring temperature by remote wireless method. The converter contains a power source, which is a sensitive element, high-frequency and low-frequency generators. The power source contains a thermal battery connected to a voltage converter. The output of the stabilized voltage source is connected to a high-frequency generator. The source output with a voltage proportional to the measured temperature is connected to a low-frequency generator. In this case, the low-frequency generator is a modulator for the high-frequency generator connected to the antenna. The invention eliminates the cable line between the temperature measurement site and the measurement processing unit, however, it has the same disadvantages as in the invention described in patent RU 2240518: the analog signal is transmitted from the temperature sensor and a very high-quality and, accordingly, complex receiver is required. Such a temperature measurement scheme does not allow the construction of systems for long-term monitoring of the body temperature of animals.

For the prototype, a temperature sensor was selected for monitoring parameters of various physical nature, including temperature according to patent RU 2278360. At the same time, changes in temperature parameters are monitored in a remote place and the corresponding digital data is stored. In addition, the meter is introduced into the conductive hole to a depth equal to the length of the sensor base assembly. Coordinate the capacitive coupling of the measurement unit with its overall dimensions. A radio frequency channel is formed for data transmission near the housing cover assembly protruding above the socket, and data is transmitted. For external data reading form a radio frequency data channel through capacitive coupling and the outer wall of the conductive hole. The disadvantage of this device is that it is not intended for remote continuous monitoring and the accumulation of information.

The objective of the invention is the creation of an electronic storage temperature sensor with a small mass, implanted in the body of the animal for continuous monitoring and improving the accuracy of temperature measurement.

The positive effect is ensured through the use of a temperature sensor with an inert biocompatible shell implanted in the animal’s body, data recording in the sensor’s internal memory and transmission of information in a non-contact manner to an external reader and to a computer for processing data and plotting the temperature over time.

The problem is solved due to the fact that the temperature sensor for monitoring, storage and transmission of temperature data remotely wirelessly for external reading via radio frequency communication, is made in the form of a hollow body containing a thermosensitive element, a memory chip, a real-time clock, a power battery, a radio signal reception unit and a radio frequency antenna. Significant differences are that the sensor has a sealed moisture-resistant shell made of biocompatible material, and is equipped with a microcontroller with a built-in temperature-sensitive sensor element and an ADC (analog-to-digital temperature converter) for measuring temperature and recording it in a non-volatile memory chip - EEPROM using IIC protocol, and associated with a real-time clock chip, which is equipped with an integrated high-precision quartz resonator. The radio receiver is configured to receive a radio signal to the antenna, which is represented by an electromagnetic coil of a parallel oscillatory circuit, which also functions as a radiating antenna when it is switched by a microcontroller from a parallel oscillatory circuit to a serial oscillatory circuit, and the microcontroller is adapted to transmit a signal. The shell of the sensor can be made, for example, of polypropylene or silicone.

In FIG. 1 is an electrical diagram of a storage temperature sensor; in FIG. 2 - thermal sensor (photo); in FIG. 3, 4, 5 - temperature graphs obtained during the experiments.

The housing of the storage temperature sensor has a sealed moisture-resistant inert shell made of a biocompatible material, such as polypropylene or silicone. The sensor has an oval configuration of small size (see Fig. 2), which allows the sensor to be implanted into the body of even a small animal, usually into the abdominal cavity. All components of the temperature sensor are placed in the hollow body: microcontroller 1, non-volatile memory chip 2, real-time clock 3, power battery 4, radio signal reception unit 5, emitting antenna 6. Microcontroller 1 measures temperature, records temperature and time data in a memory chip 2, the reception and transmission of data through a special reader 7, through the radio channel of the antenna 6 - with the subsequent input of the received data into the computer. Measurement

