US 11,813,050 B2
Selectively sorting aerosol droplets in exhaled human breath based on a mass-size parameter
Cristina E. Davis, Davis, CA (US); Konstantin O. Zamuruyev, Davis, CA (US); Michael Schivo, Davis, CA (US); Nicholas J. Kenyon, Davis, CA (US); Jean-Pierre Delplanque, Davis, CA (US); and Alexander A. Aksenov, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/347,560
Filed by The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 22, 2017, PCT No. PCT/US2017/063018
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 3, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/098281, PCT Pub. Date May 31, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/425,282, filed on Nov. 22, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0274584 A1, Sep. 12, 2019
Int. Cl. A61B 5/097 (2006.01); A61B 5/08 (2006.01); G01N 15/02 (2006.01); G01N 33/497 (2006.01); A61M 16/08 (2006.01); A61M 15/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 5/082 (2013.01) [A61B 5/097 (2013.01); A61M 16/0808 (2013.01); G01N 15/0255 (2013.01); G01N 33/497 (2013.01); A61M 15/00 (2013.01); G01N 2015/0288 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus that facilitates selective mass-size-based sorting of aerosol droplets in human breath, comprising:
an input configured to receive a flow of human breath;
an airway chamber coupled to the input and enclosed by a first housing composed of two or more horizontal sections and two or more vertical sections;
wherein the airway chamber is shaped with two or more bends, wherein a first bend positioned closest to the input among the two or more bends is formed by a first vertical section of the first housing and a vertical baffle positioned in the airway chamber and attached to a first horizontal section of the first housing, wherein the first bend causes the flow of human breath to move in a downward direction, wherein a second bend following the first bend is formed by the first vertical section of the first housing and a horizontal baffle attached to the first vertical section of the first housing, wherein the horizontal baffle is positioned above a saliva trap located at a bottom section of the first housing and is movable to adjust its position, wherein the second bend causes the flow of human breath to change direction from the downward direction to a horizontal direction and to move above the horizontal baffle, wherein the two or more bends cause the flow of human breath to change directions multiple times, thereby causing aerosol droplets in the flow having different mass-sizes to change direction at different rates as a result of differences in momentum for different masses of the aerosol droplets, and differences in air-flow-related frictional forces for different sizes of the aerosol droplets, and wherein the airway chamber is shaped so that the aerosol droplets that change direction at different rates are directed to different destinations;
a collection path coupled to the airway chamber so that aerosol droplets that meet a specific mass-size criterion are directed into the collection path; and
a condenser tube in the collection path, wherein the condenser tube includes a cooling mechanism that cools the condenser tube to facilitate condensing aerosol droplets to sides of the condenser tube for subsequent collection.