System for monitoring and encumbering use of a hand-operated machine by an impaired individual through detection of toxins in the individual

摘要

A portion a the machine which the operator regularly engages with his or her hands has incorporated therein a plurality of passageways (14) through which a vacuum is applied to draw vapor which is emitted by the hands of the individual. Vapor from the individual's hands is drawn through a sampling apparatus. The sampling apparatus contains an electrical coil (32, 36, 42, 46) which is coated with a composite metal- nonmetal catalytic substance which causes ethanol to oxidize at the coil. When ethanol-containing vapor passes over the coil, oxidation at the coil causes an electrical charge to build up on the coil. The charge build-up is detected and processed in a discriminating type of electrical circuit which incorporates a wheatstone bridge or a constant- current loop. The resulting signal is further processed then ultimately used to estimate the alcohol content of the individual.