SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREVENTING THE OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE BY A PERSON WHO IS INTOXICATED

• US 20050087382A1
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensor Diagnostics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Dennis Bellehumeur
• Inventors: Bellehumeur, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 6,886,653 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/272
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles

Abstract

A system and method to prevent a human being from operating a motor vehicle if the human being is intoxicated or under the effects of particular hallucinating drugs that uses a galvanic detector that can measure epidermal (skin) elements of a human being such as alcohol content, sweat and temperature continuously in conjunction with circuitry and logic circuits that connect to the vehicle″s ignition system that only allow the vehicle to be operated when certain temperature sensing conditions are met and certain conditions requiring no alcohol are met otherwise the vehicle will be turned off. In an alternate embodiment, a glove could be used for epidermal measurements that is also connected to the sensing circuits.

Claims

1. A system to prevent a human being from operating a motor vehicle if the human being has consumed a predetermined amount of alcohol comprising:

a steering wheel;

means attached and covering the steering wheel for sensing trans-dermal messages from the skin of a human being including alcohol content and temperature;

an automobile ignition system that controls the operation of an automobile engine;

a galvanic sensor using trans-dermal inputs to measure alcohol, temperature and sweat content from said human skin, said galvanic sensor including an input from a steering wheel cover and an output to an automobile ignition system including a switching means; and

logic circuit means for activating said switching means at any time said galvanic sensor senses alcohol in the operator of the vehicle causing the switch to open, shutting off electrical current in the ignition system to the engine.

2. A system as in claim 1, including:

at least one trans-dermal alcoholic sensing glove to be worn by the operator of the vehicle.

3. The method of preventing a human being from operating a motor vehicle if the human being has consumed an amount of alcohol beyond a predetermined limit comprising the steps of:

a. utilizing a galvanic epidermal sensor on the steering wheel of the vehicle for sensing the alcohol content of the skin of an operator of the motor vehicle;

b. providing a galvanic sensor logic circuit that receives signals from the galvanic sensor on said steering wheel concerning the alcohol content of a vehicle operator and provides it to an ignition switch;

c. providing a temperature sensing means on said steering wheel; and

d. providing a logic circuit requiring temperature for a certain time period connected to said ignition switching means, said temperature sensor and time delay circuit requiring that over a period of time a certain temperature is required or the vehicle will be shut off notwithstanding the lack of alcohol sensing in the galvanic sensor.