temperature is carried out using the built-in microcontroller 1 sensor temperature sensor and ADC (analog-to-digital converter). Recording is carried out in non-volatile memory 2 (EEPROM) via IIC protocol, the device of the memory chip allows you to save the recorded data for at least 30 years, regardless of the availability of power supply. The countdown of temperature measurement is carried out using a special real-time clock chip 3, with a built-in high-precision quartz resonator, which ensures the accuracy of the clock is not worse than ± 20 seconds per month. To receive the radio signal, a receiver is used that uses the energy of the received radio signal, in particular, the detector radio 5 assembled on one transistor, an electromagnetic coil of a parallel oscillatory circuit is used as the emitting antenna 6. To transmit the radio signal, the same emitting antenna 6 (electromagnetic coil) is used, but switched by means of microcontroller 1 into a series oscillatory circuit. Such a transmit-receive device is very simple and does not require energy consumption when waiting for an external signal, while ensuring stable reception and transmission at a distance exceeding 8-10 times the diameter of the temperature sensor, with a reader power of 7 about 200 mW. This distance is enough to use an external reader 7 to exchange data with a sensor implanted in the animal.

The sensor operates as follows.

The essence of the invention lies in the fact that the temperature sensor is manufactured in minimum sizes (see in Fig. 2), which, in the presence of an inert (tight and moisture resistant) shell, allows the sensor to be implanted into the body of the animal under study and to measure the temperature. At the same time, very small sizes allow without the loss of accuracy to abandon the remote temperature sensor and use the sensor,

located in the microcontroller 1. The presence of a microcontroller and a real-time clock chip allows you to program the temperature measurement using almost any protocol, and the presence of a built-in non-volatile memory allows you to save the measured temperature values for a long time. The presence of a radio channel is used only during programming of measurement and reading modes of recorded values; such a reading does not cause radio interference and allows the unhindered operation of any number of closely spaced sensors.

The proposed temperature sensor was used to monitor the state of mice and hamsters in natural and laboratory conditions (see Fig. 3, 4).

The in vivo experiment consisted of trapping mice, implanting an accumulating temperature sensor in the abdominal cavity and returning them to the point of trapping. Then, after five months, the mice were recaptured and temperature information was taken through a contactless reader 7 to plot the dynamics of temperature changes on a computer.

The use of an accumulative temperature sensor for vaccination of animals allows accurate within 0.1 ° C to determine the change in body temperature of the animal and check the effectiveness of vaccination (see Fig. 4).

Studies were also conducted on the readings of the storage temperature sensor under laboratory conditions with intranasal administration of nanoparticles (NP) of manganese oxide (MnO) (see Fig. 5).

The main technical characteristics of the storage temperature sensor, which was used in the experiments.

Weight 0.8 g Number of measurements 28,000 reading distance 35 mm

Interval between measurements 1-25S minutes Life time 5 years Operating time of one set of batteries Not less than 6 months Measurement accuracy ± 0.5 ° C Operating temperature range 0 ° C + 50 ° C

The technical result is an increase in measurement accuracy, the number of measurements and the temperature range of measurements. The invention allows to repeatedly measure the body temperature of small animals at predetermined points in time without undue impact on animals and to eliminate the cable line between the place of temperature measurement and the measurement processing unit.

Information sources:

1. Patent RU 2073498, IPC A61D 13/00, 1994;

2. Patent RU 2240518, IPC G01K 7/00, 2002;

3. Patent RU 2330250, IPC G01K 7/02, 2006;

4. Patent RU 2497441, IPC АВВ 5/01, 2009

5. Patent RU 2235979, IPC G01K 7/02, 2002

6. Patent RU 2278360, IPC G01K 1/00, 2001 - prototype

Claims (1)

A temperature storage sensor for monitoring, storing and transmitting data remotely wirelessly for external reading via radio frequency communication, while the hollow body of the sensor contains a temperature-sensitive element, a memory chip, a real-time clock, a power battery, a radio signal reception unit and a radio frequency emitting antenna, characterized in that the sensor has a sealed moisture-resistant shell made of a biocompatible material and is equipped with a microcontroller with a built-in heat-sensitive element probe and ADC for measuring temperature and recording it in a non-volatile memory chip - EEPROM according to IIC protocol and associated with a real-time clock chip, which is equipped with a built-in high-precision quartz resonator, and the radio receiver is configured to receive a radio signal to the antenna, which is represented by an electromagnetic coil of a parallel oscillatory circuit, which also functions as a radiating antenna when it is reconnected using a microcontroller from a parallel oscillatory circuit in sequential oscillatory circuit, and the microcontroller is adapted to transmit a signal.

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