LARGE-SCALE UV-C INACTIVATION DEVICES AND SIMULATIONS OF THE SAME
An UV-C device may include several UV-C light sources (e.g., UV-C LEDs) and such UV-C LEDs may have UV-C reflecting structures arranged to direct UV-C in a particular direction and at a particular size and shape. Doing so may, for example, increase the UV-C in a particular direction or working area. A UV-C generating device may be utilized in an air stream, such as an air duct, to sterilize air from that air stream. Multiple UV-C inactivation devices may be coupled in series and placed into a single housing for in order to increase the efficacy of the UV-C inactivation device. The inlet of the device may draw air using an inlet module attachment (e.g., a hood with one or more than one inlet hood) and may output air using an outlet module attachment (e.g., a duct to deliver air to an outflow air duct). Computational fluid dynamic software may be provided where UV-C inactivation devices may be positioned (e.g., manually or autonomously by an adaptive algorithm) to determine impact on airflow against various pathogens (e.g., Staphylococcus and/or SARS-CoV-2).
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 63/140,237, titled “LARGE-SCALE UV-C INACTIVATION DEVICES AND SIMULATIONS OF THE SAME,” filed Jan. 21, 2021 (Attorney Docket No. D/188PROV), 63/109,333, titled “INCREASING EFFICIENCY OF UV-C INACTIVATION DEVICES,” filed Nov. 3, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/187PROV), 63/085,140, titled “UV-C VIRUS INACTIVATION DEVICES AND SUPPRESSING SOUND AND OPERATING THE SAME,” filed Sep. 29, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/186PROV-2), 63/085,134, titled “UV-C VIRUS INACTIVATION DEVICES AND SUPPRESSING SOUND AND OPERATING THE SAME,” filed Sep. 29, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/186PROV-1), 63/056,534, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UV-C INACTIVATED VIRUS VACCINES AND UV-C SANITIZATION,” filed Jul. 24, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/185PROV), 63/042,494, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EFFICIENT AIR STERILIZATION WITHOUT CIRCULATION UNSANITIZED AIR,” filed Jun. 22, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/184PROV), 63/023,845, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HANDS-FREE OBJECT STERILIZATION,” filed May 12, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/183PROV), 63/018,699, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UV-C SURFACE STERILIZATION,” filed May 1, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/182PROV), 63/015,469, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INCREASING WORK AREA AND PERFORMANCE OF UV-C GENERATORS,” filed Apr. 24, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/181PROV), 63/009,301, titled “UV-C AMPLIFIERS AND CONTROL OF THE SAME,” filed Apr. 13, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/180PROV), 63/006,710, titled “SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS FOR ULTRA-DENSE, FLEXIBLE LED MICRO-ARRAYS FOR IN VIVO VIRAL LOAD REDUCTION,” filed Apr. 7, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/179PROV-3), 63/003,882, titled “SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS FOR ULTRA-DENSE, FLEXIBLE LED MICRO-ARRAYS FOR IN VIVO VIRAL LOAD REDUCTION,” filed Apr. 1, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/179PROV-2), 63/001,461, titled “SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS FOR ULTRA-DENSE, FLEXIBLE LED MICRO-ARRAYS FOR IN VIVO VIRAL LOAD REDUCTION,” filed Mar. 29, 2020 (Attorney Docket No. D/179PROV-1), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to sterilization.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA UV-C generation device is provided that includes multiple UV-C light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) positioned around a work area. For example, the multiple UV-C LEDs may be positioned around a cylinder. The cylinder may be, for example, comprised of a UV-C transparent material (e.g., a material with UV-C transparency greater than fifty percent (50%) such as, for example, quartz or UV-C transparent polymer. The LEDs may be located on a flexible printed circuit board. The flexible printed circuit board may be fabricated, for example, from a polyimide or FR4 and may be, for example between 2 thousandths of an inch and seven thousandths of an inch thick (e.g., between 2 and 4 thousandths of an inch thick such as between 2 and 2.5 thousandths of an inch thick). A working substance (e.g., a gas, a liquid, an air and liquid, a virus solution for inactivation for vaccine creation) may flow through the cylinder and the UV-C LEDs may interact with the working substance to, for example, sterilize the working substance. The UV-C LEDs may, for example, have a wavelength between 200 and 280 nanometers (e.g., between 220 and 280 nanometers or between 250 and 265 nanometers or between 255 and 260 nanometers such as 255, 260, or 265 nanometers).
Each UV-C LED may be independently controlled and regulated through control and regulation circuitry on the flexible printed circuit board or another device. Accordingly, the intensity of each UV-C LED as well as the turn-ON time and turn-OF time of each UV-C LED may be independently controlled. A processor may be provided on the flexible circuit board or on another communicatively coupled device to control the operation of the UV-C LEDs.
