WO1994025841A1

WO1994025841A1 - System for detecting and remote signalling through radiofrequency a preset temperature in warm blood persons and animals

Info

Publication number: WO1994025841A1
Application number: PCT/ES1994/000042
Authority: WO
Inventors: Conrado Martinez Portugal
Original assignee: Grupo K & F Regal, S.A.
Priority date: 1993-04-29
Filing date: 1994-04-29
Publication date: 1994-11-10
Also published as: AU6570394A; ES2070738R; ES2070738A2; ES2070738B1

Abstract

The system for the detection and remote signalling through radiofrequency of a preset temperature in warm blood persons and animals comprises a clinical thermometer of reduced size applicable to the axilla, with direct reading of a feverish temperature and setting of the temperature alarm (maximum and minimum) considered as danger threshold and which, upon reaching the preset temperature, closes an emitter circuit which emits through radiofrequency received by a 'pager' type receiver, thereby transforming said received signal into acoustic signals, lightflashes or a combination of the two. Thus, the patient or person which is subjected to control does not have to be necessarily in the same room as the controller.

Description

Title

System for the remote detection and warning by radio frequency, of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals.

5 _. Scope

The field of application is the detection and warning at a distance of a certain temperature degree, in people or animals that have to be subjected to a strict control of their temperature, thus avoiding their continuous controls, and 0 warning when the subject reaches the set temperature

Given its characteristics (low temperature alarm preset at 35.32 c and extreme temperature alarm, as well as direct reading via quartz display) it can be applied to all people: babies (daytime or nighttime control), adolescents (by means of controls in hospitals and clinics) and older people living alone (tele-assistance).

Through the domestic model, we will control the fever of the family member, the hospital is aimed at controlling the patients from a single receiving center of the signals 0 emitted by all thermometers, (these controls can be located by plants, and in the case of a small clinic, they could all be centralized) and another one aimed at the control of people of senile age, who by themselves are alone. In this model, an emergency button is incorporated to transmit an alarm even when the temperature anomaly has not been detected, so that the receiver, connected to an interface programmed previously with the telecare number, communicates Direct to the patient and assistant. 0

State of the Art

The state of the art in terms of the detection of temperature in people or animals is from the maximum clinical thermometer consisting in a glass container with 5 a scale of values divided into degrees that inside contains a liquid (the most usual it is of mercury) and that by means of heat dilates it. There are also electronics that are powered by batteries and that by means of sensors or

SUBSTITUTED SHEET combination of electronic elements warn the temperature digitally. Other models could be the adhesive tapes that are fixed on the forehead, changing color when they reach a certain temperature, and the last and most novel is electronic that is specially designed for the blind, which in a spoken way says the febrile state of the subject . There are also clinical thermometers that emit a sound when they reach a certain stabilized temperature, but on the same thermometer. There are febrile detection systems that are used in operating rooms, always connected to high-precision electronic equipment using cables.

Description of the invention The system for the detection and remote warning by means of radiofrequency of a predetermined temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, is an electronic system composed of a temperature thermistor (NTC), a microprocessor, resistors, capacitors, etc., that assembled in an electronic circuit and with dimensions suitable for concrete use, hermetically sealed and only practicable for the replacement of the power battery, will measure the temperature, and once the program is reached as a danger principle (or considered dangerous by the controller), it will start a radio frequency radio signal emitting device, this being picked up by a portable receiver (pager type) of similar characteristics to those already existing in the market.

The system is attached to the subject through traditional systems that allows it to be constantly in contact with the temperature of the subject, making the first reading after five minutes and updating it periodically. When it reaches the programmed limit, it closes an activating circuit of the sending part, sending a signal to the receiver that is in the possession of the controlling person, thus avoiding the inconvenience of periodic temperature taking, with the consequent sleep disorder , change of position, displacements and other inconveniences.

SUBSTITUTED SHEET The intention at the time of the design of the detector-emitter, is that it is as flat as possible, of non-oxidizable and anti-allergic material, so that it does not produce discomfort in the attached area, and for being continuously in contact with the 5 _. There is no possibility of taking unreliable temperatures and the control of the feverish state is taking place even while the subject is dozing.

One of the applications and previous modification, of the thermometer, is adaptable to elderly people who live alone. By means of the incorporation of an additional button, apart from the high and low temperature alarms, the button will close the emitter circuit, being received by the receiver (which through a voltage-free relay output) acts as an interface by setting 5 direct communication by phone call and hands-free, to the user with the telecare managers.

Another application is for clinics and hospitals, varying in this case the receiver, which is a 0 scaner making frequent sweeps within the same wave frequency and adjusted to the different codes of the emitters in use. EXAMPLE;

The system consists of three large blocks of 5 electronic components:

Temperature sensing unit (NTC) (fig. 4.A) plus a series of electronic components that convert the analog signals received by the "NTC" into digital or vice versa (fig. 0 4.B).

A microprocessor (fig. 4.C). This is the fundamental part of the device, previously programmed for certain functions (low temperature alarm, maximum temperature alarm allowed, sequential temperature capture, storage of different sockets at different time intervals, low battery test , 2C converter

A quartz liquid crystal display (fig. 4.D)

SUBSTITUTED SHEET It is the one that optically indicates the option to be selected or the degree of temperature reached. A radio encoder (fig. 4.E) that receives an instruction from the microprocessor and coding.

An AM modulator (fig. 4.F) to emit the signal, at a certain frequency.

These five groups of components are those that have the function of taking the temperature, analyzing it and in case of an alarm, retransmitting it to the receiving device or "searching" for characteristics similar to those currently sold.

The receiving part is formed by two blocks: One that is the radio receiver (fig. 5.A) that contains a signal decoder, and another (fig. 5.B) a series of electronic components (resistors, capacitors , etc.) that trigger the alarm, warning by optical and / or acoustic means.

