# US 10,863,923 B2 · Spirometer, mouthpiece tube and inspection method thereof

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- Number: US 10,863,923 B2
- Document ID: US10863923B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/677,168
- Filed: 2017-08-15
- Published: 2018-03-01
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-15
- Assignees: Chia-Hung Chen
- Applicants: Chia-Hung Chen
- Inventors: Chia-Hung Chen; Hsiao-Pao Yen; Chia-Chi Su; Liang-Lin Yen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10863923B2

## CPC

- A61B 5/087: Measuring breath flow
- A61B 5/097: Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
- A61B 8/4427: {Device being portable or laptop-like}
- A61B 8/4444: {related to the probe}
- A61B 8/5223: {for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data (for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012)}
- G16H 50/30: for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
- A61B 5/0871: {Peak expiratory flowmeters}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

Spirometer, mouthpiece tube and inspection method thereof. The spirometer includes at least the mouthpiece tube and an ultrasound detector configured to detect the ultrasound generated by the gas flowing through the mouthpiece tube, wherein the mouthpiece tube has a shell having an opened end, a closed or opened end, and an ultrasonic generator configured to be inserted into different portions of the shell in different situations. Therefore, by inserting the ultrasonic generator into different portions of the shell during expiration and inspiration, the gas flow during expiration and inspiration may be converted into the ultrasonic signal and then maybe detected and analyzed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A mouthpiece tube, comprising:
a shell, one end of the shell being an exit end and another end of the shell being a shell bottom, the shell bottom comprising at least one channel which has a channel opening and a gas opening, wherein the channel opening is connected to the exterior of the mouthpiece tube, outside a gas flow space enclosed by the shell, wherein the gas opening and the exit end form the gas flow space, and wherein the mouthpiece tube delivers a gas from the gas flow space to the exit end by a gas flow suction; and
at least one ultrasonic wave generation device, wherein different ultrasonic wave generation devices are positioned in different channels, wherein each ultrasonic wave generation device comprises a gas entrance and a gas exit, wherein the gas exit is connected to the gas opening of the channel for delivering the gas from an inner space inside the ultrasonic wave generation device into the gas flow space, wherein the ultrasonic wave generation device delivers the gas from the exterior of the mouthpiece tube through the gas entrance by the gas flow suction, and wherein the inner space is distributed essentially between the gas entrance and the gas exit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The mouthpiece tube of claim 1, wherein the shell bottom includes at least one groove which is positioned between two neighboring channels and faces to the exit end.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The mouthpiece tube of claim 1, wherein the shell bottom further includes a gas aperture which is connected to the exterior of the mouthpiece tube for introducing gas into and reducing a gas flow resistance of the gas flow space.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The mouthpiece tube of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic wave generation device further includes a spoiler, wherein the spoiler is positioned inside the ultrasonic wave generation device and placed between the gas entrance and the gas exit so as to form a narrow channel inside the inner space of the ultrasonic wave generation device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The mouthpiece tube of claim 1, wherein the gas exit is positioned in the middle portion of the ultrasonic wave generation device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The mouthpiece tube of claim 1, wherein the gas flow path from the gas entrance into the ultrasonic wave generation device is orthogonal to the gas flow path from the gas exit to the exit end of the shell.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The mouthpiece tube of claim 1, wherein the direction that the gas is delivered through the gas entrance into the ultrasonic wave generation device is orthogonal to the direction that the gas is delivered through the gas exist away from the ultrasonic wave generation device.