Temperature Talking Indicating Device

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for taking and indicating temperature, such as the temperature of a liquid, solid or other material and including body temperature. In particular, the invention is directed to a portable hand-held temperature indicating unit which includes, in addition to its own source of electrical energy, microminiature electronic circuit means for processing signals generated by a temperature sensing transducer which may be supported by the unit or separate therefrom and connected to the electronic circuit by means of a flexible wire or cable. A prime feature of the apparatus or device is its ability to sense a temperature and, either automatically or upon operation of a user controlled switch, to generate a speech indication of the temperature in the form of one or more words which are generated from a synthetic speech signal generator. As a result, reading errors sometimes resulting from visually reading a scale or display, are eliminated and, if a visual display is also provided as part of the unit, its display of temperature may be checked against the verbal indication of the temperature heard by the person using the unit. Temperature sensing and indicating is thus substantially simplified and may be effected by persons with poor eyesight and blind persons.

Accordingly it is a primary oject of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method for measuring and indicating temperature.

Another object is to provide an improved temperature sensing and indicating device which employs synthetic speech signals and sounds of words generated thereby which indicate to the user of the device the temperature sensed thereby.

Another object is to provide a new and improved temperature indicating device and method which employs both visual and audible indications of a temperature measured or sensed.

Another object is to provide an improved temperature indicating device which may be used by persons having poor vision and blind persons.

Another object is to provide a temperature indicating device which is simple to operate and void of human error sometimes made by improper reading a temperature scale or other indication of temperature.

Another object is to provide a temperature indicating device having means for generating synthetic speech indications of temperature wherein such speech indications may be repeated one or more times in the event that the person using the device does not properly hear the first or subsequent speech indications of temperature.

Another object is to provide a temperature taking and indicating device which may be used by a patient or persons who are not skilled in reading a scale or other means for visually indicating temperature.

With the above and such other objects in view as may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the the novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts and electrical components as will be more fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a temperature taking and indicating device and

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of electrical circuitry forming part of the device of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1 is shown a basic form of the instant invention in the form of a temperature indicating device 10 composed of a box-like housing 11 which may be small enough to fit in the pocket of the user and which has a top wall portion 11A thereof containing an opening or cavity 11B in the top wall of the housing for accommodating a microphone and speaker; and electrically operated display 14 for numerically indicating temperature, a push-button switch 12, a knob for a volume control means 16 and a jack for receiving a plug connected to an earphone to be worn by the user of the device in the event that it is desired to maintain silence in using the device.

The device 10 also includes a thermometer probe 13 which includes an elongated tubular housing 13C and a temperature sensor or transducer 13A supported at the end of the tubular member 13C. A flexible cable or line 13B connects the sensor 13A at the end of the housing 13C to electronic circuit means located within the housing 11 by means of a pluggable connector 13D secured to the top wall of the housing.

In FIG. 2 is shown electronic circuitry 10A located within the housing 11 for controlling temperature sensing and indication as will be described. The circuitry of each box of FIG. 2 is constructed of well known circuits of the type known as C-MOS discrete circuitry. The usage of these well known devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,465. A power supply or battery is operatively connectable to properly power the illustrated electrically operated components by means of a bistable manual switch 12 when the latter is manually or otherwise closed. The end of probe 13 may be inserted into the mouth or rectum of a person whose temperature is to be sensed or otherwise applied to a material requiring temperature sensing and the transducer portion 13A thereof, which may comprise an electrical thermistor which assumes and senses its environmental temperature within a relatively short period of time and provides an electrical signal output, representative of the temperature sensed, to an amplifier 19, the output of which is connected to a voltage controlled oscillator 20. The output of such oscillator 20 is a frequency signal proportional to the temperature sensed and such oscillator acts as a clock for a counter 21 when it is connected through an AND gate 22 to the counter. The output of counter 21 is a coded digital signal which is representative of the number of cycles counted in a particular temperature measurement cycle wherein the length of such cycle is controlled by the period of an oscillator 23 having a feedback circuit 24 which provides a clock input to a JK flip-flop 25. The Q output of the flip-flop 25 provides the second input to the AND gate 22 and, when such flip-flop is activated, it allows the output of the voltage controlled oscillator 20 to be transferred through such AND gate 22, to the counter 21. When the counting period ends on the subsequent cycle of the oscillator 23, the flip-flop 25 toggles and its Q output becomes activated while its Q output becomes inactive. The inactivation of the Q output turns off the AND gate 22 thereby preventing the transfer of the output of the voltage controlled oscillator 20 to the counter 21. The activation of the Q output of the flip-flop 25 triggers a latch 26 to effect sampling and holding of the count generated on the output of counter 21. The output generated on the Q output of the flip-flop switch 25 also activates a delay circuit 27 which transfers a reset pulse to the reset input of the counter 21 after a time delay such as to allow for the setting of the latch 26, readying it for the next counter cycle.

