microsleep warning device

Abstract

The invention relates to a warning and / or auxiliary device comprising at least one position sensor that detects its orientation in space at least relative to the vertical, and at least one signal transmitter that is activated when the position sensor has a certain orientation in space and / or relative to the vertical.

Description

The invention is directed to a warning and / or auxiliary device, which can be used in particular as a second sleep warning device, having at least one position sensor, which detects its orientation in space at least with respect to the vertical, and having at least one signal transmitter, which is activated in the case of a specific orientation of the position sensor in space and / or with respect to the vertical.There are a number of emergency positions in which a person is no longer a mr about the situation and therefore requires support. A typical case for such an emergency, in which the person concerned is no longer able to make a herring, is an undesired sleep state, in particular due to fatigue. This can occur in various environments, for example during a lecture where a person does not wish to miss important information, or in a train where a person does not wish to miss their exit station. However, the so-called second sleep is most dangerous at the control of a motor vehicle, where an accident can already be initiated or triggered after seconds break-offs, provided that the person in question cannot be called back in good time from its sleep state to the awake state. For this reason, in some new vehicles, the eyes of the driver are monitored by monitoring the latter with a video camera arranged, for example, in the region of the rear-view mirror and then searching for the pupils with an image analysis program; if these are not found, an acoustic alarm, for example, is triggered. However, this method has a number of disadvantages. On the one hand, it is very complicated because of the required hardware and software-video camera, computer, image processing program. Moreover, all drivers turn off the light in the vehicle at night in order to be able to see the road well in darkness, so that adequate monitoring is not possible with a normal video camera at night. Moreover, such permanent computer monitoring is unpleasant for some persons. Finally, the system is installed in a vehicle and can therefore be used only on the controller against seconds of sleep and cannot be carried along on a train drive. It would also not function at all there, because it would hardly be tolerated to install a private video camera in a train.US 5 081 447 A discloses a device for causing a human to sleep on one side and not on the back. For this purpose, a sensor which can be activated by gravity is attached to the belt and / or to a headband of a sleeping person, said sensor detecting the body position and triggering an alarm which informs the person when it is lying on the back. This animates the person to sleep on one side or the other and not on the back. A corresponding circuit connects the sensor device and the alarm, so that the alarm is triggered if the sensor device detects an undesired posture. The alarm is perceived by the sleeper and causes it to take another position when he tries to lie on the back for more than a few seconds. This device is unable to prevent a person from falling down.US 2005 / 0 248 462 A1 discloses a device for preventing the falling back during the control of a vehicle, which device has a housing element with an inner compartment. In the inner compartment there is a cable with a distal and a proximal end, which has a first contact element and is displaceable in its longitudinal direction. The inner compartment also comprises two pairs of second contact elements each spaced apart from one another, the first contact element short-circuiting the second contact element when making contact with a pair of the wide contact elements. The device for preventing the sleep further comprises an earphone assembly having an earphone housing and an alarm element with a loudspeaker located therein. The distal end of the flexible cable is connected to the earphone assembly. The first contact member moves either forward or rearward as the head of the driver moves while the driver begins to doose or sleep, such that the cable moves with the first contact member, which thereby contacts a pair of the second contact members to activate the alarm member and generate an alarm sound from the speaker member of the alarm member in the driver's ear to alert the driver from his doose or sleep state. In this case, the cable also serves as an extendable traction element, so that the wires accommodated therein can tear over the course of time, so that this device possibly fails in the event of a defect.WO 00 / 21 052 A1 discloses, inter alia, a versatile safety device for increasing the attention of the driver of a motor-driven means of transport which is arranged on a headgear and detects an inclination of the head of the person in question. The device comprises two metal shells which are each open on one side and bulge out in the middle in the manner of sub-cups and are therefore spaced apart there more rigidly from one another and face one another with their open sides. When the head including the headgear is inclined, a metal ball rolls to the edge of the metal shells and shorts them. This completes a circuit and issues an alarm signal. However, with such an arrangement lateral head movements are also detected, which normally are not an indication