Doze alert

• US 9,454,887 B1
• Filed: 11/19/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mustafa Q. Matalgah
• Original Assignee: Mustafa Q. Matalgah
• Inventors: Matalgah, Mustafa Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US14/547,528
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 340/575, 340/576, 340/573.1, 340/573.7, 340/439, 600/544, 600/545, 600/538, 600/595
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions

Abstract

A doze alert includes a head cover having a plurality of EEG sensors mounted thereon for measuring brainwave activity. The sensors are in communication with a wireless transceiver that transmits the measurements to a monitoring station. If a majority of the measurements are below an acceptable threshold, the monitoring station generates a brightly colored message on a display screen and engages an audible alarm.

Claims

1. A doze alert comprising:

a head cover having at least a peripheral portion that rests on a wearer'"'"'s scalp;

a plurality of EEG sensors mounted on the peripheral portion of said head cover that engage the scalp whenever the head cover is worn to measure brainwave signals, wherein said sensors are connected to a communications module mounted on the head cover, said communications module including a wireless transceiver and a signal conditioner that filters and aggregates brainwave signals from said sensors to form a combined output signal that is delivered to the transceiver;

a remote monitor in wireless communication with the wireless transceiver and said sensors, said monitor having a display screen that graphically depicts brain waves that are measured by each of said sensors, said remote monitor having an alarm means for alerting the wearer when the brain waves measured by said sensors is below a preestablished threshold.

2. The doze alert according to claim 1 wherein said monitor includes a processor that analyzes the combined output signal and identifies a contribution to the combined output signal from each of said sensors to allow said monitor to separately depict on said display screen the brain waves that are measured by each of said sensors.

3. The doze alert according to claim 2 wherein said processor compares an amplitude of the brave waves measured by each of said sensors with a baseline amplitude corresponding to a wearer'"'"'s brainwave activity when fully alert.

4. The doze alert according to claim 3 wherein said alarm means comprises said processor generating a brightly colored message that is depicted on said display screen only when the amplitude of the brain waves measured by a majority of the sensors is less than half of the baseline amplitude.

5. The doze alert according to claim 4 wherein said alarm means comprises said processor generating an audible alarm only when the amplitude of the brain waves measured by a majority of the sensors is less than half of the baseline amplitude.

6. The doze alert according to claim 5 wherein each of said sensors includes a spirally wound antenna that is positioned proximal a side of the sensors that will contact a wearer'"'"'s skin.