PERSONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CLEANROOM PERSONNEL

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for maintaining an environment within the interstitial space between a cleanroom worker and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. An air mover draws relatively cool air from the external cleanroom environment and discharges the air through one or more diffusers positioned in the interstitial space between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. The one or more diffusers are positioned proximate the body of the cleanroom worker. Control circuitry monitors the temperature and relative humidity within the cleanroom garment and selectively controls the operation of the air mover to maintain a comfortable environment within the cleanroom garment even when PPE such as splash aprons, boots, gloves, and protective headgear are donned by the cleanroom worker. Reducing perspiration beneficially reduces the likelihood of contamination within the cleanroom environment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to personal environmental control systems, specifically to personal environmental control used in cleanroom environments.

BACKGROUND

Cleanroom environments require personnel to wear clothing that minimizes the likelihood of contamination of electronic components. Such contamination may take many forms including particulate and even metallic ions present in human perspiration. To mitigate the possible of contamination, the protective clothing worn by cleanroom personnel (colloquially referred to as “bunny suits”) often have limited or no ventilation to prevent escape of user-sourced particulate and chemical contamination. Worn by itself, such protective clothing quickly becomes saturated with perspiration, requiring frequent changes to maintain the cleanroom environment. The situation is compounded when chemicals and /or processes within the cleanroom environment require cleanroom personnel to don additional personal protective equipment such as splash-proof aprons, waterproof gloves, and face masks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of various embodiments of the claimed subject matter will become apparent as the following Detailed Description proceeds, and upon reference to the Drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1A is a rear elevation view of an illustrative personal environmental control system for cleanroom personnel that includes a power supply, an air mover, and a distribution header that may be worn external to a cleanroom garment, and one or more diffusers that may be worn between the cleanroom worker and the external cleanroom garment, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein;

FIG. 1B is a front elevation view of the PEC system that more clearly depicts the one or more diffusers, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative system in which a plurality of personal environmental control systems, each worn by a respective one of a plurality of cleanroom personnel located in a cleanroom are communicatively coupled to and controlled using centralized control circuitry, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein;

FIG. 3 is an input/output block diagram depicting the input signals and output signals of an illustrative control circuit, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein; and

FIG. 4 is a high-level flow diagram of an illustrative method of providing a personal environmental control system for cleanroom personnel, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The systems and methods described herein address the issue of maintaining an appropriate environment about a user wearing cleanroom protective clothing. Such an environment includes maintaining the temperature, surface moisture, and/or humidity between a cleanroom worker and the protective garments worn by the cleanroom worker. Beneficially, as disclosed herein, the systems provide a cleanroom compliant, wearable solution that provides a controlled flow of ambient air to one or more locations beneath any protective garments and proximate the body of a cleanroom worker. The systems and methods disclosed herein provide the capability for remote monitoring of various cleanroom worker parameters such as temperature, surface moisture level, and/or humidity. The systems and methods disclosed herein provide for autonomous local control of the environment inside the cleanroom garment by the cleanroom worker. The systems and methods described herein also provide for autonomous remote or wireless control of the environment inside the cleanroom garment using one or more remote devices or control systems.

The systems and methods described herein include an air mover that is worn external to the cleanroom garment. The air mover fluidly couples to a distribution system that includes one or more diffusers that are positioned proximate the cleanroom worker, inside the cleanroom garment. In operation, the air mover forces cooler ambient air through the distribution system and across the body of the cleanroom worker, beneficially reducing the temperature, moisture, and/or humidity inside the cleanroom garment. The system includes temperature sensing circuitry to measure at least the temperature inside the cleanroom garment. The system may include temperature sensing circuitry to measure the temperature in the ambient environment about the cleanroom worker. The system includes humidity sensing circuitry to measure the humidity inside the cleanroom garment. The system may include moisture sensing circuitry to detect the presence of surface moisture either on the cleanroom worker and/or the cleanroom garment.

The systems and methods described herein include control circuitry to receive signals from the various sensor circuits and, using the received signals, control the output of the air mover to provide a flow of ambient air within the cleanroom garment to cool and or dehumidify the region between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment. At times, the control circuitry may autonomously cause the air mover to operate to provide ventilation when the temperature and/or humidity inside the cleanroom garment climbs above a defined threshold or is not within a defined temperature and/or humidity range. At other times, the control circuitry may autonomously control the speed of the air mover to provide a defined airflow on an intermittent, periodic, aperiodic, or continuous basis. The control circuitry may include transceiver circuitry to transmit data representative of the measured temperature, humidity, and/or moisture to a remote control circuit or control system.

The systems and methods described herein include an attachment fixture, such as a belt, to which the power supply, air mover, and diffuser attach. In addition, the various sensor circuits may be coupled to the attachment fixture, the diffuser assembly, or any combination thereof. The cleanroom worker may enter a desired temperature and/or humidity level using an interface such as a graphical user interface (GUI) or analog or digital control devices such as switches, dials, and/or knobs. All of the components, including the power supply, the air mover, and all or a portion of the diffuser are fabricated using one or more cleanroom compliant materials.

A cleanroom personal comfort system is provided. The system may include: a power supply; an air mover to provide an airflow; at least one diffuser to fit beneath a garment worn by a system user, the at least one diffuser fluidly coupled to the air mover to receive the airflow and to discharge the received airflow between the system user and the garment worn by the system user; an environmental control system that includes: humidity sensing circuitry positionable between the system user and the garment worn by the system user, the humidity sensing circuitry to measure a relative humidity proximate the system user; first temperature sensing circuitry positionable between the system user and the garment worn by the system user, the first temperature sensing circuitry to measure a first temperature proximate the system user; airflow sensing circuitry to measure the airflow provided by the air mover; and control circuitry communicably coupled to the humidity sensing circuity, the first temperature sensing circuitry, the airflow sensing circuitry, and the air mover, the control circuitry to: autonomously adjust the airflow provided by the air mover using the measured first temperature and the measured relative humidity.

