Patent ID: 8062228
Filing Date: 2011-11-22
Classification: A61B,G01K

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for long term monitoring of the intracranial temperature of a neonate, said apparatus comprising a dual-mode transducer including a working surface whose area constitutes a small percentage of the cranial surface of the neonate; a first antenna in the form of a rectangular waveguide having a pair of opposite broad walls and a pair of opposite narrower walls, said waveguide extending along an axis to a first end defining a first aperture at or near said working surface, said first antenna having a characteristic first antenna pattern that extends a selected first distance outward along said axis from said working surface and being tuned to a first frequency, said first antenna producing a first output signal indicative of thermal radiation from a selected depth in the neonate's cranium; a continuous septum extending between opposite locations on the narrower walls so as to partition the waveguide along its length without appreciably affecting the first antenna pattern, and a second antenna located substantially entirely within the septum and extending from a first end at a connection outside the waveguide to a second end located on said axis adjacent to said working surface and defining a second aperture which is shared with the first aperture, said second antenna having a characteristic second antenna pattern that extends a selected second distance less than the first distance outward along said axis from said working surface and being tuned to a second frequency, said second antenna producing a second output signal indicative of thermal radiation from the near surface of the neonate's cranium.