US 11,964,558 B2
Sensor system for passive in-vehicle breath alcohol estimation
Bertil Hök, Västerås (SE); Raimo Gester, Västerås (SE); Jonas Ljungblad, Stockholm (SE); and Håkan Pettersson, Floda (SE)
Assigned to Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, Inc., Leesburg, VA (US)
Filed by Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, Inc., Sterling, VA (US)
Filed on Aug. 31, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/462,318.
Application 17/462,318 is a continuation of application No. 15/389,724, filed on Dec. 23, 2016, granted, now 11,104,227.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/312,476, filed on Mar. 24, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0055478 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 17/00 (2019.01); B60K 28/06 (2006.01); G01N 33/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/497 (2006.01)
CPC B60K 28/063 (2013.01) [G01N 33/0067 (2013.01); G01N 33/4972 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for passive breath alcohol detection for vehicle operation, the method comprising:
initiating a sensor system;
passively obtaining a first air sample of air in a vehicle;
measuring a concentration of a tracer gas in the first air sample;
monitoring, using the sensor system, at least one testing condition affecting the ambient air inside the vehicle;
determining if the at least one testing condition is within a predefined range;
if the at least one testing condition is within the predefined range and a peak in tracer gas concentration is detected, measuring a Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC) from the first air sample;
if the at least one testing condition is outside of the predefined range, requesting and actively obtaining a second air sample from a driver of the vehicle and measuring the BrAC of the driver.