Method and apparatus for precision temperature measurement

Claim 1

A temperature measuring device for providing a signal representative of a temperature to be measured, comprising in combination a thermocouple for sensing the temperature to be measured, said thermocouple having a hot and cold junction for providing a first signal as a function of the temperature difference between said hot and cold junctions, means comprising a semiconductor thermal sensitive component arranged in a common structure with said cold junction to provide a second signal as a function of the actual temperature of said cold junction and based upon the absolute scale of temperature, and means coupled responsively to said first mentioned means and thermocouple for providing a third signal representative of the algebraic addition of said first and second signals, said third signal being representative of said temperature to be measured, said cold junction and said semiconductor component being coupled to a thermionic inertia element for equalizing the thermal response rates of said thermocouple cold junction and said semiconductor component, said thermionic inertia element comprising two bodies of the same conductive metal disposed side by side separated by a thin layer of electrically insulating but thermally conductive material, said bodies being of different metal from that of said thermocouple hot junction and connected to said thermocouple hot junction to provide said cold junction, said bodies defining an internal cavity, and said semiconductor component is mounted within said cavity.