of second sleep.US 6 107 922 A discloses an alarm device for waking up the driver of a vehicle if the latter falls in a second sleep state. This device has a series of arms which can be looped around the driver's head in the manner of a headset up to the region of the lower jaw thereof. The involuntary relaxation of the lower jaw of the driver causes a rotational movement of the arms, which in turn presses a movable contact against a fixed contact and thus closes a circuit. After a predetermined delay, a buzzer or vibrator is activated to wake up the driver. In addition, a pendulum can be used to detect an inclination of the driver's head. However, such a pendulum is relatively expensive to mount and is also susceptible to accidental contacting, for example due to centrifugal force when passing through a curve.The communication device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,209,569 B2 comprises an earphone housing which is adapted to be worn in the ear of a user without blocking the ear canal, an inertial sensor connected to the earphone housing and capable of detecting changes in position of the head of the user, and a processor which is arranged in the earphone and is coupled to the inertial sensor in such a way that, on the basis of changes in position of the head of the driver, the presence of an alarm state is detected and, if appropriate, a loudspeaker connected to the processor is activated. The sensor can be an acceleration sensor, a gyrometer or any other type of inertial sensor. However, inertial sensors are unsuitable for use in a motor vehicle because they are subjected there to a large number of forces, for example when accelerating, braking or passing through a curve.U.S. Pat. No. 9,368,016 B2 discloses an apparatus for detecting sleep disorders, for example obstructive sleep apnea. This comprises a housing which can be inserted into the auditory canal of a test person. A sensor disposed in the housing measures the position of the person's head relative to the axis of gravity. A transducer responds to the sensor and may generate a stimulus perceivable by the test subject under certain conditions. In various embodiments, a controller receives signals corresponding to a pitch angle and a roll angle of the subject's head measured by the sensor and determines whether the pitch and roll angles correspond to a sleep apnea triggering position and causes the transducer to generate a stimulus when the subject's head is determined to be in the sleep apnea triggering position more than a predetermined threshold. Different parameters of the stimulus can be changed upon successive stimulus generation until a position is detected that does not trigger sleep apnea. This device is used by a sleepian to prevent out-of-breathing during sleep without waking up the person in question. Therefore, in order to prevent a driver from falling down a second in a motor vehicle, this device cannot be used.US 2004 / 0 233 060 A1 discloses a device for the rapid, accurate and extremely practical detection of drowsiness and a wake-up device operatively connected thereto. The drowsiness of a vehicle driver is recognized in order to wake him / her up if necessary and thus to prevent an accident from being caused as a result of the drowsiness. For this purpose, the waveform of blink is detected by means of a voltage-impedance sensor head. The sensor head is located on the temple of a spectacle frame in the vicinity of the patient's temple, and the drowsiness is determined by a microcomputer. The waking up takes place via a milligauss alternating current magnetic field generator in a cushion of the headrest or backrest of the driver's seat for the driver. Here, considerable structural changes in the interior of a vehicle are required, so that such an arrangement is uneconomical.DE 10 2007 052 588 A1 discloses a person monitoring system, in particular for epilepsyrs, which is intended to identify whether a specific person has fallen to the ground or even has fallen several meters, in order then automatically to call helpers. The previously known device for monitoring persons is carried by the person in question and has an air pressure sensor. This air pressure sensor regularly determines the instantaneous height barometrically on the basis of the air pressure existing in the environment and passes the measured values on to a microprocessor for evaluation. The latter matches the air pressure values with a characteristic diagram. If parameters are determined which indicate a fall, the microprocessor triggers an alarm, for example, by optical or acoustic means, in order to call other persons with help. This device is not suitable for protecting a driver from a second sleep, because an accident has already occurred before the arrival of auxiliary personnel.Utility model CN 87 208 326 U relates to a small civil electronic product designed as a sleep alarm for drivers of various people or trucks. A position sensor uses a mercury switch and a high intonation micro-buzzer, and the position sensor is coupled to a button cell. Such a device can have various appearances, for example the form of spectacles, as an ear fob, as a headgear, or in the form of a device with an elastic strap or with a securing ring for fastening to a headset. A mercury switch is very sensitive, however, and is therefore not very suitable for use in a vehicle which is constantly subjected to a large number of acceleration and / or lateral forces, since the triggering of a false arm is preprogrammed in this case.The disadvantages of the described