Temperature monitor for temperature sensitive products
US6320512A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 3, 2000 |
| Grant date | Nov 20, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 3, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01K1/024
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present temperature monitor is comprised of a thermistor and a reference resistor connected to a capacitor in parallel. The capacitor is charged through the thermistor by a microcontroller to determine the thermistor charging time, discharged, and then charged through the reference resistor to determine a reference charging time. The thermistor charging time is divided by the reference charging time to determine the thermistor value, which is converted into an actual temperature by using a conventional algorithm. The microcontroller is programmed to activate various indicators to show the ambient temperature relative to one or more acceptable ranges, whether the temperature has reached the acceptable ranges within an acceptable time period, and whether the temperature has had an upward trend prior to reaching the acceptable ranges.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.