A cleanroom compliant personal comfort system control method is provided. The method may include: receiving, by the control circuitry, a first input signal from first temperature sensing circuitry, the first input signal including information indicative of a measured first temperature between the clean-room garment worn by the system user and the system user; receiving, by the control circuitry, a second input signal from second temperature sensing circuitry, the second input signal including information indicative of a measured second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature external to the clean-room garment; receiving, by control circuitry, a third input signal from relative humidity sensing circuitry, the third input signal including information indicative of a measured relative humidity between a clean-room garment worn by a system user and the system user; determining, by the control circuitry using at least one of: the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity, an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of:

• maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value; and causing, by the control circuitry, an air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow.

A cleanroom compliant wearable personal comfort system is provided. The system may include: means for receiving a first input signal from first temperature sensing circuitry, the first input signal including information indicative of a measured first temperature between the clean-room garment worn by the system user and the system user; means for receiving a second input signal from second temperature sensing circuitry, the second input signal including information indicative of a measured second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature external to the clean-room garment; means for receiving a third input signal from relative humidity sensing circuitry, the third input signal including information indicative of a measured relative humidity between a clean-room garment worn by a system user and the system user; means for determining using at least one of: the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity, an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of:

maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value; and means for causing an air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow.

A non-transitory storage device is provided. The non-transitory storage device may include instructions that, when executed by control circuitry coupled to a cleanroom compliant personal comfort system, cause the control circuitry to: receive a first input signal from first temperature sensing circuitry, the first input signal including information indicative of a measured first temperature between the clean-room garment worn by the system user and the system user; receive a second input signal from second temperature sensing circuitry, the second input signal including information indicative of a measured second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature external to the clean-room garment; receive a third input signal from relative humidity sensing circuitry, the third input signal including information indicative of a measured relative humidity between a clean-room garment worn by a system user and the system user; determine, using at least one of: the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity, an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value; and cause an air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow.

FIG. 1A is a rear elevation view of an illustrative personal environmental control system for cleanroom personnel 100 (hereinafter, “PEC system 100”) that includes a power supply 110, an air mover 120, and a distribution header 130 that may be worn external to a cleanroom garment, and one or more diffusers 140A-140n (collectively, “diffusers 140”) that may be worn between the cleanroom worker and the external cleanroom garment, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. FIG. 1B is a front elevation view of the PEC system 100 that more clearly depicts the one or more diffusers 140, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. The PEC system 100 includes one or more control circuits 150 that controls one or more operational aspects of the air mover 120. Such operational aspects include but are not limited to: air mover operation (i.e., ON/OFF state) and/or air mover operating speed (i.e., discharge airflow rate). The power supply The PEC system 100 also includes a variety of sensor circuits—such as one or more temperature sensor circuits 160, one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170, and/or one or more moisture sensor circuits 180. The one or more control circuits 150 controls the one or more operational aspects of the air mover 120 using data received from the sensor circuits carried by and/or coupled to the PEC system. An attachment fixture 190, such as a belt, may be used to physically couple the PEC system 100 to the cleanroom worker.

In operation, the sensor circuits coupled to the PEC system 100 monitor one or more conditions inside the cleanroom garment worn by a cleanroom worker on a periodic, aperiodic, intermittent or continuous basis. In embodiments, the one or more conditions may include but are not limited to: temperature, relative humidity, and surface moisture. Other biometric sensors, such as pulse/heart rate, respiration, EKG, blood pressure, respiration rate, blood oxygen level and similar may also be monitored on a periodic, aperiodic, intermittent, or continuous basis. Using the collected physiological, environmental, and/or biometric information, the control circuitry 150 controls, alters, and/or adjusts the flow of ambient air provided by the air mover 120 to the space between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. In at least some embodiments, the control circuit 150 causes the air mover to autonomously switch or transition between an ON state and an OFF state based upon the information obtained or received from the sensor circuits. In other embodiments, the control circuit 150 controls, alters, or adjusts the discharge airflow provided by the air mover based upon the information obtained or received from the sensor circuits. In some embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may provide the cleanroom worker with an alert or alarm when one ore more measured physiological, environmental, and/or biometric parameters falls outside allowable limits or threshold values.

The power supply 110 includes any number and/or combination of currently available and/or future developed energy storage devices. Example power supplies 110 include but are not limited to: primary (i.e., non-rechargeable) batteries; secondary (i.e., rechargeable) batteries such as rechargeable batteries are lead-acid, nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), lithium-ion polymer (LiPo), and rechargeable alkaline batteries; super capacitors; ultra-capacitors; and similar. In embodiments, the power supply 110 may include a tethered power supply coupled to a power source such as an electrical distribution grid. The power supply 110 includes one or more cleanroom compliant power supply. In embodiments, the power supply 110 may include one or more power conversion circuits, for example one or more direct current to alternating current conversion circuits or one or more direct current to pulse width modulated (PWM) circuits. In embodiments, the power supply 110 may provide a power output providing a discharge voltage of about: 6 VDC or less; 12 VDC or less; 18 VDC or less; 24 VDC or less; or 48 VDC or less. In embodiments, the power supply 110 provides power to one or more of the following: the air mover 110; the one or more control circuits 150; the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160; the one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170; and/or the one or more surface moisture sensor circuits 180.

