BREATH ALCOHOL MEASURING DEVICE WITH IMPROVED MOUTHPIECE

• US 20060206034A1
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Burkhard Stock, Jens Rekow, Rigobert Chrzan
• Original Assignee: Burkhard Stock, Jens Rekow, Rigobert Chrzan
• Inventors: Rekow, Jens, Stock, Burkhard, Chrzan, Rigobert
• Granted Patent: US 7,993,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/532
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2202 involving separation of sample components during sampling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/24 Suction devices G01N1/22 - G01N1/2294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2223 aerosol sampling devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2244 Exhaled gas, e.g. alcohol detecting
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06

Abstract

A breath alcohol measuring device (7) is provided with features for superior handling especially of the replaceable mouthpiece (1). A direct physical contact between the test subject being tested and the measuring device is practically ruled out by the combination. The mouthpiece (1) of the breath alcohol measuring device (7) has a trapezoidal cross section, which is complementary to a corresponding negative shape in a holder (6) of the breath alcohol measuring device (7) for the flush mounting of the mouthpiece (1).

Claims

1. A breath alcohol measuring device, comprising:

a holder;

an alcohol sensor connected to said holder;

a mouthpiece designed as a pressure tube with a hole for sampling breathing gas for said alcohol sensor, the mouthpiece having a trapezoidal cross section defining outer surfaces that are complementary to a corresponding negative shape of receiving surfaces in said holder, said outer surfaces and said receiving surfaces defining operative fixing means for a flush mounting of said mouthpiece to said holder and for holding said mouthpiece to said holder, said mouthpiece having a stop extending outside said holder when said trapezoidal section is in said holder, said stop extending in a circumferential direction of the trapezoidal cross section over at least some sections of said trapezoidal cross section, said stop setting a position of said mouthpiece in the longitudinal direction in relation to said holder for alignment of an extending suction channel for sampling breathing gas to said hole.

2. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the trapezoidal cross section of the mouthpiece is equilateral, and said hole for taking a breath sample is located in a shorter of two parallel sides of the cross section of the mouthpiece.

3. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor housing having a parallelepipedic form and said mouthpiece is received in said holder extending in parallel to one of two shorter end faces of the parallelepipedic form of said sensor housing.

4. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said mouthpiece has a positioning pin, which is arranged outside said holder when the mouthpiece is mounted in said holder.

5. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the alcohol sensor includes an electrochemical alcohol sensor in flow connection with said suction channel and a pump, wherein the breathing gas is sampled by means of a sampling stroke of said pump, said pump being arranged downstream of said electrochemical alcohol sensor with the breathing gas being drawn through said electrochemical alcohol sensor.

6. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holder and said mouthpiece are symmetrical in relation to the breath alcohol measuring device whereby said mouthpiece can be mounted in said holder without a preferred direction in two different positions forming an angle of 180°

with each other.

7. A breath alcohol measuring device comprising:

a sensor housing with a suction channel;

an alcohol sensor arranged in said sensor housing;

a holder connected to said sensor housing, said holder having a receiving portion; and

a mouthpiece with a breathing gas passage and defining a hole for sampling breathing gas, the mouthpiece including a portion with surfaces defining a trapezoidal cross section, said receiving portion of said holder having receiving surfaces that are complementary to some of said surfaces defining the trapezoidal cross section, said receiving surfaces in contact with said some of said surfaces defining a mouthpiece to holder fixing means for a firm seating of said mouthpiece in said holder for operatively fixing said mouthpiece to said holder for measuring.

8. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 7, wherein:

said trapezoidal cross section of the mouthpiece is a tapered trapezoid;

said hole for taking a breath sample is located in a shorter of two parallel sides of said cross section of the mouthpiece.

9. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 7, wherein:

said sensor housing has a parallelepipedic form and said mouthpiece is received in said holder extending in parallel to one of two shorter end faces of the parallelepipedic sensor housing.

10. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 8, wherein:

said mouthpiece has a stop extending radially outwardly of the trapezoidal cross section over at least some sections of said trapezoidal cross section, said stop setting a position of said mouthpiece in a longitudinal direction in relation to said holder for alignment of an extending suction channel for sampling breathing gas to said hole.

11. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 8, wherein:

said mouthpiece has a positioning pin, which is arranged outside said holder when the mouthpiece is mounted in said holder, said positioning pin being arranged to block lips of a user blowing into the mouthpiece from contacting said housing.

12. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said sensor includes an electrochemical alcohol sensor in said sensor housing and in flow connection with said suction channel;

a pump is arranged in said sensor housing, wherein the breathing gas is sampled by means of a sampling stroke of said pump, said pump being arranged downstream of said electrochemical alcohol sensor with the breathing gas being drawn through said electrochemical alcohol sensor.

13. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 8, wherein said holder and said mouthpiece are symmetrical in relation to said sensor housing whereby said mouthpiece can be mounted in said holder in two different positions defining an angle of 180°

with each other.

14. A breath alcohol measuring device comprising:

a mouthpiece with a breathing gas passage with a sampling hole for sampling breathing gas, the mouthpiece including a portion with outer surfaces with a trapezoidal shape including angled outer side surfaces;

a sensor housing with a suction channel;

an alcohol sensor arranged in said sensor housing and in communication with said breathing gas passage;

a holder connected to said sensor housing, said holder defining a groove with open longitudinal ends, said groove having angled holder side surfaces cooperating with a holder base surface to provide a partial trapezoidal shape with said holder side surfaces being substantially complementary to said outer side surfaces, said angled holder side surfaces engaging said angled outer side surfaces for firmly seating said mouthpiece into said holder to hold said outer side surfaces in position relative to said holder side surfaces.

15. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 14, wherein:

said mouthpiece includes a stop arranged to abut one of said longitudinal ends of said groove when said mouthpiece is arranged in said holder and said sampling hole is in communication with said suction channel.

16. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 15, wherein:

said mouthpiece, said stop and said holder are arranged for said stop to abut either one of said longitudinal ends when said mouthpiece is arranged in said holder and said sampling hole is in communication with said suction channel.

17. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 14, wherein:

said gas passage in said mouthpiece extends substantially parallel to said groove.

18. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 14, wherein:

said mouthpiece longitudinally extends beyond said holder and said housing in both longitudinal directions.

19. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 14, wherein:

said trapezoidal shape is a tapered trapezoidal shape;

said trapezoidal shape of said mouthpiece facilitates attachment to said holder.

20. A breath alcohol measuring device in accordance with claim 14, wherein:

said positioning pin is arranged to block lips of a user blowing into the mouthpiece from contacting said housing.