prior art result in the problem initiating the invention of further developing a warning and / or auxiliary device of the generic type in such a way that it can be produced with the least possible outlay and can in particular be carried along everywhere and can be used at any time, in particular in a motor vehicle.This problem is solved in a position sensor which detects its orientation in space at least with respect to the vertical, and by a signal transmitter which is activated in a specific orientation of the position sensor in space and / or with respect to the vertical, wherein the position sensor comprises the following elements:a cylinder jacket-shaped tube piece which is closed at both end sides by a cover in each case and encloses a cavity,a lateral surface of the cavity which is electrically conductive at least on its inner side and is electrically conductively connected to a first wire,an electrical contact on the inner side at an end face, which is electrically conductively connected to a second wire,a spherical sensor body accommodated within the elongated cavity so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction thereof and made of an electrically conductive material or having a surface made of an electrically conductive material; whereinthe two electrical contacts of the position sensor are connected into a sensor circuit by means of the first and second wires, optionally via a switch or button, in such a way that, when the switch or button is closed, the sensor circuit is closed by short-circuiting the two wires in the position sensor, so that a voltage source in the sensor circuit drives a current and a signal generator is activated,the spherical sensor body has a slightly smaller diameter in relation to the inside diameter of the cylindrical sleeve-shaped tube piece, so that the spherical sensor body can roll along inside the tube piece,the position sensor has on its outer side a device for clamping to an earbock of a spectacle frame,an input of a digital component is connected to the sensor circuit,the digital module is designed to control a data transmission module,and wherein the data transmission module is coupled to an antenna or a plug connector for forwarding the information received from the position sensor to a remote receiver.In the processing of the problem at hand, the inventor arrived at the realization that in a sleep state of a person sitting, for example, his neck muscles are no longer coordinated in order to keep the head in an upright position. On the other hand, the cervical spine is not exactly below the head centroid, but is offset towards the back head. Therefore, the head of a falling person will automatically and almost instantaneously fall forward in the limit until the chin sits on the chest. Unfortunately, the person concerned does not usually wake up from this and is then no longer a mr about the situation.If a motor vehicle travels on a country road or freeway, for example at a speed of 100 km / h, the vehicle travels a path of 100,000 m / 3,600 sec.≈27.8 m per second, and without active control the vehicle can already trigger an accident on this not inconsiderable route.However, since the integrated position sensor of the warning and / or auxiliary device according to the invention is worn by the driver on his head during use, for example attached to spectacles, the position sensor can reliably detect the falling down of the head in the event of undesired second sleep and forward this information to the connected signal transmitter, which then emits an, for example, acoustic, wake-up signal in order to restore the driver to the awake state as quickly as possible and transmit the responsibility for the control of the motor vehicle to him. Since this feedback control loop acts almost without delay, the wake-up signal is already generated after fractions of a second, and consequently the distance covered in the sleeping state of the vehicle driver is ideally significantly below 27.8 m. In most cases, this should be sufficient to avoid an accident.It has proven advantageous that the position sensor has on its outside a device for direct or indirect attachment to the head of a person. By means of a fixed connection to the head of a person, the position sensor can detect and monitor the head movements of a person.For this purpose, the position sensor according to the invention has on its outer side a device for clamping to spectacles, in particular for clamping to an earbock of a spectacle frame.On the other hand, it is also conceivable for the position sensor to have on its outer side a device for wearing on the head, in particular a headband to be slipped over the forehead or to be worn behind the ear, for example. U-shaped earbock.Furthermore, the position sensor has a sensor body which is accommodated within an elongate cavity such that it can be moved in the longitudinal direction thereof. Certain head movements can therefore trigger a movement of this sensor body relative to the housing of the position sensor.The sensor body is designed as a ball. A ball has optimum rolling characteristics and therefore can move smoothly within the elongated cavity of the position sensor.The sensor body consists of an electrically conductive material, in particular metal, or has a surface made of an electrically conductive material, in particular metal, so that its position within the cavity can be sensed electrically.For guiding a spherical sensor body, it is optimal if the elongate cavity has a circular cross section.In order that the sensor body can assume