The air mover 120 includes any number and/or combination of currently available and/or future developed cleanroom compliant device capable of providing a discharge airflow to the distribution header 130. In embodiments, the air mover 120 includes a single- or multi-stage inline fan. In embodiments, the air mover 120 draws inlet air from the ambient environment about the cleanroom worker and discharges the air to the distribution header 130. In embodiments, the air mover 120 includes a variable speed fan capable of producing a variable volume and/or pressure airflow output. In embodiments, the air mover 120 provides a discharge airflow volume of about: 2 SCFM or less; 5 SCFM or less; 7 SCFM or less; 10 SCFM or less; 15 SCFM or less; 20 SCFM or less; 30 SCFM or less; or about 50 SCFM or less.

The distribution header 130 fluidly couples the air mover 120 to the one or more diffusers 140. The distribution header 130 may have any size, shape, geometry, and/or physical configuration. All or a portion of the distribution header 130 may include a flexible material, such as a cleanroom approved elastomeric or polymeric material. The physical geometry of the distribution header 130 may be selected such that the shape/configuration of the distribution header 130 compliments the shape/configuration of the air mover 120. The physical geometry of the distribution header 130 may provide a fluid-tight or air-tight seal with a discharge port of the air mover 120. In embodiments, the distribution header 130 may include one or more internal surface features to induce mixing of the air as the air flows through the distribution header 130. In embodiments, the distribution header 130 may include one or more coatings or similar surface treatments disposed on, about, or across all or a portion of the interior surface of the distribution header 130. Such coatings or surface treatments may beneficially assist in reducing pressure drop through the distribution header 130 and/or facilitate cleaning and/or sanitization of the distribution header 130. As depicted in FIG. 1A, in embodiments, the distribution header 130 may include one or more fittings, such as one or more “Y” shaped fittings, one or more “T” shaped fittings, one or more “A” shaped fittings, one or more “V” shaped fittings, one or more “O” shaped distributor rings, one or more “U” shaped fittings, or similar to distribute airflow between or among the one or more diffusers 140. In embodiments, a first portion of the distribution header 130 may be disposed external to the cleanroom garment and a second portion of the distribution header 130 may be disposed between the cleanroom garment and the cleanroom worker. In other embodiments, the distribution header 130 may be disposed external to the cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. In some embodiments, the distribution header 130 may be disposed inside the cleanroom garment, proximate the cleanroom worker.

The one or more diffusers 140 include any number and/or combination of systems and/or devices suitable for receiving the airflow provided by the air mover 120 and discharging the airflow between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment worn by the worker. In embodiments, the one or more diffusers 140 may be positioned inside the cleanroom garment, proximate the cleanroom worker. The one or more diffusers 140 may include or incorporate any number and/or combination of orifices, apertures, slots, or similar features to permit air to escape from the diffuser 140 and flow beneath the cleanroom garment and across the cleanroom worker. In embodiments, the one or more diffusers 140 may include one or more cleanroom compliant materials. In embodiments, the one or more diffusers 140 may include one or more: polymeric materials, elastomeric materials, or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the one or more diffusers 140 may include one or more biocompatible materials. In embodiments, the one or more diffusers 140 may be affixed to or formed integral with the distribution header 130. In other embodiments, the one or more diffusers 140 may be separate parts that are detachably attached to the distribution header 130.

The control circuitry 150 includes any number and/or combination of currently available and/or future developed electrical components, semiconductor devices, and/or logic elements capable of executing machine readable instructions that cause the control circuitry 150 to control one or more of: the temperature, the relative humidity, and/or the surface moisture level in the space between a cleanroom worker and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may include but is not limited to: one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs); one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); one or more reduced instructions set computers (RISCs); one or more microcontrollers; one or more digital signal processors (DSPs); one or more processors; one or more microprocessors; or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may be communicatively coupled to one or more cleanroom worker (i.e., user) interfaces, such as a graphical user interface (GUI); one or more wired or wireless input devices; one or more dials, knobs, switches, or similar analog input devices and/or digital input devices.

In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may include one or more wireless communications interfaces, such as one or more personal area network interfaces; one or more BLUETOOTH compliant (IEEE 802.15) interfaces; one or more Near Field Communications (NFC) compliant interfaces; or combinations thereof. In embodiments, one or more of: the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160, the one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170, and/or the one or more surface moisture sensor circuits 180 may communicatively couple to the control circuitry 150 via one or more wired or wireless communications interfaces.

In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may include one or more wireless communications circuits, including but not limited to: one or more wireless transmitter circuits, one or more wireless receiver circuits, one or more wireless transceiver circuits, or any combination thereof. The one or more wireless communications circuits may include one or more local area network (LAN) interfaces; one or more wide area network (WAN) interfaces; one or more cellular communications interfaces; or combinations thereof. In embodiments, the one or more wireless communications circuits may communicatively couple the control circuitry 150 to one or more external devices. Non-limiting examples of such external devices include: one or more cloud-based storage devices; one or more cloud-based control devices, or any combination thereof.

The control circuitry 150 may be coupled to or may include one or more non-transitory storage devices, such as one or more solid state drives (SSDs); one or more electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) devices; one or more cross-point memory storage devices; or any combination thereof. In embodiments, the non-transitory storage device coupled to the control circuitry 150 may include one or more instruction sets used to control one or more operational aspects of the environmental control system described herein. For example, in some implementations, the control circuitry 150 may execute one or more instruction sets contained, retained, stored, or otherwise disposed in the non-transitory storage device.

The one or more temperature sensor circuits 160 may include any number and/or combination of currently available and/or future developed temperature sensing devices and/or systems capable of providing one or more output signals that include information and/or data representative of a temperature proximate the respective temperature sensor circuits 160. Each of the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160 may include but are not limited to one or more thermocouples, thermistors, resistive thermal devices (RTDs), or combinations thereof. A first of the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160A may be disposed in and measure the temperature of an interstitial space between a cleanroom worker and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. In some implementations, a second of the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160B may be disposed external to and measure the temperature in an ambient environment about the cleanroom worker. The output signal generated by each of the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160 is transmitted or otherwise communicated to the control circuitry 150.

