Patent ID: 11946844
Assignee: SHAHEEN INNOVATIONS HOLDING LIMITED
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC B  G  A  C  Y | IPC A  C  G

Claim 14:
15. An infectious disease screening method for rapid detection of an infectious agent present in a sample fluid, the method comprising:
placing a sample fluid to be screened for the infectious disease into a sonication chamber, the sonication chamber comprising an inlet to receive the sample fluid, an outlet, and an ultrasonic transducer in ultrasonic communication with the sonication chamber, wherein the ultrasonic transducer generates ultrasonic waves in a frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz to lyse cells in the sample fluid within the sonication chamber;
generating, by an AC driver, an AC drive signal at a frequency within the frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz and outputting the AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer to drive the ultrasonic transducer;
generating, by an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) electrically coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, an ADC value representing a current flowing through the ultrasonic transducer;
monitoring, by an active power monitor which receives the ADC value from the ADC, active power used by the ultrasonic transducer when the ultrasonic transducer is driven by the AC drive signal, wherein the active power monitor provides a monitoring signal which is indicative of an active power used by the ultrasonic transducer; and
receiving, at a processor, the monitoring signal from the active power monitor; wherein the method further comprises:
A. controlling, by the processor, the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer at a frequency within the frequency range;
B. calculating, by the processor, the active power being used by the ultrasonic transducer based on the monitoring signal;
C. controlling, by the processor, the AC driver to modulate the AC drive signal to maximize the active power being used by the ultrasonic transducer;
D. storing, by the processor, a record in the memory of the maximum active power used by the ultrasonic transducer and the frequency of the AC drive signal;
E. repeating steps A-D for a predetermined number of iterations with the ultrasonic transducer being driven at a plurality of different frequencies across the frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz;
F. identifying, by the processor, from the records stored in the memory an optimum frequency for the AC drive signal which is the frequency of the AC drive signal at which the maximum active power is used by the ultrasonic transducer; and
G. controlling, by the processor, the AC driver to output an AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer at the optimum frequency;
wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, at an extreme rRT-PCR cycler, the sample fluid from the sonication chamber, the extreme rRT-PCR cycler comprising:
a PCR chamber comprising an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is coupled to the outlet of the sonication chamber to receive at least part of the sample fluid flowing into the PCR chamber from the sonication chamber;
a heating recess which receives the PCR chamber;
a moveable support element;
a first heating element which is carried by the support element;
a second heating element which is carried by the support element at a spaced apart position from the first heating element, wherein the support element is moveable between a first position in which the first heating element is positioned closer to the heating recess than the second heating element and a second position in which the second heating element is positioned closer to the heating recess than the first heating element;
a motor which is configured to move the support element cyclically between the first position and the second position; and
a temperature sensor which senses the temperature of the sample fluid within the PCR chamber,

wherein the method comprises:
controlling the movement of the first and second heating elements in response to the sensed temperature to perform the extreme rRT-PCR on the sample fluid; and
detecting, at an infectious agent detection apparatus which is in communication with and coupled to the outlet of the PCR chamber, a presence of the infectious agent that causes the infectious disease in the sample fluid; and
providing an output which is indicative of whether or not the infectious agent detection apparatus detects the presence of the infectious agent in the sample fluid.