Cleaning method for a sensor in a respiratory gas analysis device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12569165-B2
Application number	US-202117904631-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2021
Priority date	Mar 5, 2020
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

In a method for operating a respiratory gas analysis device with at least one gas sensor, once a respiratory gas analysis has been carried out, the gas sensor is heated to a temperature that lies above a predefinable temperature threshold value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for operating a respiratory gas analysis device having at least one gas sensor, comprising:
after carrying out a respiratory gas analysis, heating the gas sensor to a temperature above a specifiable temperature threshold value, wherein the heating includes:
evaluating whether each termination criteria of at least one termination criteria is met in connection with the temperature of the gas sensor, a purge gas stream conducted over the gas sensor, or an electrical voltage applied across the gas sensor; and
terminating the heating in response to each of the termination criteria being met.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one termination criteria includes a group of multiple termination criteria.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one termination criterion of the at least one termination criteria is a difference between a current signal of the gas sensor and a beginning signal of the gas sensor at the beginning of the respiratory gas analysis, or an absolute value of the difference, falling below a specifiable difference threshold value.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one termination criterion of the at least one termination criteria is a quotient of (i) a difference between a current signal of the gas sensor and a beginning signal of the gas sensor at the beginning of the respiratory gas analysis and of (ii) a difference between a signal of the gas sensor at the end of the respiratory gas analysis and the signal of the gas sensor at the beginning of the respiratory gas analysis falling below a specifiable quotient threshold value.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one termination criterion of the at least one termination criteria is an absolute value of a gradient of a signal profile of the gas sensor falling below a specifiable gradient threshold value.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one termination criterion of the at least one termination criteria is an absolute value of a repeated derivative of a signal profile of the gas sensor falling below a specifiable derivative threshold value.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising checking as to whether the at least one termination criteria have been met at time intervals that are each chosen depending on a last determined value of one or more of the at least one termination criteria.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heating is suppressed if the at least one termination criteria have already been met at the end of the respiratory gas analysis.

9 . A respiratory gas analysis device comprising:
at least one gas sensor configured to carry out a respiratory gas analysis and, after the respiratory gas analysis, the respiratory gas analysis device is configured to heat the at least one gas sensor to a temperature above a specifiable temperature threshold value, wherein during the heating, the respiratory gas analysis device is configured to:
evaluate whether each termination criteria of at least one termination criteria is met in connection with the temperature of the gas sensor, a purge gas stream conducted over the gas sensor, or an electrical voltage applied across the gas sensor; and
terminate the heating in response to each of the termination criteria being met.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one termination criteria is only one termination criterion.

11 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the evaluating of whether each termination criteria is met includes:
increasing the temperature of the gas sensor, changing the purge gas stream conducted over the gas sensor, or changing the electrical voltage applied across the gas sensor, detecting a reaction of a signal corresponding to the temperature of the gas sensor, the purge gas stream, or the electrical voltage for each termination criteria; and evaluating the signal to determine whether each termination criteria is met.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Beck Christoph
• Jank Heike
• Thuersam Markus
• Scheck Kathrin

Classifications

• A61B5/08

  Measuring devices for evaluating the respiratory organs · CPC title

• G01N33/4975

  other than oxygen, carbon dioxide or alcohol, e.g. organic vapours · CPC title

• Y02A50/20

  Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters · CPC title

• G01N33/0029

  Cleaning of the detector · CPC title

• A61B5/097 Primary

  Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices · CPC title