The one or more relative humidity senor circuits 170 may include any number and/or combination of currently available and/or future developed devices and/or systems capable of providing one or more output signals that include information and/or data representative of a relative humidity proximate the respective relatively humidity sensor circuits 170. Each of the one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170 may include but are not limited to one or more capacitive relative humidity sensors. In embodiments, the one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170 may be combined with the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160. At least one of the one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170A may be disposed in and measure the relative humidity of the interstitial space between a cleanroom worker and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. In some implementations, a second of the one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170B may be disposed external to and measure the relative humidity of an ambient environment about the cleanroom worker. The output signal generated by each of the one or more relative humidity sensor circuits 170 is transmitted or otherwise communicated to the control circuitry 150.

The one or more surface moisture sensor circuits 180 may include any number and/or combination of currently available and/or future developed devices and/or systems capable of providing one or more output signals that include information and/or data representative of a presence and/or quantity of surface moisture (e.g., perspiration) proximate the respective surface moisture sensor circuit 180. Each of the one or more surface moisture sensor circuits 180 may include but are not limited to one or more conductive surface moisture sensor circuits. In embodiments, the one or more surface moisture sensor circuits 180 may be combined with one or more of the one or more relative humidity circuits 170 and/or the one or more temperature sensor circuits 160. At least one of the one or more surface moisture sensor circuits 180 may be disposed in and measure the surface moisture present in the interstitial space between a cleanroom worker and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. The output signal generated by each of the one or more surface moisture sensor circuits 180 is transmitted or otherwise communicated to the control circuitry 150.

The attachment fixture 190 includes any number and/or combination of devices and/or systems capable of supporting the power supply 110, the air mover 120, and/or the control circuitry 150. In embodiments, the attachment fixture 190 may include but is not limited to a belt or similar device that is worn by the cleanroom worker.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative system 200 in which a plurality of personal environmental control systems 100A-100n, each worn by a respective one of a plurality of cleanroom personnel 202A-202n located in a cleanroom 210 are communicatively coupled to and controlled using centralized control circuitry 220, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. As depicted in FIG. 2, each of the cleanroom personnel 202 may be engaged in the same or different activities within the cleanroom environment. In embodiments, at least some of the cleanroom personnel 202 may be engaged in activities that require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, boots, splash proof aprons, faceshields, helmets, hoods, and similar over the cleanroom garment. Each of the personal environmental control systems 100 includes a wireless transceiver 212A-212n that is used to provide communication between the control circuitry 150 in each respective one of the personal environmental control systems 100 and the centralized control circuitry 220. Beneficially, the centralized control circuitry 220 may keep track of the activities in which each of the cleanroom personnel 202 are engaged and may establish different control parameters (target temperature ranges and/or thresholds, relative humidity ranges and/or thresholds, etc.) based on the activity being performed and the level of physical exertion required by the respective cleanroom worker 202.

Each of the wireless transceivers 212 carried by the cleanroom personnel 202 may communicate with the control circuitry 220 via a wireless local area network 250, such as an IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) WLAN. In embodiments, each of the wireless transceivers 212 may communicate biometric and/or physiometric information and/or data (temperature, relative humidity, surface moisture, etc.) associated with the cleanroom worker 202A-202n to whom the respective personal environmental control system 100A-100n has been assigned. The control circuitry 220 determines a control output for each of the personal environmental control systems 100A-100n using the received biometric and/or physiological information. The control output is then communicated 222 via the wireless local area network 250 to the respective personal environmental control system 100A-100n. In embodiments, a first portion 230 of the control circuitry 220 may determine the control output for communication to each of the personal environmental control systems 100A-100n. In embodiments, a second portion 240 of the control circuitry 220 may generate, compile, or otherwise accumulate reporting information and/or data, such as biometric and/or physiological reporting for some or all of the cleanroom personnel 202.

FIG. 3 is an input/output block diagram 300 depicting the input signals and output signals of an illustrative control circuit 150, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. As depicted in FIG. 3, in embodiments, the control circuitry 150 receives an input signal 310 from the first temperature sensor circuitry 160A. The input signal 310 includes information and/or data representative of a temperature in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In embodiments, the input signal 310 may include an analog signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information and/or data representative of the temperature in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In other embodiments, the input signal 310 may include a digital signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information representative of the temperature in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. The first temperature sensor circuitry 160A may provide the input signal 310 to the control circuitry 150 on a periodic, an aperiodic, an intermittent, a continuous, or an event driven (e.g., measured temperature above or below defined thresholds or outside of a defined range) basis.

In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may also receive an input signal 320 from the second temperature sensor circuitry 160B. The input signal 320 includes information and/or data representative of a temperature in the ambient environment within the cleanroom 210 proximate the cleanroom personnel 202. In embodiments, the input signal 320 may include an analog signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information and/or data representative of the ambient temperature in the cleanroom 210 proximate the cleanroom personnel 202. In other embodiments, the input signal 320 may include a digital signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information representative of the ambient temperature in the cleanroom 210 proximate the cleanroom personnel 202. The second temperature sensor circuitry 160B may provide the input signal 320 to the control circuitry 150 on a periodic, an aperiodic, an intermittent, a continuous, or an event driven (e.g., measured temperature above or below defined thresholds or outside of a defined range) basis.

In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 receives an input signal 330 from the relative humidity sensor circuitry 170. The input signal 330 contains, carries, or otherwise transports information and/or data representative of a relative humidity in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In embodiments, the input signal 330 may include an analog signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information and/or data representative of the relative humidity in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In other embodiments, the input signal 330 may include a digital signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information representative of the relative humidity in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. The relative humidity sensor circuitry 170 may provide the input signal 330 to the control circuitry 150 on a periodic, an aperiodic, an intermittent, a continuous, or an event driven basis (e.g., measured relative humidity above or below defined thresholds or outside of a defined range).

