MOBILE REMOTE ALCOHOL MONOTORING DEVICE

• US 20130035602A1
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 3M Taiwan Limited (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Gemer, Gil
• Application Number:
  US13/198,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035602A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/484
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1176 Recognition of faces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus including an ethanol level sensor; an ECG sensor for generating an ECG circuit for sampling an electrical activity of a heart of a monitored person being monitored; and an air inlet component connected to an air flow sensor; wherein a first electrode is attached to the breath inlet component and wherein the ECG circuit is generated when a monitored person is in electrical contact with the first electrode and the second electrode of the ECG.

Claims

1. A monitoring apparatus comprising:

an ethanol level sensor;

an ECG sensor for generating an ECG circuit to capture a sampled ECG signal based on an electrical activity of a heart of a monitored person; and

a breath inlet component;

wherein the ECG circuit is generated when the monitored person is in electrical contact with a first electrode of the ECG sensor attached to the breath inlet component and with a second electrode of the ECG sensor.

2. The monitoring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the first electrode of the ECG sensor and the second electrode of the ECG sensor.

3. The monitoring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an air flow sensor.

4. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) unit for providing spatial location of the monitoring apparatus.

5. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a button, wherein the second electrode is attached to the button.

6. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a grip, wherein the second electrode is attached to the grip.

7. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image capturing device for capturing an image of the monitored person.

8. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an image comparing device for comparing a captured image with a reference image.

9. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device.

10. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ECG comparing device for comparing captured ECG signals with a reference ECG signals.

11. A method of monitoring a person, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) sensing an air flow of a breath sample provided by the monitored person;

(b) reading an ethanol level result from the breath sample;

(c) generating an ECG circuit for capturing a sampled ECG signal by sampling an electrical activity of a heart of the person while the person is providing the breath sample.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises reading the ethanol level result from the breath sample when the air flow is above a predetermined level.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

(d) determining a spatial location of the person.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

(e) capturing an image of the person while sensing the air flow of the breath sample.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

(f) comparing the image of the person with a reference image.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

(d) comparing the sampled ECG signal with a reference ECG signal.

17. A method of making a monitoring device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an ethanol level sensor capable of reading an ethanol level result from a breath sample from a monitored person;

(b) providing an ECG sensor capable of generating an ECG circuit for capturing an ECG signal by sampling an electrical activity of a heart of the monitored person;

(c) assembling the ethanol level sensor and the ECG sensor as parts of the monitoring device.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

(d) providing a breath inlet component capable of conducting the breath sample to the ethanol level sensor.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of:

(d) providing an air flow sensor capable of sensing an air flow of the breath sample.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of:

(d) providing an ECG analyzing device capable of comparing captured ECG signals with a reference ECG signals.