US 12,241,879 B2
Reference gas management in a breath alcohol calibration station
Douglas Edward DeVries, Johnston, IA (US); and Scott Ruland, Kansas City, MO (US)
Assigned to Consumer Safety Technology, LLC, Des Moines, IA (US)
Filed by Consumer Safety Technology, LLC, Des Moines, IA (US)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/129,432.
Application 17/129,432 is a continuation of application No. 15/261,231, filed on Sep. 9, 2016, granted, now 10,877,008.
Prior Publication US 2021/0109072 A1, Apr. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 33/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/497 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/0006 (2013.01) [G01N 33/4972 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A breath alcohol device calibration system, comprising:
a receptacle configured to receive a reference gas having a reference alcohol concentration from a cylindrical reference gas tank and to couple to the reference gas tank, wherein the reference gas tank is operable to hold the reference gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure;
an electronic label device coupled to the reference gas tank, the electronic label device comprising a memory, the electronic label device further comprising a temperature measurement device thermally coupled to a body of the reference gas tank, the electronic label device configured to measure temperature history data about a temperature history of the body of the reference gas tank via the temperature measurement device and to electronically store the temperature history data in the memory, wherein the temperature history data comprises a series of temperature measurements over time;
a reader device to read the temperature history from the electronic label device;
a sealed gas interface configured to attach to a sampling port of a candidate breath alcohol device for calibration;
a valve in fluid communication with the receptacle to control a flow of the reference gas from the reference gas tank to the sealed gas interface;
a computer controller operating to:
control the reader device to read the temperature history data of the reference gas from the electronic label device coupled to the reference gas tank;
calibrate an alcohol detection element of the candidate breath alcohol device using the reference gas; and
determine whether a tank temperature is above a warm temperature threshold and has a rate of temperature change less than a threshold rate of temperature change.