Patent Document ID: 8096946
Application ID: 10417247
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A driver vigilance monitor comprising: a prompting device for evoking a response from a driver; a plurality of hand pressure sensors for continuously measuring hand pressure of the driver applied to different portions of a steering wheel of a vehicle and for detecting the driver's response, with the plurality of hand pressure sensors providing hand pressure signals conveying a range of hand pressures applied to different portions of the steering wheel; a sensor for detecting eye movement or driver head position; and a processor in communication with the prompting device and the hand pressure sensors and the sensor for detecting eye movement or driver head position, the processor cooperating with the hand pressure sensors and the sensor for detecting eye movement or driver head position to obtain driver-specific data, and wherein the processor determines the driver's level of alertness by the driver's response to the prompting device.