Oxygen sensor mounting in medical or flight crew masks for direct indication of blood oxygen level

The present invention relates to sensing conditions of blood of the wearer (10) of an oxygen mask (12) that provides supplemental oxygen to the wearer (10). A sensor (20) is mounted on the interior of the mask (12) directly adjacent to or in contact with the skin (22) of the wearer (10). The sensor (20) preferably is positioned just below the jaw in the throat area, where blood vessels are relatively close to the skin (22) and are of sufficient number and size so that a condition such as blood oxygen level can be sensed by non-invasive sensors (20). The sensor (20) in turn is connected to a suitable controller (24) that will receive the signal from the sensor (20) and control the flow of oxygen to the mask (12), both as to pressure, and to control oxygen level. Additionally, the controller (24) can regulate outside conditions such as a pressure suit (42) that may be worn by a fighter pilot, or can activate alarms (44) as desired.