VAGINAL TEMPERATURE SENSING USING UHF RADIO TELEMETRY

User induced errors are common when women repetitively employ conventi onal probe type thermometers to chart their basal body temperatures in an effort to indicate ovulation. An alternative technique employing a two-part telemetric thermometer is proposed, with low-power, SAWR-con trolled UHF radio as the transmission medium. Worn overnight in the va gina, the 1 mu W erp telemetry transmitter sends pulse modulated data continuously to a microcontroller in a nearby receiver; a real time cl ock enables programmable sampling and storage of the subject's tempera ture to 0.1 degrees C resolution. Initial clinical results indicate an enhanced performance compared to oral and axillary temperature trends taken by a mercury-in-glass thermometer. Polar plots of both the isol ated and body-worn telemetry transmitte are presented; body indced att enuations of up to 30 dB were measured.