In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may also receive an input signal 340 from the surface moisture sensor circuitry 180. The input signal 340 contains, carries, or otherwise transports information and/or data representative of a level or presence of surface moisture in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In embodiments, the input signal 340 may include an analog signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information and/or data representative of the level or presence of surface moisture in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In other embodiments, the input signal 330 may include a digital signal that contains, carries, or otherwise transports information representative of the level or presence of surface moisture in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. The surface moisture sensor circuitry 170 may provide the input signal 330 to the control circuitry 150 on a periodic, an aperiodic, an intermittent, a continuous, or an event driven basis (e.g., measured relative humidity above or below defined thresholds or outside of a defined range).

The control circuitry 150 receives a signal 350 that includes information and/or data representative of at least one of: one or more maximum temperature thresholds, one or more minimum temperature thresholds, and/or one or more allowable temperature ranges for the temperature in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In embodiments, the signal 350 may be manually input, for example using a GUI or similar user input device. In other embodiments, the signal 350 may be autonomously determined by an external device (e.g., control circuitry 220) and communicated to the control circuitry 150.

The control circuitry 150 receives a signal 360 that includes information and/or data representative of at least one of: one or more maximum relative humidity thresholds, one or more minimum relative humidity thresholds, and/or one or more allowable relative humidity ranges for the relative humidity in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In embodiments, the signal 360 may be manually input, for example using a GUI or similar user input device. In other embodiments, the signal 360 may be autonomously determined by an external device (e.g., control circuitry 220) and communicated to the control circuitry 150.

In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may also receive a signal 370 that includes information and/or data representative of at least one of: one or more maximum surface moisture level thresholds, one or more minimum surface moisture level thresholds, and/or one or more allowable surface moisture level ranges for the surface moisture level in the interstitial space between the cleanroom personnel 202 and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202. In embodiments, the signal 370 may be manually input, for example using a GUI or similar user input device. In other embodiments, the signal 360 may be autonomously determined by an external device (e.g., control circuitry 220) and communicated to the control circuitry 150.

Using the received signals containing information and/or data regarding the first temperature, the second temperature, the relative humidity, and/or the surface moisture level and the received temperature, relative humidity, and/or surface moisture settings, the control circuitry 150 controls one or more operational aspects of the air mover 120. In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 generates a binary output signal 380 that selectively controls the ON/OFF operating state of the air mover 120. In other embodiments, the control circuitry 150 generates an analog or digital output signal 390 that controls the speed of and/or the airflow produced by a variable speed air mover 120.

FIG. 4 is a high level flow diagram of an illustrative method 500 of providing a personal environmental control system for cleanroom personnel, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein. The control circuitry 150 maintains the temperature within the interstitial space between cleanroom personnel 202 and the cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202 within one or more defined limits, ranges, or thresholds. In addition, the control circuitry 150 may also maintain the relative humidity and/or surface moisture level within the interstitial space within one or more defined limits, ranges, or thresholds. Maintaining the environment within the cleanroom garment beneficially minimizes the generation of perspiration by the cleanroom personnel 202, thereby reducing the likelihood of contamination from metallic ions that may be present in the perspiration. The method 400 commences at 402.

At 404, the control circuitry 150 receives a signal 310 that includes information and/or data representative of the temperature in the interstitial space between cleanroom personnel 202 and the cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom personnel 202.

At 406, the control circuitry 150 receives a signal 320 that includes information and/or data representative of the ambient temperature within the cleanroom 210 and proximate the cleanroom personnel 202.

At 408, the control circuitry 150 determines an airflow generated by the air mover 120 to maintain the temperature within the cleanroom garment within one or more defined limits, ranges, or thresholds. In embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may generate a binary (e.g., ON/OFF) output signal 380 that causes the operating state of the air mover 120 to reversibly transition from an ON state to an OFF state, and vice-versa. In such embodiments, the control circuitry 150 selectively causes the operation of the air mover 120 to maintain the temperature, relative humidity, and/or surface moisture levels within the cleanroom garment to remain within one or more defined limits, ranges, or thresholds. For example, the control circuitry 150 may cause the selective operation of the air mover 120 to maintain the temperature within the cleanroom garment within a range of 70° F. to 78° F. In another example, the control circuitry 150 may cause the selective operation of the air mover 120 to maintain the relative humidity within the cleanroom garment at or below a threshold of 60% relative humidity.

In other embodiments, the control circuitry 150 may generate an analog or digital output signal 390 that causes the operating speed of the air mover 120 to provide a desired airflow to the interstitial space within the cleanroom garment. In such embodiments, the control circuitry 150 selectively adjusts the speed of the air mover 120 to provide a periodic, aperiodic, intermittent, or continuous airflow to the cleanroom garment to maintain the temperature, relative humidity, and/or surface moisture levels within the cleanroom garment within one or more defined limits, ranges, or thresholds. For example, the control circuitry 150 may adjust the speed of the air mover 120 to maintain the temperature within the cleanroom garment within a range of 70° F. to 78° F. In another example, the control circuitry 150 may adjust the speed of the air mover 120 to maintain the relative humidity within the cleanroom garment at or below a threshold of 60% relative humidity. The method 400 concludes at 410.

While FIG. 4 illustrates various operations according to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that not all of the operations depicted in FIG. 4 are necessary for other embodiments. Indeed, it is fully contemplated herein that in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the operations depicted in FIG. 4, and/or other operations described herein, may be combined in a manner not specifically shown in any of the drawings, but still fully consistent with the present disclosure. Thus, claims directed to features and/or operations that are not exactly shown in one drawing are deemed within the scope and content of the present disclosure.