a potential predefined by a voltage source at any position, the lateral surface of the elongate cavity is designed to be electrically conductive at least on its inner side.According to the invention, an electrical contact body is provided on the inner side of an end face of the elongate cavity. When the sensor body abuts there, it transfers its potential to this contact body and can contribute to closing a circuit.This is effected in that the lateral surface of the elongated cavity, on the one hand, and the electrical contact on the inner side of an end-face end of the elongated cavity, on the other hand, is switched into a sensor circuit in such a way that this circuit can be closed by the simultaneous contact of the electrically conductive sensor body with the lateral surface, on the one hand, and with the electrical contact, on the other hand.Viewed from the outside, the position sensor according to the invention thereby has two electrical contacts which are not connected in an alignment corresponding to a usual position, but are connected in an alignment corresponding to an emergency position.In this case, these two electrical contacts of the position sensor are connected into a sensor circuit in such a way that this sensor circuit is closed by an internal connection of these electrical contacts within the position sensor.A voltage source should be switched on in the sensor circuit, so that the electrical conducting state of the position sensor can be sensed by a voltage change or potential change at one of these electrical contacts from the other devices in the circuit, or by a change in the state between the open-circuit state and the current flow.The simplest arrangement results from the signal transmitter being connected directly into the sensor circuit. If loads, in particular signal generators, which are switched into the sensor circuit can already be activated by a simple direct current, such a procedure is sufficient.If, on the other hand, an alternating current is required by a load, an oscillator can be connected in front of the load, which transforms the direct current into an alternating current.An input of a digital module is connected to the sensor circuit, in particular via a resistor which generates a voltage drop in the event of a current flow. In this case, a ground potential can be defined by a connection of this resistor, which is communicated to the connected digital module as a reference.Such a digital module is designed as a data transmission module or for controlling a data transmission module, in particular also as a microcontroller, to the bus or periphery of which a data transmission module is connected.Such a data transmission module is coupled to an antenna or a plug connector in order to forward the information obtained from the position sensor to a remote receiver, for example to a receiver of a search device, in order to facilitate the locating of a smolder.On the other hand, the digital module can also be designed to actuate another signal transmitter, in particular in order to fulfil further tasks parallel to the sending of the emergency, for example the actuation of a lighting means which conducts the search teams.In general, the signal transmitter can be designed as an acoustic signal transmitter, for example as a loudspeaker or piezo transducer. The invention makes use of the advantage that even in the sleep state the hearing of a person is active, so that acoustic signals enter the awareness of a person in order to return these to the awake state without being mean.For other applications, the signal transmitter can be designed as an optical signal transmitter, for example as a light-emitting diode or other light-emitting means.Finally, it corresponds to the teaching of the invention that the position sensor and / or the signal transmitter can be deactivated by a switch. This makes it possible to prevent the sensor circuit or the signal generator circuit from closing during storage due to an unfavourable position and, as a result, without causing, on the one hand, the integrated voltage source is loaded and, on the other hand, an interfering signal is generated or emitted.Further features, details, advantages and effects on the basis of the invention are evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and with reference to the drawing. The following shows: FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a second sleep warning device according to the invention; FIG. 2 shows the second sleep warning device from FIG. 1 in use on an awake person; FIG. 3 shows the second sleep warning device from FIG. 1 in use on a sleeping person; FIG. 4 is a section through FIG. 2 along the line IV--IV; and FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a second sleep warning device according to the invention.The warning and / or auxiliary device 1 shown in the drawing comprises a position sensor 2 and a signal transmitter 3, which are coupled to one another, in particular electrically or wirelessly, for example by radio.In a primary application, the position sensor 2 is intended to detect the orientation of the head 4 of the monitored person and is mechanically connected to the head 4 for this purpose. This can preferably be done in such a way that the position sensor 2 is fastened to a frame 5 of existing spectacles 6, for example to an earbock 7 of the same. If the person monitored is not a spectacle wearer, the connection of the position sensor 2 to the head 4 can be established either by means of the frame of a spectacle dummy or of a pair of sunglasses