Thermally Isolated Sensor Housing for Accurate Ambient Temperature Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical temperature measurement devices, particularly those used in medical insufflation, face challenges in accurately registering ambient temperature without falsification due to heat emission or withdrawal from the machine, and remote sensors can be inconvenient and error-prone.
Innovation Solution
A measuring device with at least one temperature sensor positioned remotely from the machine and one near to it, housed in a measuring device that can be attached to or inserted into the machine's outer wall, evaluates the ambient temperature by calculating the difference between these sensors' readings, minimizing heat influence and ensuring accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the temperature sensor is arranged on the machine itself, then the measurement is convenient and integrated, but the temperature value is falsified by heat transmitted by the machine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a measuring housing as an intermediary component that thermally decouples the temperature sensor from the heat-generating machine. The housing acts as a thermal barrier, allowing the sensor to measure ambient temperature without direct thermal influence from the machine's heat sources while remaining integrated with the machine structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature sensor is extracted from direct contact with the machine's heat-generating components and placed inside a measuring housing that is thermally isolated from the machine. This extraction removes the harmful thermal influence while maintaining the sensor's integration with the machine through the housing structure.
2Measurement precision
If the temperature sensor is arranged at a relatively large distance from the machine, then the temperature measurement is not falsified by machine heat, but the control becomes inconvenient and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The measuring housing serves as an intermediary structure that allows the temperature sensor to be positioned close to the machine (for convenient control and integration) while maintaining thermal isolation. The housing bridges the gap between the need for proximity and the need for thermal decoupling.
Solution Approach 2:
The measuring system is segmented into two functional parts: the measuring housing that provides thermal isolation and structural integration, and the temperature sensor that performs the measurement. This segmentation allows each component to fulfill its specific function optimally.
3Device complexity
If a single temperature sensor is used, then the device is simple, but it cannot distinguish between machine heat influence and ambient temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature measurement function is segmented into two sensors: one positioned to measure machine-influenced temperature and another to measure ambient temperature. This segmentation enables differentiation between machine heat influence and true ambient conditions, improving measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the measuring system are assigned different sensor positions with different measurement qualities. The sensor near the machine measures a combination of machine heat and ambient temperature, while the remote sensor measures purely ambient temperature, allowing for accurate ambient temperature determination through comparison.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a largely unfalsified and accurate measurement of ambient temperature, even in environments with heat sources or restricted air circulation, enhancing temperature control for medical insufflation processes.
Implementation Method 1
a first temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the insufflation gas at a gas outlet of the humidifier
Implementation Method 2
a second temperature sensor for measuring an ambient temperature in the measuring housing
Implementation Method 3
a measuring housing, made of a plastic, in particular a plastic with a low thermal conductivity and a low heat capacity
Implementation Method 4
using a heating tube, provided with a heating wire coil, during an insufflation of CO2 or N2O gas into a biological body, wherein the gas is guided to an insufflation instrument through said heating tube and heated to approximately the body temperature of the patient
Data Source
AI summary
A measuring device and method according to the invention for registering an ambient temperature Ta of a medical machine including a measuring housing, which is arranged on an outer wall of the machine and in which at least one temperature sensor remote from the machine and at least one temperature sensor (16, 16′) near to the machine are held, wherein the at least one temperature sensor remote from the machine registers a first temperature T1 and the at least one temperature sensor near to the machine registers a second temperature T2, and an evaluation apparatus configured to establish the ambient temperature Ta using a difference between the first temperature T1 registered by the at least one temperature sensor remote from the machine and the second temperature T2 registered by the at least one temperature sensor near to the machine.