Electronic thermometer and temperature prediction method therefor

An electronic thermometer for determining the temperature of a human body, comprising:

• a symmetrically shaped probe having a symmetrical point;
• a sensor provided in the symmetrical point in the probe for sensing temperatures of the human body and outputting the sensed temperatures;
• and
• a processor for sampling the sensed temperatures at a plurality of times, performing a first temperature calculation to obtain an initial prediction of temperature, and applying a selected compensation coefficient in a first first-order differential equation (A) to calculate a compensated temperature, and using the calculated compensated temperature in a second first-order differential equation (B) to calculate a final prediction of temperature, wherein:
• the compensation coefficient is selected from a plurality of different compensation coefficients, based on a rate of change of the sensed temperatures, different parts of the human body having different compensation coefficients associated therewith;
• and
• the first first-order differential equation (A) comprises a first derivative of each of the sampled sensed temperatures;
• and
• the second first-order differential equation (B) comprises a first derivative of the compensated temperature;
• whereby the electronic thermometer calculates a second order prediction of the temperature of the human body based on the compensated temperature before the sensor has reached the temperature of the human body.