Patent ID: 9261407
Filing Date: 2016-02-16
CPC Classification: A61B,G01J,G01K

Claim Text:
1. A thermometer for determining a temperature of a vertebrate animal's ear drum disposed at the inner end of the animal's ear canal defined by an ear canal wall, said thermometer comprising: a probe adapted to be inserted into the ear canal, said probe possessing a substantially frusto-conical configuration about a substantially longitudinal axis and possessing an outer peripheral surface; a detector adapted to sense infrared radiation emitted by the ear canal and the ear drum, said detector being operatively coupled to said probe; an array of at least three electrically conductive zones disposed adjacent to and arranged about said outer peripheral surface; at least one electrode overlapping at least one of said zones; at least one sensor electrically connected to each of said zones and also electrically connected to said at least one electrode, said at least one sensor adapted to sense the conductivity of each of said zones as said probe is inserted into the ear canal and adapted to sense the conductivity of said at least one electrode as said probe is inserted into the ear canal; and a microprocessor configured to assess the orientation of the longitudinal axis of said probe relative to the wall of said ear canal in the vicinity of said probe at least partially based on the conductivity sensed by said at least one sensor.