US 7,377,186 B2
	Engagement of a sensor system with a vehicle operating device
Landon Duval, Huntington Beach, Calif. (US)
Assigned to Transbiotec, Inc., Irvine, Calif. (US)
Filed on Apr. 06, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/100,960.
Application 11/100960 is a continuation in part of application No. 10/899826, filed on Jul. 26, 2004, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2006/0016244 A1, Jan. 26, 2006
Int. Cl. G01N 1/00 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 73—863.01  [73/23.2]

6 Claims

1. In a steering wheel of a vehicle, wherein the steering wheel has a structural skeleton forming a core within an outer covering, the covering and skeleton forming (a) a hub, portion having at least (b) one arm interconnecting the hub portion with an (c) outer wheel portion; the improvement comprising; the skeleton within the outer wheel portion having a U-shaped cross sectional conformation; a wire harness positioned within the U-shaped conformation of the outer wheel portion; a plurality of separate ethanol detectors mounted in spaced apart relationship within the outer wheel portion and adjacent to an outer surface thereof, the ethanol detectors communicating with the wire harness; and an electrical circuit, the circuit secured in the hub portion; the circuit joined in communication with the wire harness for receiving electrical signals from the ethanol detectors for sensing ethanol vapors in proximity to at least one of the ethanol detectors.