GAS SAMPLING CELL

• US 20170102322A1
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oridion Medical 1987 Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Oridion Medical 1987 Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Goldring, Alon, Sasson, Alon, Bar-Lev, Avner, Levitsky, Gershon
• Granted Patent: US 10,012,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0082 adapted for particular medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0836 Measuring rate of CO2 production
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/00 Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0037 for NOx
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/004 for CO, CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

A sensor for detecting concentration of a component in a breath sample including a gas sampling cell having an inlet, an outlet, a light source, a first light detector, a sampling channel configured to receive gas samples from the inlet; the sampling channel defining a light path between said light source and said first light detector; and a volume occupying material located within the sampling channel, the volume occupying material having an absorption coefficient for mid-infra-red light below 0.5 cm⁻¹ at room temperature.

Claims

1. A sensor for detecting concentration of a component in a breath sample, said sensor comprising a gas sampling cell comprising:

an inlet;

an outlet;

a light source;

a first light detector;

a sampling channel configured to receive gas samples from said inlet;

said sampling channel defining an optic path between said light source and said first light detector; and

a volume occupying material located within said sampling channel, said volume occupying material having an absorption coefficient for mid-infra-red light below 0.5 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said volume occupying material having an absorption coefficient for mid-infra-red light below 0.3 cm⁻

1.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said volume occupying material having an absorption coefficient for mid-infra-red light below 0.1 cm⁻

1.

4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said volume occupying material occupies between 25%-75% of the volume of said sampling channel.

5. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said volume occupying material occupies between 35%-65% of the volume of said sampling channel.

6. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said volume occupying material comprises sapphire, silicone, germanium or any combination thereof.

7. The sensor of claim 6, wherein said volume occupying material comprises sapphire.

8. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said light source is an infra-red (IR) light source.

9. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said first light detector comprises a first optical filter.

10. The sensor of claim 9, wherein said first light detector comprise a second optical filter;

wherein said first optical filter is configured to transmit light having a first wavelength; and

wherein said second optical filter is configured to transmit light having a second wavelength.

11. The sensor of claim 9, wherein said gas sampling cell further comprises a reference light detector.

12. The sensor of claim 11, wherein said reference light detector comprise a first and a second optical filter;

wherein said first optical filter is configured to transmit light having a first wavelength;

wherein said second optical filter is configured to transmit light having a second wavelength.

13. The sensor of claim 11, wherein a path length between said light source and said first light detector and/or said reference light detector is in the range of 5-15 mm.

14. The sensor of claim 11, wherein a distance between a first end of said volume occupying material and said light source is less than 5 mm.

15. The sensor of claim 11, wherein a distance between a second end of said volume occupying material and said first light detector and/or said reference light detector is less than 5 mm.

16. The sensor of claim 1, wherein a wall of said volume occupying material is covered with a reflective material.

17. The sensor of claim 1, wherein a wall of said sampling channel is covered with a reflective material.

18. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said gas sampling cell is devoid of a reference channel.

19. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said component is CO₂.

20. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said component is Nitric Oxide.