Drowsiness monitor having a means for detecting a metabolic function of a user

摘要

Apparatus for detecting drowsiness of a user 11, comprising a detector 14 for detecting the instantaneous value of a metabolic function such as heart rate or body temperature of the user 11, comparison means 15 for comparing the detected instantaneous value of the user's metabolic function with a stored value of that function representing the value in the sleeping state, and alarm indication means 16 for generating an output signal when the detected value falls below a threshold value in the vicinity of the sleeping state value. The apparatus may include a means for applying a small electric shock to alert the user of their state of awareness.