A sensing module includes a hollow body, a first photo sensor, and a second photo sensor. The hollow body includes a cavity portion and an insertion portion connected to each other. The insertion portion has a first channel and a second channel. The first photo sensor is disposed in the cavity portion of the hollow body and corresponds to the first channel to sense an ambient temperature and a test object temperature. The second photo sensor is disposed in the cavity portion of the hollow body and corresponds to the second channel to sense the ambient temperature.

A wireless pressure sensing unit (20) comprises a membrane (25) forming an outer wall portion of a cavity and two permanent magnets (26,28) inside the cavity. One magnet is coupled to the membrane, and at least one magnet is free to oscillate with a rotational movement. At least one is free to oscillate with a rotational movement. The oscillation takes place at a resonance frequency, which is a function of the sensed pressure, which pressure influences the spacing between the two permanent magnets. This oscillation frequency can be sensed remotely by measuring a magnetic field altered by the oscillation. The wireless pressure sensing unit may be provided on a catheter (21) or guidewire.

The application describes devices, systems and methods related to an implantable device that is a stent or a heart valve. The implantable device includes a pressure sensor. The implantable device is for being introduced into a subject and for being wirelessly read out by an outside reading system. The pressure sensor comprises a casing with a diffusion blocking layer for maintaining a predetermined pressure within the casing and a magneto-mechanical oscillator with a magnetic object providing a permanent magnetic moment. The magneto-mechanical oscillator transduces an external magnetic or electromagnetic excitation field into a mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object, wherein at least a part of the casing is flexible for allowing to transduce external pressure changes into changes of the mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object.

A pressure measurement device for determining a pressure of a fluid located inside a cylindrical casing includes: at least one sensor for determining a force acting thereon; and a clamp for peripheral attachment to the casing. The at least one sensor is arranged inside the clamp and is operatively connected thereto. The clamp includes a peripheral link chain having chain links that are pivotably coupled to one another at end joints, and a closure device that interacts with a first chain link and a final chain link.

A sensor and method for use in measuring a physical characteristic of a fluid in a microfluidic system is provided. A microfluidic chip has a thin deformable membrane that separates a microfluidic channel from a microwave resonator sensor. The membrane is deformable in response to loading from interaction of the membrane with the fluid. Loading may be fluid pressure in the channel, or shear stress or surface stress resulting from interaction of the membrane with the fluid. The deformation of the membrane changes the permittivity in the region proximate the sensor. A change in permittivity causes a change in the electrical parameters of the sensor, thereby allowing for a characteristic of the fluid, such as flow rate, or a biological or chemical characteristic, to be measured. Also, a microwave sensor with improved sensitivity for characterizing a fluid in a microfluidic channel is provided. The sensor has a rigid and very thin layer, for example in the range of 10 um to 100 um, in the microfluidic chip allowing for the positioning of the sensor very close to the microfluidic channel, which enables very high resolution sensing.

The invention relates to a passive pressure sensor (501) for being introduced into the circulatory system of a human being and for being wirelessly read out by an outside reading system. The pressure sensor comprises a casing (502) with a diffusion blocking layer for maintaining a predetermined pressure within the casing and a magneto-mechanical oscillator with a magnetic object (508) providing a permanent magnetic moment. The magneto-mechanical oscillator transduces an external magnetic or electromagnetic excitation field into a mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object, wherein at least a part of the casing is flexible for allowing to transduce external pressure changes into changes of the mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object. The pressure sensor can be very small and nevertheless provide high quality pressure sensing.

A tracking system for tracking a marker device for being attached to a medical device is provided, whereby the marker device includes a sensing unit comprising a magnetic object which may be excited by an external magnetic or electromagnetic excitation field into a mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object, and the tracking system comprises a field generator for generating a predetermined magnetic or electromagnetic excitation field for inducing mechanical oscillations of the magnetic object, a transducer for transducing a magnetic or electromagnetic field generated by the induced mechanical oscillations of the magnetic object into one or more electrical response signals, and a position determination unit for determining the position of the marker device on the basis of the one or more electrical response signals.

The invention relates to a marker device and a tracking system for tracking the marker device, wherein the marker device comprises a rotationally oscillatable magnetic object and wherein the rotational oscillation is excitable by an external magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field which is generated by a magnetic field providing unit 20, 31 that is located outside of the marker device. The rotational oscillation of the magnetic object induces a current in coils, wherein based on these induced currents the position and optionally also the orientation of the marker device is determined. This wireless kind of tracking can be carried out with relatively small marker devices, which can be placed, for instance, in a guidewire, the marker devices can be read out over a relatively large distance and it is possible to use a single marker device for six degrees of freedom localization.

The invention relates to a measurement device 1 comprising a rotatable magnetic object 4 which can oscillate with a resonant frequency if excited by an external magnetic torque. The measurement device 1 is adapted such that the resonant frequency depends on the temperature or on another physical or chemical quantity like pressure, in order to allow for a wireless temperature measurement or measurement of the other physical or chemical quantity via an external magnetic field providing the external magnetic torque. This measurement device can be relatively small, can be read-out over a relatively larger distance and allows for a very accurate measurement.

There is provided a cryocooler including a cryocooler cylinder, a pressure switching valve that generates a periodic pressure fluctuation inside the cryocooler cylinder, and a sensor that measures a periodic deformation of the cryocooler cylinder, which is caused by the periodic pressure fluctuation inside the cryocooler cylinder.