Patent ID: 6636760
Filing Date: 2003-10-21
Classification: A61B,G01L

Abstract:
A planar transducer for measuring biomedical pressures which comprises:a substrate plate and an opposing pressure plate; a measurement channel optical fiber set with proximal and distal ends, said proximal end being attached to said substrate plate, said distal end being connectable remotely to an electronics module; a reference channel optical fiber set with proximal and distal ends, said proximal end being attached to said substrate plate, said distal end being connectable remotely to an electronics module; a deformable polymer structure disposed between the substrate and pressure plates; a measurement channel shutter-reflector structure attached to said pressure plate, said shutter-reflector having a reflective surface that faces the measurement channel optical fiber set proximal end; a reference channel shutter-reflector structure attached to said substrate plate, said shutter-reflector having a reflective surface that faces the reference channel optical fiber set proximal end; and the transducer being configured so that when said plates are pressed toward one another the measurement channel shutter-reflector structure modulates a light beam that is transmitted in the measurement channel optical fiber set in correlation with a variation in the deformation of the deformable polymer structure.