Apparatus for measuring facial swelling
US4530367A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 15, 1983 |
| Grant date | Jul 23, 1985 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 15, 2003 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/70
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus for measuring a volume change for facial swelling of a person which may occur after surgical removal of wisdom teeth, including a bite fork engageable within the mouth of the person for providing a relatively fixed reference position for the facial swelling; a reciprocable feeler rod having a free end with a feeler wheel secured thereto and reciprocable in a first x-axis direction substantially normal to the facial swelling; a spring which biases the feeler wheel into contact with the facial swelling; a tracing device for moving the feeler wheel in a second y-axis direction substantially normal to the first direction to cause the feeler wheel to trace across the facial swelling in a plurality of parallel planes spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the z-axis direction; a first LVDT for producing a first signal in response to the reciprocable movement of the feeler wheel in the first direction; a second LVDT for producing a second signal in response to movement of the feeler wheel in the second direction; and a differential volume circuit for producing an output signal corresponding to the volume change in response to the first signal, the second signal and the pred…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.