Thermally isolated probe for biomedical apparatus and method of communicating energy there through
US6332090A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 1, 1995 |
| Grant date | Dec 18, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 1, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01J5/0875
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The thermal isolation apparatus for the protruding probe of a biomedical thermometer includes an insulative air gap and a heat sink disposed between the surface of the probe and the optical path through the probe. The heat sink surrounds the optical path, such as a waveguide, and acts to evenly distribute any heat along the entire length of the waveguide to avoid temperature variations. Additionally, the heat sink has sufficient mass for high heat capacity and may slow the progress of any heat from reaching or leaving the waveguide until after the measurement by the biomedical instrument has been completed. Disposed over the heat sink is a boot which forms the closed air space between the heat sink and the outer probe surface. The air gap combined with the heat sink provide relative thermal isolation of the optical path through the probe and provide relative thermal isolation of the target anatomy from the temperature of the probe.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.