Alertness monitor

1. An alertness monitoring system which includes:

a) means to measure velocity and amplitude of eyelid and eye movement;

b) storage means to continuously record the measurements;

c) a data processor to calculate the blink amplitude to velocity ratio and/or the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio and compare the measurements against a predetermined scale, said scale being averaged measurements of the eye and eyelid movement parameters for a sample population measured against predetermined incremental blood alcohol levels;

d) a display for showing the alertness measurement based on the scale; or

e) an alarm means triggered by the scale reading reaching a predetermined limit based on the blood alcohol level scale.

2. An alertness system as claimed in claim 1 in which at least one infrared pulse emitter and one infrared detector is mounted on at least one eye.

3. An alertness system as claim 2 in which the detector measures the total level of light immediately before each pulse is transmitted and subtracts this from a combined level of the measured reflectance during the pulse.

4. A method of measuring alertness in which the eye movements of a subject are analyzed using reflected infrared light pulses to obtain measurements of the blink amplitude to velocity ratio and/or the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio averaged over predetermined periods of time and measuring the deviation of the average from a predetermined average for alert subjects.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 in which the measured blink amplitude to velocity ratio and the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio values are related to a scale of blood alcohol content equivalent values.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the reflected light pulses are detected at two locations on each eye.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 in which one location detects reflectance associated with eyelid movement and the second location detects reflectance associated with saccadic movement.

8. An alertness measuring system for a subject which includes:

a) an infrared pulse emitter adapted to be located adjacent at least one eye of a subject;

b) at least one reflected light detector located adjacent said emitter;

c) means to transmit the detector signals;

d) data processing means to receive die detector signals and to subtract a total level of light immediately before each pulse is transmitted from the combined level of the measured reflectance after the pulse to provide a reflectance measurement;

e) said data processing means analyzing said reflectance measurement to calculate the blink amplitude to velocity ratio and/or the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio and compare the measurements against a predetermined scale.

9. An alertness measuring system as claimed in claim 8 in which the reflected light pulses are detected at two locations on each eye.

10. An alertness measuring system as claimed in claim 9 which one location detects reflectance associated with eyelid movement and the second location detects reflectance associated with saccadic movement.

11. An alertness measuring system as claimed in claim 10 in which the data processing system analyzes the reflectance signals to obtain measures of the blink amplitude to velocity ratio and/or the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio) averaging these over predetermined periods of time and measuring the deviation of the average from a predetermined average for alert subjects.

12. An alertness measuring system as claimed in claim 11 in which the measured blink amplitude to velocity ratio and the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio values are converted to a scale of blood alcohol content equivalent values.

13. An alertness measuring system as claimed in claim 12 which includes a display for displaying the alertness measurement or an alarm triggered by the scale reading reaching a predetermined limit based on the blood alcohol level scale.

14. An alertness monitoring system which includes:

a) means to measure eyelid and eye movement;

b) storage means to continuously record the measurements;

c) a data processor in which the recorded measurements are analyzed to obtain measures of the blink amplitude to velocity ratio and/or the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio and measuring the deviation from a predetermined average for alert subjects;

d) a display for showing the analyzed measurements; or

e) an alarm means triggered when a predetermined measurement threshold is crossed.

15. An alertness monitoring system as claimed in claim 14 in which the measured blink amplitude to velocity ratio and the saccade amplitude to velocity ratio values are related to a scale of blood alcohol content equivalent values.

16. A method of measuring alertness, the method comprising:

measuring velocity and amplitude of eyelid and eye movement of a subject;

calculating an eyelid movement amplitude to velocity ratio and/or an eye movement amplitude to velocity ratio;

calculating an average of one or both ratios over at least one predetermined period of time; and

determining a deviation of the calculated averages from predetermined averages for alert subjects; and

triggering an alarm if the deviation of the determined average from a predetermined average reaches or exceeds a predetermined limit.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 in which at least two infrared detectors are used and the reflected light pulses are detected at at least two locations on at least one eye.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one location detects reflectance associated with eyelid movement and at least one other location detects reflectance associated with eye movement.