Vigilance monitor system

A human subject vigilance monitor comprising:

• a) a human subject stimulator, said stimulator having a first state corresponding to the absence of an applied stimulus to a human subject, and a second state corresponding to the presence of an applied stimulus to a human subject;
• and
• b) a human subject sensor, said sensor producing an output signal corresponding to said subject's volitional response to said applied stimulus;
• and
• c) an electronic controller, said controller having a first information input comprising information contained in said human subject sensor output signal, said controller having an output signal, said states of said stimulator determined by said output signal of said controller, said controller processing the timing relationship between said controller output signal to said first information input signal from said human subject sensor in accordance with a stored program, and producing information related to a subject's vigilance;
• and
• d) a means for using said information related to a subject's vigilance for signalling that a subject's vigilance has fallen below a desirable level.

A human subject vigilance monitor comprising:

• a) a human subject stimulator, said stimulator having a first state corresponding to the absence of an applied stimulus to a human subject, and a second state corresponding to the presence of an applied stimulus to a human subject;
• and
• b) a human subject sensor, said sensor producing an output signal corresponding to a subject's volitional response to said applied stimulus;
• and
• c) an ambient environmental sensor, said sensor having an output signal responsive to a measured environmental condition;
• and
• d) an electronic controller, said controller having a first information input comprising information contained in said human subject sensor output signal, and a second input comprising information contained in said ambient environmental sensor output signal, said controller having an output signal, said states of said stimulator determined by said output signal of said controller, said controller processing the timing relationship between said controller output signal to said first information input signal from said human subject sensor with said second input signal in accordance with a stored program, producing information related to a subject's vigilance, and storing said produced information related to a subject's vigilance with said environmental information as a function of time;
• and
• e) a means for using said information related to a subject's vigilance for signalling that a subject's vigilance has fallen below a desirable level.

A human subject vigilance monitor comprising:

• a) a human subject stimulator, said stimulator having a first state corresponding to the absence of an applied stimulus to a human subject, and a second state corresponding to the presence of an applied stimulus to a human subject;
• and
• b) a motion sensor for coupling to a human subject, said motion sensor generating an activity level signal related to the volitional activity of a subject as a volitional activity information output of said sensor;
• and
• c) an electronic controller, said controller having a first information input comprising information contained in said volitional activity output, said controller having an output signal, said states of said stimulator determined by said output signal of said controller, said controller processing said first input in accordance with a stored program and producing information related to a subject's vigilance;
• and
• d) a means for using said information related to a subject's vigilance for signalling that a subject's vigilance has fallen below a desirable level.

The method of operating a human subject vigilance monitor, said monitor having environmental sensors, volitional response sensors for detecting subject initiated volitional responses to a plurality of stimuli, and a controller including provision for a program instruction set therein, comprising the steps of:

• a) activating said monitor with a START routine;
• b) initializing said monitor with an INITIALIZE routine, including providing said monitor with a program instruction set initiating operation of said monitor and control of said program instruction set;
• c) controlling presentation of visual and aural stimuli to a subject;
• d) controlling measurement and data collection from said environmental sensors;
• e) controlling data collection from said subject initiated volitional response sensors;
• and
• storing the collected environmental sensor data and the collected response data in a memory storage.

An article of manufacture for evaluating memory abilities or performance of a user by presenting a simple mental, complex mental, or psychomotor test to the user comprising:

• a) a first switch having a normally open state and a closed state, and a second switch having a normally open state and a closed state, for interfacing with a user;
• b) a source of a first type of stimulus to a user;
• c) a source of a second type of stimulus to a user;
• d) instruction means for controlling presentation of said first and second type of stimuli to a user;
• e) instruction means for causing the detection of when either or both of said switches are moved into said closed state and storing the time and sequence of said closed state of each switch for later retrieval;
• f) instruction means for determining deviation of time and sequence of said closed states of each switch from stored values;
• g) instruction means for alerting a user of a deviation of time and sequence above a prescribed limit.