The output of latch 26 is connected to a decoder-driver circuit 34 which operates to drive and maintain an indication of temperature on the display means 14, which may comprise an LED or LCD numerical display operable for displaying a numerical indication of the sensed temperature. The outputs of latch 26 are also connected to the inputs to a speech synthesizing circuit 28, such as manufactured by the Texas Instruments Corporation and designated TMC 0280, which is an integrated circuit including its support circuits and which creates synthesized electrical signals which are representative of words indicating the temperature sensed and displayed. Whenever a normally open push-button switch 15 is closed and it activates a time delay circuit 29 which is connected to the activation input of the speech synthesizor circuit 28, it being noted that the time delay is provided to permit the thermistor 13A of the temperature sensing device 13 to reach equillibrium with its ambient surroundings.

The output of the speech synthesizing circuit or computer 28 is passed to a amplifier 30, having a manually operable volume control unit 16. The output of amplifier 30 is conducted to a pluggable jack 17 to which may be connected an earphone 32 or a speaker 31 for transducing the synthetic speech signals to sounds of words indicating the temperature sensed.

In the event that the speech synthesizing circuit 28 operates to generate digital indications of speech, rather than analog indications, a suitable digital-to-analog converter may be provided in the output of the microelectronic circuit 28 and the amplifier 30.

Notation 33 refers to a a jack or female electrical connector supported by the endwall of housing 11 for receiving a pluggable terminal for a recharging source of electrical energy for recharging the battery (not shown) supported in the housing 11 for powering the circuits and electrical devices described when the bistable switch 15 is closed.

Other speech signal generating circuits and their attendant digital to analog signal converters for controllably generating speech signals of words or numbers indicative of the temperature measured or sensed when the push-button switch 15 is closed include the Texas Instruments TMC 0820 and circuits manufactured by such companies as Telesensory Systems, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif.; Vortax Division of Federal Screw Works, Troy, Mich.; Periphonics Corporations of Bohemia, N.Y.; Interstate Electronics Corporation of Anaheim, Calif. and others such as Threshold Technology Inc. of Delran, N.J. the other components shown in FIG. 2, such as the VCO 20, the flip flop 25, the oscillator 23, the counter 21, the latch 26, and the decoder/driver 34 may all be constructed from discrete components. CMOS components may be used because of their low power consumption. Still further, any integrated or hybrid integrated circuit may be used.

In a modified form of the invention, the synthetic speech synthesizing circuit 28 may be programmed or contain an attendant control circuit which is programmed or otherwise operative to cause the following modes of operation of the device 10 or similar performing temperature indicating devices:

(a) When the temperature sensed by sensor 13A exceeds or falls below a preset limit or limits, the speech synthesizer 28 or a control therefore may be operable to effect the generation of speech signals defined by words indicating such condition in terms of its significance such as by generating at the speaker 31 warning words suggesting that a nurse or doctor be summoned or that certain corrective or alleviating action be taken such as a call for medication or other action.

(b) When the temperature sensed by sensor 13A exceeds or falls below a preset limit or limited, an indication of such condition may be had at a remote location such as a monitor station or a remote receiver held by a nurse or doctor by either transmiting a code which is indicative of the patient and condition sensed to such remote location by short wave wherein the code signal is decoded and applied to operate a warning device or display thereat or by actually transmitting speech signals generated by the speech synthesizing computer 28 via short wave transmitter 37 to such remote location and applying same to a short wave receiver and speaker therefore to generate speech which is indicative of the condition sensed and the identity of the patient wherein such patient indentification speech signals are preprogrammed in the computer 28 for reproproduction therefrom when signals input thereto from the counter or the driver 27 indicate such condition or conditions.

(c) The device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be operably coupled to a patient or other device the temperature of which is to be constantly monitored over a period of time and may be operable as described above to generate a code signal or speech signals indicative of temperature sensed when it exceeds or falls below preset limits to transmit such speech or code signals to a remote monitor station for display and or use thereat in indicating such temperature conditions with sounds of words indicating same. In other words, computer 28 may either be a speech signal generator for generating selected or specific speech signals indicative of temperature and/or a code generating a circuit means for generating codes indicative of temperature or temperature conditions and the identity of the patient, system or location of the temperature so sensed and indicated.

Jack 17 may comprise or be provided with a manual switch for disconnecting speaker 31 from the output of amplifier 30 when the earphone 32 is connected thereto.

It should be understood with respect to the embodiments described, that a suitable power supply or supplies is provided to supply proper electrical energy for appropriately operating the various devices and circuits illustrated and described above.

It is further noted that push button switch 12 for effecting repeated generating of synthetic speech signals indicative of the temperature sensed may include or be replaced by a switch or contacts 33 which are closed when air is blown thereagainst or upon sensing a sound directed thereagainst or into a microphone disposed in cavity 31. This switch 33 is a sound operated means for closing said normaly open switch. Thus the human breath or spoken sounds may be used to activate the computer 28 to generate speech signals of words indicative of temperature sensed.