Patent ID: 7040319

Claim:
An apparatus for monitoring an oxygen partial pressure in an air mask adapted to deliver oxygen from an oxygen system to an operator, the air mask having an interior surface, the apparatus comprising: a sensor positioned within the air mask, mounted on the interior surface of the air mask, and capable of providing an output signal corresponding to the oxygen partial pressure within the air mask; a comparator connected to the sensor and configured to compare the output signal with a reference signal corresponding to a desired oxygen partial pressure; a power source connected to the sensor and the comparator; and a vibrating motor having a rotatable, eccentric mass, mounted within the air mask, connected to the comparator, and attached to the interior surface of the air mask, the vibrating motor comprising means for vibrating the air mask if the output signal is determined to be lower than the reference signal, for generating a tactile warning on the face of the operator to alert the operator of a potentially hypoxic condition, wherein the apparatus is independent of the oxygen system and the apparatus does not regulate the oxygen from the oxygen system, and wherein the apparatus operates in a cockpit of an aircraft.