As used in this application and in the claims, a list of items joined by the term “and/or” can mean any combination of the listed items. For example, the phrase “A, B and/or C” can mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B and C. As used in this application and in the claims, a list of items joined by the term “at least one of” can mean any combination of the listed terms. For example, the phrases “at least one of A, B or C” can mean A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B and C.

As used in any embodiment herein, the terms “system” or “module” may refer to, for example, software, firmware and/or circuitry configured to perform any of the aforementioned operations. Software may be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, instruction sets and/or data recorded on non-transitory computer readable storage mediums and/or devices. Firmware may be embodied as code, instructions or instruction sets and/or data that are hard-coded (e.g., nonvolatile) in memory devices.

As used in any embodiment herein, the term “circuitry” may comprise, for example, singly or in any combination, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry such as computer processors comprising one or more individual instruction processing cores, state machine circuitry, and/or firmware that stores instructions executed by programmable circuitry or future computing paradigms including, for example, massive parallelism, analog or quantum computing, hardware embodiments of accelerators such as neural net processors and non-silicon implementations of the above. The circuitry may, collectively or individually, be embodied as circuitry that forms part of a larger system, for example, an integrated circuit (IC), system on-chip (SoC), desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, servers, smartphones, etc.

Any of the operations described herein may be implemented in a system that includes one or more mediums (e.g., non-transitory storage mediums) having stored therein, individually or in combination, instructions that when executed by one or more processors perform the methods. Here, the processor may include, for example, a server CPU, a mobile device CPU, and/or other programmable circuitry. Also, it is intended that operations described herein may be distributed across a plurality of physical devices, such as processing structures at more than one different physical location. The storage medium may include any type of tangible medium, for example, any type of disk including hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), compact disk rewritables (CD-RWs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor devices such as read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs) such as dynamic and static RAMs, erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), flash memories, Solid State Disks (SSDs), embedded multimedia cards (eMMCs), secure digital input/output (SDIO) cards, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Other embodiments may be implemented as software executed by a programmable control device.

Thus, the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for maintaining an environment within the interstitial space between a cleanroom worker and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. An air mover draws relatively cool air from the external cleanroom environment and discharges the air through one or more diffusers positioned in the interstitial space between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker. The one or more diffusers are positioned proximate the body of the cleanroom worker. Control circuitry monitors the temperature and relative humidity within the cleanroom garment and selectively controls the operation of the air mover to maintain a comfortable environment within the cleanroom garment even when PPE such as splash aprons, boots, gloves, and protective headgear are donned by the cleanroom worker. Reducing perspiration beneficially reduces the likelihood of contamination within the cleanroom environment.

The following examples pertain to further embodiments. The following examples of the present disclosure may comprise subject material such as at least one device, a method, at least one machine-readable medium for storing instructions that when executed cause a machine to perform acts based on the method, means for performing acts based on the method and/or a system for maintaining an environment within the interstitial space between a cleanroom worker and a cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker.

According to example 1, there is provided a cleanroom personal comfort system. The system may include: a power supply; an air mover to provide an airflow; at least one diffuser to fit beneath a garment worn by a system user, the at least one diffuser fluidly coupled to the air mover to receive the airflow and to discharge the received airflow between the system user and the garment worn by the system user; an environmental control system that includes: humidity sensing circuitry positionable between the system user and the garment worn by the system user, the humidity sensing circuitry to measure a relative humidity proximate the system user; first temperature sensing circuitry positionable between the system user and the garment worn by the system user, the first temperature sensing circuitry to measure a first temperature proximate the system user; airflow sensing circuitry to measure the airflow provided by the air mover; and control circuitry communicably coupled to the humidity sensing circuity, the first temperature sensing circuitry, the airflow sensing circuitry, and the air mover, the control circuitry to: autonomously adjust the airflow provided by the air mover using the measured first temperature and the measured relative humidity.

Example 2 may include elements of example 1 where the air mover may include a variable output air mover coupled to the control circuitry, the air mover to provide a variable airflow through the at least one diffuser.

Example 3 may include elements of any of examples 1 or 2 where the air mover may include an inline fan.

Example 4 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 3 where the control circuitry may include at least one output to continuously adjust the airflow from the variable speed inline fan.

Example 5 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 4 where the control circuitry may further: adjust the airflow provided by the variable speed inline fan to maintain at least one of: the measured relative humidity at or below a threshold value or the first temperature within a defined temperature range.

Example 6 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 5 where the environmental control system may further include: at least one input device to receive a user input indicative of a defined temperature range.

Example 7 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 6, where the control circuitry may further: cause the air mover to turn ON and OFF to maintain the first temperature within the defined temperature range.

Example 8 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 7 where the environmental control system may further include: second temperature sensing circuitry positionable external to the garment worn by the system user, the second temperature sensing circuitry to measure a second temperature in an ambient environment about the system user; and where the control circuitry may further: autonomously adjust the airflow provided by the air mover using the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity.

Example 9 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 8 where the environmental control system may further include: communications circuitry to communicate at least one of: one or more physiological parameters associated with the system user or one or more environmental parameters associated with the ambient environment about the system user.

Example 10 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 9 where the communications circuitry may further receive at least one signal that includes data representative of a defined temperature range.

Example 11 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 10 where the control circuitry may further: cause the air mover to turn ON and OFF to maintain the measured first temperature within the defined temperature range.

Example 12 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 11 where the communications circuitry may further receive at least one signal that includes data representative of a defined humidity range.

Example 13 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 12 where the control circuitry may further: cause the air mover to turn ON and OFF to maintain the measured relative humidity within the defined humidity range.

Example 14 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 13 where the environmental control system may further include: moisture sensing circuitry positionable between the system user and the garment worn by the system user, the moisture sensing circuitry to measure surface moisture on the system user.