or the like, or by other means, for example by means of a headband. It is also conceivable to use a headphone for this purpose or a construction of this type which engages over the head in the manner of a bow on which the position sensor 2 can be fixed, or a type of earpiece with a bow for fixing the position sensor 2.The position sensor 2 preferably has the shape of an elongate pipe piece 8. As a result of this slot 11, the profile 10, and thus the entire position sensor 2, can be fixed, in particular clipped or pushed, on an ear strap 7 of spectacles 6. In order to achieve a clamping effect, the two legs 12 of the cross-sectionally C-shaped profile 10 can be designed to be resilient and / or can be provided on their inner sides with an elastic covering, for example made of rubber.The position sensor 2 is preferably coupled to the signal transmitter 3 via two wires 13. The signal transmitter 3 comprises a housing 15 to be supported on the earpiece 14 and an earpiece 16 connected thereto-preferably movably-which engages behind the earpiece 14 and thus ensures a secure hold of the housing 15.The internal structure of the warning and / or auxiliary device 1 can be seen in FIG. 5. It can be seen there that two components are installed in the housing 15 of the warning and / or auxiliary device 1, namely on the one hand the actual sound generator 17, for example in the form of a piezoelectric electroacoustic transducer, and on the other hand a voltage source 18, for example in the form of a battery, a rechargeable battery, that is to say a rechargeable current storage device, or in the form of a so-called super-cap, that is to say a large electrolytic capacitor. One pole of the sound generator 17 on the one hand and of the voltage source 18 are each electrically conductively connected to one another by a bridge 19; the respective other pole of these two elements 17, 18 is in each case led out of the signal generator housing 15 as a wire 13 and extends from there as far as the position sensor 2.Therefore, in the position sensor 2, if the ends of the two wires 13 are short-circuited, a circuit is completed and the power source 18 can drive a current through this circuit. The signal generator 3 generates a sound.If, on the other hand, the two wires 13 are not conductively connected to one another within the position sensor 2, the circuit is disconnected and the signal transmitter 3 remains stationary.The tube piece 8 of the position sensor 2 is hollow and its lateral surface 9 is made of an electrically conductive material, for example, at least on its inner side. Metal. The pipe piece 8 is closed on both end faces 20, for example by a cover 21, 22.Together with these covers 21, 22, the pipe piece 8 encloses a hollow space 23 in its interior. This cavity 23 has a constant cross-section in its longitudinal direction. This cross section is preferably cylindrical.In this cylindrical cavity 23 there is a sensor body 24 which is designed to be rotationally symmetrical at least about an axis. Its cross section along this axis of rotation corresponds in terms of its shape approximately to the cross section of the cavity 23 within the pipe piece 8, but is somewhat smaller in terms of its surface than the cavity 23 within the pipe piece 8, so that it can roll within this cavity 23 and thus move forward in rolling fashion in the longitudinal direction of the pipe piece 8 without sticking to the inside of the pipe piece 8.The sensor body 24 is preferably designed as a ball and preferably has a somewhat smaller diameter in relation to the inside diameter of the cylindrical sleeve-shaped tube piece 8, The spherical sensor body 24 can therefore roll along within the tube piece 8 and in the process move from one cover 21 thereof to the other cover 22. In Fig. 5, its possible position near the rear lid 21 is shown with a solid line, its possible position near the front lid 22 is shown with a dotted line.The front cover 22 is made of an electrically non-conductive material. It is preferably traversed in its middle by a recess 25, i.e. it has an annular shape. An electrically conductive contact body 26, for example made of metal, is seated within this recess 25. This contact body 26 can be glued, for example, into the recess 25 of the front cover 22 and is therefore insulated from the electrically conductive lateral surface 9 of the pipe piece 8.The contact body 26 is electrically conductively connected to one of the two wires 13, preferably at a contact point 27 in the region of the outer side of the front cover 22.On the other hand, the electrically conductive jacket surface 9 of the pipe piece 8 is electrically conductively connected to the other of the two wires 13, likewise at a contact point 28 in the region of the outer side of the jacket surface 9.However, a switch 29 can also be inserted between one of these contact points 27, 28 and the relevant wire 13, which switch can be accommodated, for example, in a region of the lateral surface 9 extended by a cover 21, 22. In the example shown, the switch 29 can be designed as a button that changes its switching state upon each actuation.If this switch 29 is open, a current can never flow from one wire 13 to the other and thus the signal transmitter 3 can never sound.However, if the switch 29 is closed, a potential current flow from one wire to the other depends on the position of the sensor body 24 in the cavity of the pipe piece 8.In the rearward position of the sensor body 24, which is illustrated in FIG. 5 by a solid line, the contact body 26 has no electrical connection