Breath Sample Validation Using Line-of-Sight and Tracer Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contactless breath analyzer systems face challenges in providing fast and reliable detection of intoxicating substances while being susceptible to tampering, often requiring complex solutions that increase user inconvenience or analysis time.
Innovation Solution
A breath analysis device and method utilizing a line-of-sight detector and a tracer substance sensor to validate measurements by comparing recorded signal signatures and time relations with stored reference criteria, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the measurement without external databases or image analysis systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If contactless detection is used to reduce user inconvenience and disposable plastic usage, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to low substance concentration and susceptibility to tampering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tracer gases (carbon dioxide or water vapor) as intermediary substances to facilitate contactless breath detection. These tracer gases are always present in breath in highly predictable amounts and serve as mediators to trigger analysis and enable determination of target substance concentration, solving the problem of low concentration detection in contactless mode
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from tracer gas measurements to validate the breath sample quality and detect tampering attempts. By monitoring the predictable amounts of carbon dioxide or water vapor in the breath sample, the system can confirm proper sample collection and reject tampered samples, thereby maintaining measurement precision in contactless detection
2Reliability
If complex anti-tampering measures are implemented to improve reliability, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases and analysis time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-validation by using the tracer gas measurements to automatically verify sample integrity and detect tampering. The breath analyzer uses its own existing sensors to measure carbon dioxide or water vapor levels and compares them against expected ranges, enabling anti-tampering protection without requiring external validation systems or additional complex hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The system detects tampering by monitoring changes in the parameters of tracer gas concentrations. Since carbon dioxide and water vapor have highly predictable amounts in normal breath, deviations from these expected parameter ranges indicate potential tampering, allowing the system to maintain reliability through parameter monitoring rather than complex structural measures
3Ease of operation
If tracer gases are used to facilitate contactless detection, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of time increases due to considerable analysis time required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs continuous measurement of both tracer gases and target substances simultaneously during the breath sample collection process. Rather than sequentially analyzing different parameters, the breath analyzer continuously monitors multiple gas concentrations in real-time, enabling fast determination of intoxicating substance concentration without requiring additional analysis time
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables fast and reliable validation of breath concentration measurements, reducing tampering risks and user inconvenience, suitable for various applications including vehicle-mounted and handheld devices.
Implementation Method 1
a line-of-sight detector with a predetermined field of view and arranged to measure the coverage by an object of the field of view and to output a signal representing the degree of coverage
Implementation Method 2
monitoring the tracer substance sensor signal and if a peak in the tracer substance is detected, the peak indicating a possible exhalation phase of the respiratory cycle of the user
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a breath analyzing system and method. In particular the invention relates to a breath analyzing system and method for determining the validity of a measurement of a concentration of an intoxicating substance in the exhaled breath of a user and thereby reducing the risk for tampering with the results without increasing the analyzing time or inconvenience for the user. A line-of-sight detector is provided and its output signal compared with a tracer substance signal to determine if the signals have respective expected behavior and relation.