Implantable temperature probe

Claim 2

An implantable bi-metallic temperature sensing unit comprising: a rigid needle having a hollow substantially conical portion designed to penetrate animal tissue; an elongated substrate; a high resistance thermocouple including two overlapped metallic films bonded substantially along the longitudinal axis on one face of said elongated substrate, said substrate being folded back upon itself where said films overlap and being inserted into said conical portion to position the overlapping area in close proximity to the tip thereof; a meter means and flexible lead means extending from the distal end of said needle for connecting signals from said thermocouple to said meter means, said lead means including a resistive static charge shield and resistive material having characteristics similar to that of the metals in said bi-metallic thermocouple, and said needle including materials having resistance to limit the energy coupled from incident radio frequency fields.

Claim 3

An implantable sensing unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said flexible lead means terminates in a rigid connector having contacts formed of the same material as the bi-metallic thermocouple.

Claim 4

An implantable bi-metallic temperature sensing unit comprising: a rigid needle including materials having resistance to limit the energy coupled from incident radio frequency fields and having a hollow substantially conical portion designed to penetrate animal tissue; an elongated substrate; a high resistance thermocouple including two overlapped metallic films bonded substantially along the longitudinal axis on one face of said elongated substrate, said substrate being folded back upon itself where said films overlap and being inserted into the conical portion of said needle to position the overlapping area in close proximity to the tip thereof; a meter means; flexible lead means extending from the distal end of said needle for connecting signals from said thermocouple to said meter means, said lead means including resistive material having characteristics similar to that of the metals in said bi-metallic thermocouple; and a proportional oven, amplifier means within said oven, means connecting said flexible leads to said amplifier means, and means coupling the output of said amplifier means to said meter means.

Claim 5

An implantable bi-metallic temperature sensing unit comprising: a rigid needle including materials having resistance to limit the energy coupled from incident radio frequency fields and having a hollow substantially conical portion designed to penetrate animal tissue; an elongated substrate; a high resistance thermocouple including two overlapped metallic films bonded substantially along the longitudinal axis on one face of said elongated substrate, said substrate being folded back upon itself where said films overlap and being inserted into the conical portion of said needle to position the overlapping area in close proximity to the tip thereof; a meter means; flexible lead means extending from the distal end of said needle for connecting signals from said thermocouple to said meter means, said lead means including resistive material having characteristics similar to that of the metals in said bi-metallic thermocouple; and a proportional oven, amplifier means within said oven, means connecting said flexible leads to said amplifier means, and means coupling the output of said amplifier means to said meter means.

Claim 6

An implantable sensing unit as defined in claim 3, including means within said proportional oven to establish the temperature of the reference junction whereat said flexible leads are connected to said amplifier means.

Claim 7

An implantable bi-metallic temperature sensing unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said flexible lead means includes a resistive static charge shield.

Claim 8

An implantable bi-metallic temperature sensing unit as defined in claim 5, wherein said flexible lead means terminates in a rigid connector having contacts formed of the same material as the bi-metallic thermocouple.