Detection and measurement device having a small flexible fiber transmission line

Claim 1

A DETECTION DEVICE FOR MEASUREMENT OF PRESSURE AND PRESSURE RELATED EFFECTS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A REMOTE LIGHT SOURCE, A FLEXIBLE LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE FIBER TRANSMISSION LINE OF CONSIDERABLE LENGTH WITH RESPECT TO THICKNESS, WHICH THICKNESS IS SUFFICIENTLY SMALL TO PERMIT THE FEEDING OF THE FIBER TRANSMISSION LINE THROUGH A NARROW RESTRICTED AND TORTUOUS COURSE, SAID TRANSMISSION LINE SERVING AS ITS OWN FEED MEANS THROUGH SUCH TORTUOUS COURSE, SAID TRANSMISSION LINE CONSISTING OF A LIGHT TRANSMITTING FIBER PATH HAVING HIGH INTERNAL REFLECTANCE PROPERTIES SUCH THAT THE SAME FIBER SERVES FOR CONVEYING LIGHT FROM THE REMOTE LIGHT SOURCE AT ONE END OF THE TRANSMISSION LINE TO THE OTHER END AND FOR TRANSMITTING REFLECTED LIGHT FROM SAID OTHER END IN THE OTHER DIRECTION BACK TO THE END AT THE REMOTE LIGHT SOURCE, A LIGHT REFLECTING TRANSDUCER ELEMENT SUFFICIENTLY SMALL TO PASS THROUGH A HUMAN BLOOD VESSEL INTEGRAL WITH THE TRANSMISSION LINE END OF GENERALLY BULBOUS FORM TERMINATING THE END OF THE TRANSMISSION LINE REMOTE FROM THE LIGHT SOURCE AND PROVIDING A LIGHT REFLECTING SURFACE POSITIONED AXIALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF LIGHT TRANSMISSION ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE TRANSMISSION LINE, SUCH THAT A CHANGE IN THE SHAPE OF THE BULBOUS ELEMENT IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN PRESSURE WILL DISTORT THE REFLECTING SURFACE AND THEREBY CAUSE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF LIGHT TO BE REFLECTED BACK THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION LINE IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LIMITED PREDETERMINED CHANGE OF SHAPE OF THE BULBOUS MEMBER, AND LIGHT DETECTION MEANS POSITIONED AT THE SAME REMOTE END OF THE TRANSMISSION LINE AS THE LIGHT SOURCE IN POSITION TO RECEIVE LIGHT REFLECTED BY THE TRANSDUCER ELEMENT BACK TO THE DETECTION MEANS.