Example 15 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 14 where the control circuitry may further: autonomously adjust the airflow provided by the air mover using the measured first temperature, the measured surface moisture, and the measured relative humidity.

Example 16 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 15, and the system may further include: an attachment fixture physically coupled to the power supply and the air mover, the attachment fixture to physically couple the system to the system user.

Example 17 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 16 where the attachment fixture may include a belt worn about a torso of the system user.

Example 18 may include elements of any of examples 1 through 17 where the power supply may include one or more secondary batteries.

According to example 19, there is provided a cleanroom compliant personal comfort system control method. The method may include: receiving, by the control circuitry, a first input signal from first temperature sensing circuitry, the first input signal including information indicative of a measured first temperature between the clean-room garment worn by the system user and the system user; receiving, by the control circuitry, a second input signal from second temperature sensing circuitry, the second input signal including information indicative of a measured second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature external to the clean-room garment; receiving, by control circuitry, a third input signal from relative humidity sensing circuitry, the third input signal including information indicative of a measured relative humidity between a clean-room garment worn by a system user and the system user; determining, by the control circuitry using at least one of: the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity, an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value; and causing, by the control circuitry, an air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow.

Example 20 may include elements of examples 19 and the method may further include: receiving, by the control circuity, a fourth input signal from moisture sensing circuitry, the fourth input signal including a value indicative of a presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the system user or the garment worn by the system user.

Example 21 may include elements of any of examples 19 or 20 and the method may further include: determining, by the control circuitry using the measured presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the system user or the garment worn by the system user, an airflow through the one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to maintain the value indicative of a presence of surface moisture below a defined surface moisture threshold value.

Example 22 may include elements of any of examples 19 through 21 where causing the air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow may further include: causing, by the control circuitry, a variable speed inline fan to operate at a speed to provide the determined airflow.

Example 23 may include elements of any of examples 19 through 22 where determining an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value, may further include: receiving, by the control circuitry via communicatively coupled wireless receiver circuitry, a signal that includes at least one of: information representative of the defined temperature range or information representative of the defined humidity threshold value.

According to example 24, there is provided a cleanroom compliant wearable personal comfort system. The system may include: means for receiving a first input signal from first temperature sensing circuitry, the first input signal including information indicative of a measured first temperature between the clean-room garment worn by the system user and the system user; means for receiving a second input signal from second temperature sensing circuitry, the second input signal including information indicative of a measured second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature external to the clean-room garment; means for receiving a third input signal from relative humidity sensing circuitry, the third input signal including information indicative of a measured relative humidity between a clean-room garment worn by a system user and the system user; means for determining using at least one of: the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity, an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value; and means for causing an air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow.

Example 25 may include elements of example 24, and the system may further include: means for receiving a fourth input signal from moisture sensing circuitry, the fourth input signal including a value indicative of a presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the system user or the garment worn by the system user.

Example 26 may include elements of any of examples 24 or 25 and the system may further include: determining, by the control circuitry using the measured presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the system user or the garment worn by the system user, an airflow through the one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to maintain the value indicative of a presence of surface moisture below a defined surface moisture threshold value.

Example 27 may include elements of any of examples 24 through 26 where the means for causing the air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow may further include: causing, by the control circuitry, a variable speed inline fan to operate at a speed to provide the determined airflow.

Example 28 may include elements of any of examples 24 through 27 where the means for determining an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value, may further include: receiving, by the control circuitry via communicatively coupled wireless receiver circuitry, a signal that includes at least one of: information representative of the defined temperature range or information representative of the defined humidity threshold value.

According to example 29, there is provided a non-transitory storage device. The non-transitory storage device may include instructions that, when executed by control circuitry coupled to a cleanroom compliant personal comfort system, cause the control circuitry to: receive a first input signal from first temperature sensing circuitry, the first input signal including information indicative of a measured first temperature between the clean-room garment worn by the system user and the system user; receive a second input signal from second temperature sensing circuitry, the second input signal including information indicative of a measured second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature external to the clean-room garment; receive a third input signal from relative humidity sensing circuitry, the third input signal including information indicative of a measured relative humidity between a clean-room garment worn by a system user and the system user; determine, using at least one of: the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity, an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value; and cause an air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow.

Example 30 may include elements of example 29 where the instructions may further cause the control circuitry to: receive a fourth input signal from moisture sensing circuitry, the fourth input signal including a value indicative of a presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the system user or the garment worn by the system user.

Example 31 may include elements of any of examples 29 or 30 where the instructions may further cause the control circuitry to: determine using the measured presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the system user or the garment worn by the system user, an airflow through the one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to maintain the value indicative of a presence of surface moisture below a defined surface moisture threshold value.

Example 32 may include elements of any of examples 29 through 31 where the instructions that cause the control circuitry to cause the air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow may further cause the control circuitry to: cause a variable speed inline fan to operate at a speed to provide the determined airflow.

Example 33 may include elements of any of examples 29 through 32 where the instructions that cause the control circuitry to determine an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the system user and the garment worn by the system user to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value, may further include: receiving, by the control circuitry via communicatively coupled wireless receiver circuitry, a signal that includes at least one of: information representative of the defined temperature range or information representative of the defined humidity threshold value.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described (or portions thereof), and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the claims are intended to cover all such equivalents. Various features, aspects, and embodiments have been described herein. The features, aspects, and embodiments are susceptible to combination with one another as well as to variation and modification, as will be understood by those having skill in the art. The present disclosure should, therefore, be considered to encompass such combinations, variations, and modifications.

