Ear type clinical thermometer

Abstract

An ear type thermometer for metering a body temperature includes a thermometer body, and a probe mounted in the thermometer body and adapted to be inserted into an ear. The probe is provided with a probe cover. A screwing member is provide for fixing the probe cover on the probe.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An ear type thermometer for metering a body temperature, comprising: a thermometer body; a probe mounted in said thermometer body and adapted to be inserted into an ear, with a probe cover, 
 wherein the improvement comprises a screwing member for fixing said probe cover mounted on said probe.    
     
     
         2 . An ear type thermometer for metering a body temperature, comprising: a thermometer body; a probe mounted in said thermometer body and adapted to be inserted into an ear, with a probe cover, 
 wherein the improvement comprises at least one screwing member having a function to fix said probe cover mounted on said probe and having different shapes and sizes to be replaced for use.    
     
     
         3 . An ear type thermometer for metering a body temperature, comprising: a thermometer body; a probe mounted in said thermometer body and adapted to be inserted into an ear, with a probe cover, 
 wherein the improvement comprises at least one screwing member having a function to fix said probe cover mounted on said probe and having different lengths of protrusion of said probe to be replaced for use.    
     
     
         4 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said screwing member is given a function to regulate the depth of insertion of said probe into the ear.    
     
     
         5 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 4 , 
 wherein said screwing member has a flat end face to come into abutment against the periphery of a subject portion for regulating the depth of insertion of said probe into the ear.    
     
     
         6 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said probe is removably mounted on said thermometer body.    
     
     
         7 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 6 , 
 wherein said screwing member is given a function to fix said probe with respect to said thermometer body.    
     
     
         8 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said screwing member is a ring nut to be fastened on said thermometer body.    
     
     
         9 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said screwing member includes slip stopping means for preventing slippage at the time of fixing and releasing actions.    
     
     
         10 . An ear type thermometer comprising: 
 a probe mounted on a thermometer body and adapted to be inserted into an ear; and    a thermometric switch mounted on said thermometer body and adapted to be operated at the time of at least the start or finish of thermometry, 
 wherein the protrusion direction of said probe from said thermometer body and the operation direction of said thermometric switch are substantially aligned with each other.  
   
     
     
         11 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 10 , 
 wherein said thermometric switch is continuously operated to the finish of thermometry to detect the body temperature.    
     
     
         12 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 10 , 
 wherein said thermometric switch is pressed in substantially the same direction as the protrusion direction of said probe.    
     
     
         13 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 10 , 
 wherein the improvement comprises insertion depth regulating means for regulating the depth of insertion of said probe into the subject portion.    
     
     
         14 . An ear type thermometer comprising a probe mounted on a thermometer body and adapted to be inserted into an ear, 
 wherein said thermometer body includes at least one raised portion for abutting against the vicinity of the ear, into which said probe is to be inserted, to support said thermometer body.    
     
     
         15 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 14 , 
 wherein said raised portion is formed on the face, on which said probe is mounted, of said thermometer body.    
     
     
         16 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 15 , 
 wherein said probe is formed on one longitudinal end side of said thermometer body whereas said raised portion is formed on the other end side.    
     
     
         17 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 14 , 
 wherein said raised portion has at least one pair of raised portions on the two sides of a center line extending in the longitudinal direction of said thermometer body.    
     
     
         18 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 14 , 
 wherein said raised portion comes for use into abutment against the vicinity of the cheekbone of the subject.    
     
     
         19 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 14 , 
 wherein the improvement comprises a power switch mounted in a recess, as formed in the vicinity of said raised portion, for switching the ON/OFF of the electric power for said thermometer.    
     
     
         20 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 14 , 
 wherein the improvement comprises a thermometric switch mounted on said thermometer body and adapted to be operated at least at the start or finish of the thermometry, and    wherein the operation direction of said thermometric switch and the protrusion direction of said raised portion are substantially the same.    
     
     
         21 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 14 , 
 wherein the protrusion direction of said raised portion and the protrusion direction of said probe are substantially the same.    
     
