US 12,465,241 B2
Facilitating at-home spirometry with millimeter-wave devices
Sanjib Sur, Cayce, SC (US); and Aakriti Adhikari, Columbia, SC (US)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, Columbia, SC (US)
Filed by UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, Columbia, SC (US)
Filed on Apr. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/715,503.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/176,514, filed on Apr. 19, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/171,758, filed on Apr. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0322964 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 5/087 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/0507 (2021.01); A61B 5/091 (2006.01); G06N 3/049 (2023.01)
CPC A61B 5/087 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0507 (2013.01); A61B 5/091 (2013.01); A61B 5/7264 (2013.01); G06N 3/049 (2013.01); A61B 2560/0252 (2013.01)] 39 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An integrated methodology for performing at-home spirometry tests using smart devices having built-in millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology, comprising:
providing a smart device programmed with an mmFlow analysis application;
having a user hold such device in front of their mouth, inhale their full lung volume, and forcibly exhale until the entire volume is expelled to obtain a sample exhalation;
detecting vibrations of a surface of the device caused by the sample exhalation; and
processing the vibration data to determine at least one spirometry indicator for the user, using a combination of mmWave signal processing relative to the smart device and deep learning, wherein
detecting vibrations of the device surface includes detecting relatively small vibrations which directly affect the phase of reflected mmWave signals relative to the smartphone device from nearby objects; and
said integrated methodology further including receiving reflections from different objects adjacent said smart device, with incident airflow of a sample exhalation affecting the reflected signals.