As described herein, various embodiments may be implemented using hardware elements, software elements, or any combination thereof. Examples of hardware elements may include processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be conibined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Claims

1. A cleanroom personal comfort system, comprising:

a power supply;

an air mover to provide an airflow;

at least one diffuser to fit beneath a cleanroom garment worn by a cleanroom worker, the at least one diffuser fluidly coupled to the air mover to receive the airflow and to discharge the received airflow between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment;

an environmental control system that includes: humidity sensing circuitry positionable between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment, the humidity sensing circuitry to measure a relative humidity proximate the cleanroom worker inside the cleanroom garment; first temperature sensing circuitry positionable between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment, the first temperature sensing circuitry to measure a first temperature proximate the cleanroom worker inside the cleanroom garment; and control circuitry communicably coupled to the humidity sensing circuity, the first temperature sensing circuitry, and the air mover, the control circuitry to: autonomously adjust at least one air mover parameter responsive to the measured first temperature and the measured relative humidity.

2. The personal comfort system of claim 1:

wherein the air mover comprises a variable speed air mover coupled to the control circuitry;

wherein the at least one air mover parameter includes the speed of the air mover; and

wherein the control circuitry to autonomously adjust the speed of the air mover responsive to the measured first temperature and the measured relative humidity.

3. The personal comfort system of claim 2 wherein the air mover comprises an inline fan.

4. The personal comfort system of claim 3 wherein the control circuitry includes at least one output to continuously adjust the airflow from the variable speed inline fan.

5. The personal comfort system of claim 4, the control circuitry to further:

adjust the airflow provided by the variable speed inline fan to maintain at least one of: the measured relative humidity at or below a threshold value or the first temperature within a defined temperature range.

6. The personal comfort system of claim 1 wherein the environmental control system further comprises:

at least one input device to receive a user input indicative of a defined temperature range.

7. The personal comfort system of claim 1:

wherein the at least one air mover parameter includes air mover ON operating mode and an air mover OFF operating mode; and

wherein the control circuitry to autonomously selects the air mover ON operating mode and the air mover OFF operating mode mover responsive to the measured first temperature and the measured relative humidity.

8. The personal comfort system of claim 1:

wherein the environmental control system further comprises: second temperature sensing circuitry positionable external to the cleanroom garment, the second temperature sensing circuitry to measure a second temperature in an ambient environment about the cleanroom worker; and

the control circuitry to further: autonomously adjust the airflow provided by the air mover using the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity.

9. The personal comfort system of claim 1 wherein the environmental control system further comprises:

wireless communications circuitry to communicate at least one of: one or more physiological parameters associated with the cleanroom worker or one or more environmental parameters associated with the ambient environment about the cleanroom worker.

10. The personal comfort system of claim 9, the wireless communications circuitry to further receive at least one signal that includes data representative of a defined temperature range.

11. The personal comfort system of claim 10, the control circuitry to further:

cause the air mover selectively enter the ON operating mode and the OFF operating mode to maintain the measured first temperature within the received defined temperature range.

12. The personal comfort system of claim 10, the wireless communications circuitry to further receive at least one signal that includes data representative of a defined humidity range.

13. The personal comfort system of claim 12, the control circuitry to further:

cause the air mover selectively enter the ON operating mode and the OFF operating mode to maintain the measured relative humidity within the received defined humidity range.

14. The personal comfort system of claim 1:

wherein the environmental control system further comprises: moisture sensing circuitry positionable between the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom garment, the moisture sensing circuitry to measure surface moisture on the proximate the cleanroom worker inside the cleanroom garment.

15. The personal comfort system of claim 14, the control circuitry to further:

autonomously adjust the at least one air mover operating parameter responsive to the measured first temperature, the measured surface moisture, and the measured relative humidity.

16. The personal comfort system of claim 1, further comprising:

an attachment fixture physically coupled to the power supply and the air mover, the attachment fixture to physically couple the system to the cleanroom worker.

17. The personal comfort system of claim 16 wherein the attachment fixture comprises a belt worn about a torso of the cleanroom worker.

18. The personal comfort system of claim 16 wherein the power supply comprises a rechargeable battery.

19. A cleanroom compliant personal comfort system control method, comprising:

receiving, by the control circuitry, a first input signal from first temperature sensing circuitry, the first input signal including information indicative of a measured first temperature between the cleanroom garment worn by the cleanroom worker and the cleanroom worker;

receiving, by the control circuitry, a second input signal from second temperature sensing circuitry, the second input signal including information indicative of a measured second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature external to the cleanroom garment;

receiving, by control circuitry, a third input signal from relative humidity sensing circuitry, the third input signal including information indicative of a measured relative humidity between a clean-room garment worn by a cleanroom worker and the cleanroom worker;

determining, by the control circuitry using at least one of: the measured first temperature, the measured second temperature, and the measured relative humidity between the cleanroom worker and the garment worn by the cleanroom worker to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value; and

causing, by the control circuitry, an air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving, by the control circuity, a fourth input signal from moisture sensing circuitry, the fourth input signal including a value indicative of a presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the cleanroom worker or the cleanroom garment.

21. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining, by the control circuitry using the measured presence of surface moisture on at least one of: the cleanroom worker or the cleanroom garment, an airflow through the one or more diffusers disposed between the cleanroom worker and the garment worn by the cleanroom worker to maintain the value indicative of a presence of surface moisture below a defined surface moisture threshold value.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein causing the air mover fluidly coupled to the one or more diffusers to provide the determined airflow further comprises:

causing, by the control circuitry, a variable speed inline fan to operate at a speed to provide the determined airflow.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein determining an airflow through one or more diffusers disposed between the cleanroom worker and the garment worn by the cleanroom worker to at least one of: maintain the first temperature in a defined temperature range; or maintain the relative humidity below a defined humidity threshold value, further comprises:

receiving, by the control circuitry via communicatively coupled wireless receiver circuitry, a signal that includes at least one of: information representative of the defined temperature range or information representative of the defined humidity threshold value.