Spirometer
AssigneeIllinois Institute of Technology
InventorsDavid R. Williams, Nicole April Wilson, Kevin Philip Meade, Hansen A. Mansy
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Abstract
A spirometer for measuring fluid flow, particularly associated with exhalation of respiratory patients. The spirometer of this invention preferably has a fluidic oscillator wherein the fluid oscillates within a chamber of the fluidic oscillator. An oscillation frequency of the fluid flow within the chamber is correlated to a flow rate. A computer is used to process input data, such as data representing frequency of the oscillatory flow within the chamber, to a flow rate passing through the spirometer. The spirometer of this invention may have no moving parts, which results in the need for only a design calibration and no periodic calibrations throughout use of the spirometer.
Claims17
An apparatus for determining an entire exhalation flow rate of a respiratory system, the apparatus comprising:
- a spirometer having an inlet for accepting the entire exhalation flow rate and having an outlet, a nozzle in communication with the inlet, a fluidic flow oscillator in communication with the inlet and the outlet, and the fluidic flow oscillator passing the entire exhalation flow rate at a maximum pressure drop across the spirometer that is less than 1.5 cmH2O per L/s between a flow rate of zero and 14 L/s.
A method for determining an exhalation flow rate of a respiratory system, the method comprising:
- discharging an entire exhalation fluid flow into a nozzle of a spirometer, and passing the entire exhalation fluid flow from the nozzle into and through a fluidic oscillator flowmeter at a maximum pressure drop across the spirometer that is less than 1.5 cmH2O per L/s between a flow rate of zero and 14 L/s.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.