     
         22 . An ear type thermometer for metering a body temperature by detecting the intensity of an infrared ray emitted from the inside of an ear, comprising: 
 a thermometer body having a sound source therein for emitting an information sound; a probe mounted on said thermometer body and adapted to be inserted into the ear; and a soundproof mechanism for suppressing the transmission of the information sound, as emitted from said sound source, into the ear.    
     
     
         23 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein said thermometer body includes a casing having a thermometric mechanism therein, and a probe supporting peripheral member for supporting said probe, and    wherein said soundproof mechanism includes a clearance for forming a long or complex information sound transmission passage between said casing and said probe supporting peripheral member.    
     
     
         24 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein said thermometer body includes a casing having a thermometric mechanism therein, and a probe supporting peripheral member for supporting said probe, and    wherein said soundproof mechanism includes a clearance between said casing and said probe supporting peripheral member, and a vibration absorbing member mounted in said clearance.    
     
     
         25 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein said thermometer body includes a casing having a thermometric mechanism therein, and    wherein said soundproof mechanism has said sound source mounted in the inner face or in its vicinity of the back side portion of said casing.    
     
     
         26 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein said thermometer body includes a casing having a thermometric mechanism therein,    wherein said casing has at its front side portion a window portion for indicating a body temperature, and a transparent sheet covering said window, and    wherein said soundproof mechanism has said transparent sheet made thicker than that necessary for keeping the strength.    
     
     
         27 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein said soundproof mechanism can reduce the transmission of the information sound into the ear, into which said probe is inserted, by 2 dB or more.    
     
     
         28 . An ear type thermometer for metering a body temperature by detecting the intensity of an infrared ray emitted from the inside of an ear, comprising a display composed of a plurality of segments for indicating a symbol mark in such a mode that the number of segments to be lighted or flashed changes with time.  
     
     
         29 . An ear type thermometer for metering a body temperature by detecting the intensity of an infrared ray emitted from the inside of an ear, comprising a display composed of a plurality of segments for indicating a symbol mark in such a mode that the number of segments to be lighted or flashed increases with time until all the segments are lighted or flashed.  
     
     
         30 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 28 , 
 wherein the improvement comprises a timer for establishing said display mode while the time is being measured by said timer.    
     
     
         31 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 28 , 
 wherein the improvement comprises temperature metering means for metering the environmental temperature for establishing said display mode while the environmental temperature or its change is being metered by said temperature metering means.    
     
     
         32 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 31 , 
 wherein the improvement comprises correction means for correcting the metered value in response to the change in the environmental temperature.    
     
     
         33 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 32 , 
 wherein said correction means reduces the correction substantially to 0 when the change in the environmental temperature is small.    
     
     
         34 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 32 , 
 wherein the correction by said correction means has an upper limit and/or a lower limit.    
     
     
         35 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 28 , 
 wherein said display mode appears during the standby time after the finish of the thermometry and before a next thermometry becomes possible.    
     
     
         36 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 28 , 
 wherein said display-mode appears during the standby time after the finish of the thermometry and before the vicinity of the portion of said termometer to contact with said ear is cooled.    
     
     
         37 . An ear type thermometer comprising a thermometric portion for detecting the intensity of an infrared ray depending upon the temperature in an ear, so that the temperature value in the ear may be computed by correcting the detected value, as obtained from the detected signal detected by the thermometric portion, according to the change in the temperature of the environment in which said thermometric portion is placed, 
 wherein said correction is substantially undone when the changing rate of said environmental temperature is low.    
     
     
         38 . An ear type thermometer comprising a thermometric portion for detecting the intensity of an infrared ray depending upon the temperature in an ear, so that the temperature value in the ear may be computed by correcting the detected value, as obtained from the detected signal detected by the thermometric portion, according to the change in the temperature of the environment in which said thermometric portion is placed, 
 wherein the magnitude of said correction is given an upper limit and/or a lower limit.    
     
     
         39 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 37 , 
 wherein said thermometric portion includes an infrared sensor made of thermopile and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the cold junctions of said termopile, and    wherein said detected signal is the signals outputted from said infrared sensor and said temperature sensor.    
     
     
         40 . An ear type thermometer according to  claim 39 , 
 wherein said environmental temperature is metered on the basis of the signal outputted from said temperature sensor.