Sensor system for measuring pressure profiles

Abstract

The invention relates to a sensor system for measuring pressure profiles. Such systems can be used wherever pressure distributions in one or two dimensions are to be measured. An important field of application is medicine. Here pressure profile measurements, e.g. in urology, proctology, cardiology and other disciplines can be carried out with the aid of catheters. The measuring catheter is formed as a tubular flexible hollow body (1) of length L. An outer pressure load p(x) is represented on tube (1) as a cross-sectional function A(x). The local cross-section A(x) is scanned by the tube being filled from one side at (x=0) continuously with a liquid substance (I) which displaces substance (II) to the filling length XA. The filling length xA can be measured according to differing methods: measurement of the electrical resistance, measurement of the electrical capacity, measurement of acoustic resonance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.