The operation itself will be that by means of two push buttons we put the microprocessor into operation, it indicates its programming by sending the data to the display and being able to program and select the desired option. Once this operation is performed, the sensor unit (NTC) takes continuous temperature shots on the patient by sending analog signals and converting them into digital ones to be interpreted by the "micro", which receives them and compares them with what was previously programmed. Once the received signals have been analyzed and compared by the "micro", verify if they coincide, and if so, close a circuit for an encoder via radio and this in turn to a frequency modulator that emits the signal, to be received by a receiver that will decode the signal and close an alarm circuit warning the controller. In one of the variants of the detector apparatus, an additional push button activating the encoder for radio and its subsequent phases has been provided, in order to send a signal to the receiver even if it has not detected the "micro" initially programmed.

In another, the variant consists of the receiver that is of type scaner, which would be making continuous sweeps adjusted in frequency and codes of the different emitters, so

SUBSTITUTED SHEET that when any of them emit a signal, be detected by it and indicate and differentiate it.

One way of carrying out the invention is by manufacturing the emitting thermometer (fig. 1), which is composed of 5 _. its interior by a series of electronic components (resistors, microprocessor, capacitors, transistors, pushbuttons, quartz crystal, diodes, etc.) linked together by means of an electronic circuit and powered by existing DC accumulators already at 0 the market. The thermometer on the outside has: two push-buttons (fig. 1 No.: A and B), a liquid crystal display of quartz (fig. 1 No.: C) and a metal plate attached to a temperature thermistor " NTC "(fig. 1 No.: D) which is the temperature detector. 5 To start the thermometer, we will press the two buttons (fig. 1 no .: A and B) at the same time, the menu to be selected appears on the display (fig. 1 no .: C), it will leave its state of "OFF" and sends an order to a "chip", which programmed for these specific functions, 0 begins by closing a signal emitting circuit by radio frequency, which, when adjusted by quartz crystal in frequency of wave and with trinary coding by means of an integrated integrated is received by the receiver or "search".

5 Prior to this operation, it is necessary to start the receiver using the microswitch (fig. 2 No.: E), automatically, it will start to emit sounds through the loudspeaker for the acoustic warning (fig. 2 No.: F) installed for this purpose, as well as to flash the LED for optical warning 0 (fig .: 2 no .: G). Next, we will press the "reset" button (fig. 2 no .: I) to leave it in the "Stanby" state.

Next, press the two buttons (fig. 1 No.: A and B), and send the first signal to the receiver, which 5 starts to sound through the speaker (fig. 2 No.: H) and turn on the LED ( Fig. 2 No.: G) for the previous emission-reception check. Once the transmission-reception is verified, we press the "reset" button (fig. 2 no .: I), leaving the receiver in "stand-by". Upon receiving this signal,

SUBSTITUTED SHEET the sound level will be adjusted by means of the potentiometer located for this purpose (fig. 2 no .: F).

Once the previous operations described in the previous paragraphs have been carried out, we will proceed to select by means of the pushbuttons (fig. 1 no .: A and B) the temperature degrees that we consider as the danger principle. When displaying this on the display (fig. 1 No.: C) press both buttons at the same time to store the "chip" the selection made. Next, we will endorse the thermometer to the patient with the precaution that the "NTC" temperature thermistor (fig. 1 No.: D) remains in constant contact with the body. The first temperature is taken after five minutes. As the thermometer continues in contact with the body, it continues to take shots and update them every two minutes, storing one of them in its memory every thirty minutes, until storing a total of sixteen shots.

In the event that some of the approximately 240 shots taken during the eight hours, reach the previously selected alarm temperature, a radio frequency signal emitting circuit closes to us that will be immediately received by the receiver (fig. 2) and turn it into optics using LED (fig. 2 No.: G) or acoustics using loudspeaker (fig. 2 No.: H). As for the model adapted to telecare (medical assistance for the elderly) an additional push button is incorporated, so that, in the case that the patient is in poor condition and needs to use it, it can be put in contact simply by pressing the button (fig. 3 no: J).

As for the model designed for hospital centers, the variant consists of the receiver that would be type "scaner" doing "sweeps" periodically, and in the case of detecting any anomaly indicate it in a centralized panel, which indicates the number of room and the patient with anomaly.

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Claims

one." System for the remote detection and warning by radiofrequency, of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals characterized by being an electronic temperature detector, 5. which detects a certain degree of temperature that, previously set, upon arrival to this, it closes a circuit that starts the transmitter, emitting a signal by radiofrequency.

2. System for the detection and remote warning by means of 0 radiofrequency, of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal is received by the mobile receiver, transforming it into an optical and / or acoustic.

3. System for the detection and remote warning by means of radiofrequency, of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, is characterized in that the emitting thermometer consists, in the combination of a temperature activating temperature detector. a radio frequency emitter circuit, encodable or not, with its 0 power supply.

4.- System for the detection and remote warning by radiofrequency, of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, characterized in that the emitting thermometer has a direct reading of 5 temperature by means of a liquid quartz display.

5.- System for the detection and remote warning by radiofrequency of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, because it emits a low temperature alarm, also acting as a 0 signal emission-reception test.

6.- System for the detection and remote warning by radiofrequency of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, characterized by periodically updating the temperature. 5 7.- System for the detection and remote warning by radiofrequency of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, characterized in that it stores in its memory several shots in constant time intervals.

SUBSTITUTED SHEET 8.- System for the detection and remote warning by radiofrequency of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, characterized by the incorporation of an emergency button. 5. 9.- System for the detection and remote warning by radiofrequency of a preset temperature in warm-blooded people and animals, according to claim 1, characterized by the possibility of controlling several users from a receiving center.

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