to the lateral surface 9, no current can flow.If, on the other hand, the sensor body 24 is in its front position shown by dashed lines in FIG. 5, the electrically conductive sensor body 24 abuts on the one hand against the electrically conductive contact body 26 and on the other hand lies on the electrically conductive inner side of the lateral surface 9. An electrical short circuit is thus produced between the two contact points 27, 28.If the switch 29 is closed at the same time, a current can therefore flow through the position transducer 2 from one wire 13 to the other. As a result, the circuit between voltage source 18 and signal transmitter 3 is closed--a warning sound is sounded.The mode of operation of the invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.In FIG. 2, the person is awake and assumes an attentive posture; he looks horizontally forward through the windshield of the vehicle and observes the traffic and simultaneously steers the vehicle. The tube piece 8 is fastened to the eyeglasses 6 in such a way that its longitudinal axis is inclined slightly in the viewing direction so as to rise. The sensor body 24 consequently rolls back counter to the viewing direction into the position shown in full line in FIG. 5; the circuit is open; no signal sound is sounded.FIG. 3 shows the state of the second sleep. In the absence of an opposing coordination, the head 4 of the person sinks forward because his center of gravity is located in front of the spinal column. As a result, the longitudinal axis of the pipe piece now inclines downward in the direction of the person's view. As a result of the gradient occurring as a result, the sensor body 24 rolls forward as far as the position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 5. There, it abuts the contact body 26 and closes the circuit between this contact body 26 and the electrically conductive inner side of the lateral surface 29.When the switch 29 is simultaneously closed, a current driven by the voltage source 18 now flows through the signal transmitter 3--a warning sound is excited.Since the signal transmitter 3 is located directly on the ear cup 14 of the person, he is clearly perceived by the person and wakes up the person from his second sleep. The driver is again in the awake state and can continue to control the vehicle safely.Various modifications are conceivable. If the signal transmitter 3 requires an alternating voltage for its activation, an oscillator can be arranged either in the region of the voltage source 18 or in the region of the signal transmitter 3 in order to generate an alternating voltage from a constant voltage of the voltage source 18.When this oscillator is in the region of the voltage source 18, an alternating current flows in the circuit of the wires 13, and the voltage source 18 is only indirectly connected to the circuit of the wires 13, namely via the interposed oscillator.If, on the other hand, the oscillator is located in the region of the signal transmitter 3, a direct current flows in the circuit of the wires 13, and the signal transmitter 3 is only indirectly connected to the circuit of the wires 13, namely via the interposed oscillator.Of these two variants, however, the second has the advantage that, when the circuit is interrupted, the voltage source 18 is not loaded because the oscillator is not energized. In the former case, on the other hand, the oscillator would oscillate continuously even if the person is in the awake state according to FIG. 2, so that the voltage source 18 would be gradually discharged even if the output of the oscillator is separated and is therefore in a kind of idle state. It should therefore be preferred in most cases to provide an arrangement in which an oscillator, which may be necessary, is integrated with the signal transmitter 3.There are a number of other applications for the invention:It is useful in all cases for a very tedious activity, for example for gatekeepers or other persons in the waking service, also for example for soldata.Furthermore, instead of the acoustic signal transmitter 3 or in addition thereto, an optical signal transmitter can be present. For this purpose, for example, a fastening by means of a bracelet could be provided on the arm or wrist of a person, for example with an orientation approximately parallel to the forearm of the person in question. Its orientation can optionally be reversed as in the case of the application as a second sleep warning device, i.e. the contact body 26 is located at that end of the tubular position transducer 2 which faces the shoulder of the person in question. If the person lifts the hand, the sensor body 24 rolls in the direction of the shoulder until it touches the contact body 26 - a lighting means, for example a strong light-emitting diode or lamp, lights up. This would be helpful, for example, if two or more persons in a large amount of people lost and are searching for-by lifting an arm a widely visible light signal can then be emitted. This could be activated in a flashing mode, for example via an interposed oscillator, in order to generate maximum attention.Other applications are conceivable if the signal transmitter 3 emits a radio signal which can be captured and displayed by a receiver of a search device in order to locate a smolder. When worn on the body, in particular by means of an amr band on the wrist, a warning signal could be triggered automatically in emergency situations if a person suddenly tears up his arms, so that the sensor body rolls in the direction of the shoulder and triggers