US 9,429,479 B2 · Methods, devices, and systems which determine a parameter value of an object or an environment from a voltage reading associated with a common mode signal of a balanced circuit

Abstract

A method for determining a value of a parameter of an object or an environment includes positioning a device having a balanced circuit in or on an object or within a particular environment, wherein the balanced circuit comprises elements which are operationally sensitive to changes in a parameter of the object or the environment. The method further includes measuring a common mode signal of the balanced circuit and determining, from the common mode signal, a value of the parameter. An exemplary implementation of the method includes determining temperature using a resistive sensor having a Wheatstone bridge circuit with two variable resistors and two fixed resistors. Embodiments of systems and devices configured to employ such methods are provided, particularly medical probes, electronic signal monitoring devices, and systems employing such devices.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method for determining temperature using a resistive sensor having a Wheatstone bridge circuit with at least two variable resistors, wherein the method comprises:

positioning the resistive sensor such that the at least two variable resistors of the Wheatstone bridge circuit are arranged in an environment in which temperature is to be determined;
measuring, while the two variable resistors are arranged in the environment, a temperature detection voltage derived from the Wheatstone bridge circuit which correlates to a common mode signal of the Wheatstone bridge circuit;
determining, from the temperature detection voltage, a temperature of the environment;
measuring a differential voltage between signal output nodes of the Wheatstone bridge circuit;
and
determining, from the differential voltage, a pressure of the environment, wherein at least one of the steps of measuring the differential voltage and determining the pressure is performed simultaneously with at least one of the steps of measuring the temperature detection voltage and determining the temperature.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods, devices, and systems which determine a parameter value of an object or an environment from a voltage reading associated with a common mode signal of a balanced circuit

Life of this patent

Methods, devices, and systems which determine a parameter value of an object or an environment from a voltage reading associated with a common mode signal of a balanced circuit

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6