IGNITION INTERLOCK BREATHALYZER

• US 20170313189A1
• Filed: 04/27/2017
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Consumer Safety Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Consumer Safety Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Walter, Michael W., DeVries, Douglas Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/498,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20170313189A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2028/006 disconnecting the electric power supply, e.g. the vehicle battery
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06

Abstract

The invention relates to an improvement in a breath alcohol test devices includes within the handheld unit containing a fuel cell, a miniaturized self calibrating test device thereby avoiding the need for 30, 60 and 90 day calibration testing. It also relates to various tamper or circumvention improvements that may be used alone or in combination with the self calibration improvement, including cameras to record a driver providing a breath sample and to verify the location of the driver within a vehicle.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A breath intoxicant test system, comprising:

a case;

an intoxicant sensor located within the case and operable to detect a level of an intoxicant in a user'"'"'s breath and to provide a signal indicative of the level of the intoxicant in the user'"'"'s breath;

a circuit operable to determine the level of the intoxicant in the user'"'"'s breath based on the signal from the intoxicant sensor; and

an intoxicant vapor source located within the case and operable to provide a known concentration of intoxicant vapor for calibrating the intoxicant sensor.

3. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 2 wherein the intoxicant sensor is an alcohol sensor operable to detect a level of alcohol in a user'"'"'s breath and to provide a signal indicative of the level of alcohol in the user'"'"'s breath and wherein the intoxicant vapor source is operable to provide a reference gas comprising a known alcohol vapor concentration for calibrating the alcohol sensor.

4. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 3 wherein the alcohol sensor is a fuel cell.

5. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 3 wherein the intoxicant vapor source comprises a known concentration alcohol sample soaked into a sponge.

6. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 2 further comprising:

a breath tube for receiving a user'"'"'s breath;

a pump, wherein the intoxicant sensor has an outlet in communication with the pump; and

a control valve, wherein the intoxicant sensor has an inlet in communication with the control valve, and wherein the control valve can selectively connect the inlet with the breath tube to test a breath sample or with the intoxicant vapor source to perform a calibration test.

7. A breath intoxicant test system, comprising:

an intoxicant sensor operable to detect a level of intoxicant in a user'"'"'s breath and to provide a signal indicative of the level of intoxicant in the user'"'"'s breath;

a circuit operable to determine the level of intoxicant in the user'"'"'s breath based on the signal from the intoxicant sensor; and

a first camera comprising at least one infrared light sensor;

a second camera comprising at least one infrared sensor operable to capture an infrared image;

the circuit further operable to capture at least one image associated with a breath intoxicant measurement using the first camera, second camera or first and second cameras.

8. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 7 wherein the system further includes at least one visible light sensor to capture a visible image.

9. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 8 wherein the visible and IR sensor are the same sensor.

10. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 7 further comprising a target positioned in a vehicle, wherein the target can be recognized by the circuit when the target is included in the infrared image.

11. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 10 wherein the target is printed with ink that is reflective of IR wavelength.

12. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 10 wherein the breath intoxicant measurement is considered not acceptable if the circuit does not recognize the target in the infrared image.

13. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 10 wherein a breath intoxicant measurement is acceptable even if the circuit does not recognize the target in the infrared image.

14. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 10 wherein the target is positioned on a steering wheel of a vehicle.

16. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 7, further comprising a source of infrared illumination.

15. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 15 wherein the target is a sticker printed with IR-reflective ink.

17. A breath intoxicant test system, comprising:

an intoxicant sensor operable to detect a level of intoxicant in a user'"'"'s breath and to provide a signal indicative of the level of intoxicant in the user'"'"'s breath;

a circuit operable to determine the level of intoxicant in the user'"'"'s breath based on the signal from the intoxicant sensor;

a first pressure sensor configured near a breath input before a constriction of an airway in the breath intoxicant monitoring system;

a second pressure sensor configured in the airway after the constriction in the breath intoxicant monitoring system.

18. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 17 wherein the circuit further operable to use measurements from the first pressure sensor and second sensor to determine whether the user is blowing in the breath input or sucking on a breath output of the breath alcohol monitoring system.

19. The breath intoxicant test system of claim 17 comprising a temperature sensor positioned in the airway.