the alarm.Here, consideration would be given, for example, to avalanche hazards during skiering in mountains, where a skier tears his arms unattenuated during fall and thus triggers the alarm, or to earthquakes if a person has been shaken. Applications in sea note are also conceivable if a person lifts his arms in a help-seeking manner. For an application as a marine emergency signal transmitter, the warning and / or auxiliary device 1 should be embodied to be watertight.In all these cases, it can be advantageous if each triggered alarm is maintained until it is deleted again, for example by means of an acknowledgement key. This can be achieved, for example, by activating and closing a relay or the like in the event of a current flow, which relay is connected in parallel with the position sensor 2 and keeps the circuit closed further, even if the sensor body 24 is subsequently removed from the contact body 26 again. By means of an acknowledgement button, the current flow can then be interrupted elsewhere and thus also the relay can be reset to its originally open state.List of reference characters1 Warning or auxiliary device 2 Position sensor 3 Signal transmitter 4 Head 5 Frame 6 Spectacles 7 Earbock 8 Tubular piece 9 Lateral surface 10 Profile 11 Slot 12 Leg 13 Wires 14 Earbock 15 Housing 16 Earbock 17 Sound generator 18 Voltage source 19 Bridge 20 End side 21 Rear cover 22 Front cover 23 Cavity 24 Sensor body 25 Recess 26 Contact body 27 Contact point 28 Contact point 29 Switch

Claims

Warning and / or auxiliary device (1), having at least one position sensor (2) which detects its orientation in space at least with respect to the vertical, and having at least one signal transmitter (3) which is activated in the case of a specific orientation of the position sensor (2) in space and / or with respect to the vertical, wherein the position sensor (2) comprises the following elements: a) a cylinder-jacket-shaped tube piece (8) which is closed on both end sides by a respective cover (21, 22) and encloses a cavity (23), b) a jacket surface (9) of the cavity (23) which is electrically conductive at least on its inner side and is electrically conductively connected to a first wire (13), c) an electrical contact (26) on the inner side at an end-side end (20) and is electrically conductively connected to a second wire (13), d) a spherical sensor body (24), the sensor circuit is accommodated within the elongated cavity (23) so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction thereof and is made of an electrically conductive material or has a surface made of an electrically conductive material, characterized in that e) the two electrical contacts of the position sensor (2) are connected into a sensor circuit by means of the first and second wires (13), optionally via a switch (29) or probe, in such a way that, when the switch (29) or probe is closed, the sensor circuit is closed by short-circuiting the two wires (13) in the position sensor (2), so that a voltage source (18) in the sensor circuit drives a current and a signal generator (3) is activated, f) wherein the spherical sensor body (24) has a somewhat smaller diameter in relation to the inside diameter of the cylindrical sleeve-shaped sleeve piece (8), so that the spherical sensor body (24) can roll along within the sleeve piece (8), g) wherein the position sensor (2) has on its outer side a device for clamping to an earbock (7) of a spectacle frame (5), h) wherein an input of a digital module is connected to the sensor circuit, i) wherein the digital module is designed to actuate a data transmission module, j) and wherein the data transmission module is coupled to an antenna or a plug connector in order to transmit the information obtained from the position sensor (2) to a remote receiver.Device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the position sensor (2) has on its outside a device for direct or indirect fastening to the head (4) of a person.Device (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the position sensor (2) has on its outer side a device for wearing on the head (4), in particular a headband to be slipped over the forehead or a headband to be worn behind the ear (14), for example. U-shaped earbock (16).Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor body (24) consists of an electrically conductive metal or has a surface made of an electrically conductive metal.Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position sensor (2) has two electrical contacts (27, 28) which are not connected in an alignment corresponding to a customary position, but are connected in contrast in an alignment corresponding to an emergency position.Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a signal transmitter (3) is connected into the sensor circuit.Device (1) according to Claim 6, characterized in that the digital module is designed to actuate the signal transmitter (3).Device (1) according to Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the signal transmitter (3) is designed as an acoustic signal transmitter, for example as a loudspeaker or piezo transducer.Device (1) according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the signal transmitter (3) is designed as an optical signal transmitter, for example as a light-emitting diode or other light-emitting means.Device (1) according to one of Claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the position sensor (2) and / or the signal transmitter (3) can be deactivated by a switch (29).

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