Patent ID: 9591971
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: A61B,G01J,G01K

Claim:
1. A medical probe for insertion into a body cavity of a patient, comprising: a probe body having a sidewall laterally circumscribing a longitudinal axis and enclosing an inner space, the sidewall having a proximal end and a distal end; a sensor coupled to the probe body to provide a signal relating to a condition of the body cavity of the patient; and a proximity sensor coupled to a flange portion located at a proximal end of the probe body and comprising: wherein the optical transmitter is operable to transmit an optical signal, the optical receiver is operable to detect a reflection of the transmitted optical signal to generate a corresponding detection signal; and an electronic circuit coupled to the proximity sensor and operable to utilize the detection signal to determine insertion of a distal end of the probe body into the body cavity based on a determination of the detection signal falling below a reference value, and to generate an insertion signal if the detection signal is below the reference value.