California Institute of Technology

Tzu-Chieh Chou

Yu-Chong Tai

Shane S Shahrestani

Yudan Pi

Medical diagnostic devices and related methods of use are described in which a sensor coil may be connected with a resistive, inductive, and capacitive (RCL) circuit including a power meter and a frequency counter, and the sensor may be positioned on a chest of a subject. The sensor apparatus may apply an alternating current through the sensor coil. The sensor apparatus may measure parallel resistance values in the sensor coil using the power meter for a time interval while the subject inhales and exhales. The sensor apparatus may record the parallel resistance values. The sensor apparatus may determine a first change in the parallel resistance values by measuring a difference between a crest and a trough of the parallel resistance values, wherein the crest of the parallel resistance value corresponds to the inhale and the trough of the parallel resistance value corresponds to the exhale of the subject's breath.

Eddy current damping respiratory waveform and volume sensor

Techniques are described for a non-invasive detection of a health condition of an organ. In an example, the electrical conductivity of the organ reflects the organ's health of. An inductive damping sensor can be used to detect the organ's electrical conductivity and, thus, its health. The inductive damping sensor can be placed in proximity of the organ such as the organ is within the magnetic field generated based on a coil of the inductive damping sensor. The conductivity of the organ impacts the inductance and the resistance of the coil. Hence, the inductance and/or resistance of the coil can be measured, where the measurements can be associated with the health of the organ.

Wearable inductive damping sensor

A parylene microcapillary is manufactured by drawing a polyethylene carbonate (PEC) fiber from a 0&#xb0; C. solution of 12-25% PEC in chloroform to create a PEC fiber that has a constant diameter over several centimeters. Parylene is deposited in a chamber over the PEC fiber, and then the coated PEC fiber is heated above 180&#xb0; C. This heating melts and decomposes the PEC fiber such that it self-expels from the coating, leaving a microcapillary. The self-expulsion allows for meters-long lengths of microcapillaries. Alternatively, a serpentine fiber channel of PEC is created by deposition, photolithography, and etching within a sandwich of parylene. It is heated above 180&#xb0; C. to expel the PEC leaving a hollow channel within a mass of parylene. The resulting microcapillaries may have residues of cyclic ethylene carbonate remaining from the decomposed PEC.

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Pasadena, CA, United States of America

Tzu-Chieh Chou