Non-contact temperature measurement devices using thermopile sensors to determine a subject's body temperature are a reliable alternative to traditional sublingual thermometers. These tympanic temperature devices obtain a measurement of the tympanic membrane in a subject's ear by the detection of infrared radiation. The tympanic membrane area is considered to provide a highly accurate representation of a subject's core temperature, and infrared temperature measurements using a thermopile are extremely rapid.
A hand-held radiation detector suitable for tympanic temperature measurement is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,419. The detector obtains tympanic temperature measurements from the output of a thermopile mounted in an extension from a housing. The housing has a temperature display and supports the electronics for responding to sensed radiation from the tympanic membrane. The extension extends at about a fifteen degree angle from the housing and has the appearance of a conventional otoscope.
Another tympanic temperature measurement device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,642 to O'Hara et al. This device comprises a probe unit having a handle and a head assembly terminating in a probe which is inserted into the external ear canal to take a subject's temperature. The head assembly contains an infrared sensitive thermopile detector for measuring radiation from the tympanic membrane. The probe unit is attached to a chopper unit by a cord, and both units must be physically mated between temperature readings for recalibration.