The flexible printed circuit board may be, for example, wrapped around all of, or a portion of, the cylinder so that the UV-C LEDs may provide UV-C light into the cylinder through the cylinder wall. UVC-LEDs may be arranged in rows and columns. A UV-C flexible circuit when wrapped around a cylinder may, for example, have rows of three (3) UV-C LEDs in multiple columns (e.g., three columns, six columns, nine columns, twelve columns, more than twelve columns, or any number of columns). Accordingly, six columns of three UV-C LEDs would provide eighteen UV-C LEDs. The UV-C LEDs may be aligned in rows or staggered in rows around the cylinder. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the workspace may not be provide din a cylinder but in any shape that provides a workspace (e.g., inside a cube, rectangular, triangular, or any other type of housing).
UV-C reflective material may be provided on the flexible printed circuit board around the UVC-LEDs or selectively provided, around the UV-C LEDs placement so as to not generally impede UV-C emanating from the UV-C LEDs, on the interior surface or exterior surface of the cylindrical housing. Such a UV-C reflective material may include, for example, aluminum.
One or more heat sinks may be provided around the UV-C LEDs in order to capture and expel heat from UV-C LEDs away from those UV-C LEDs. A battery and/or wall plug and/or battery and wall-plug may be utilized to charge, for example, one or more rechargeable batteries located inside a housing that includes the working space.
Manual inputs may be operable to receive manual input from outside of a housing that may include the working area (e.g., a UV-C transparent cylinder) or be placed within the proximity of a working area. Temperature, humidity, and flow rate may be added and utilized to, for example, control the intensity of one or more of the UV-C LEDs so that, for example, the intensity may be changed for different temperatures, flows, and/or humidity.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of Ultraviolet LEDs, or other light sources, may be provided on an LED array such as UV-B and UV-A LEDs. Similarly, additional wavelengths of light may be provided in LEDs, or other types of light sources. A spectrometer, or other device, may be included to determine the type of material in the working space and may activate different LEDs or different types of LEDs (e.g., based on the detected material(s)). Similarly, different UV-C LEDs, or non-LED UV-C sources, may provide different wavelengths and different modes may be provided to control the UV-C LEDs so a subset of the UV-C LEDs may provide a particular nanometer wavelength (e.g., 255 to 265 nanometers) and other UV-C LEDs may provide another particular nanometer wavelength (e.g., 270 to 280 nanometers).
A flexible circuit board does not have to be rolled, for example, for the flexible circuit board to sterilize a working surface. A device may have a generally flat flexible circuit board at a perimeter separated from a surface that has contaminant (e.g., virus and/or bacteria) that requires sterilization). The housing may have a handle (e.g., a removable handle) so that the UV-C sterilization device can be provided as want for moving over, and sterilizing, a surface.
The housing may include multiple mateable ports for handles such that, for example, one handle may be inserted into one mateable port to provide a sanitizing and a larger handle may be inserted into a different mateable port to provide a sanitizing moop/broom. Such a UV-C sanitizing device may be wall mounted such that, for example, someone can place their hands in a working space and have their hands sterilized. The device may operate on two modes—human mode and non-human mode. The device can prompt this to the user for the mode, wait for the user to activate the mode, or autonomously activate the mode.
The flexible circuit board with multiple UV-C LEDs may be articulated via motors and/or other controls so that different areas that, for example, include UV-C LEDs may be moved away from each other or to each other or moved closer to, or further away from, the other LED's.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciated that a fixed distance surface cleaner may be utilized. A fixed distance surface cleaner may be, for example, permanently attached (e.g., bolted and/or screwed) to a surface (e.g., a counter-top) so that objects may be passed in front of UV-C generating portion(s) to sterilize the objects. For example, a UV-C surface sanitizer may be provided on a countertop next to a point-of-sale register. A customer may pass a credit card and or a currency bill and/or a coil under a UV-C sanitization device to sanitize a device. A UV-C generating device may be embedded in the countertop or placed in the countertop and may face upwards so an object provided over it may be sanitized on the surface(s) facing the UV-C generation. UV-C generation units may provide a particular amount of UV-C light at a particular point and may be controlled, over time, to provide that amount of UV-C light at that particular point. Accordingly, for example, UV-C light may be provided at an amount that sterilizes at a particular distance (e.g., under 5 millimeters from the surface of a counter) but not at a further point (e.g., beyond 5 millimeters) from the surface of a counter. UV-C generators may be provided over and/or under a conveyer (e.g., a gapped and/or conveyer with UV-C transparent material).
A UV-C air sterilization device is provided in which a fan (e.g., axial fan and/or centrifugal fan) pushes and/or pulls air through a working area into which UV-C is applied. The air may then be directed over the UV-C sources of light so that the sterilized air is also used to remove heat from the UV-C sources. The circulated air that has been sanitized and utilized to remove heat from the sanitization device may then be, for example, expelled from the device. In doing so, the device may move sanitized air from the device without moving non-sanitized air from the device.
An air sanitization device may also apply other types of light such as UV-A and/or UV-B light in addition to, or in place of, UV-C light. A fan may have several speeds such that different efficacies of sterilization may be provided and/or different air speeds may be provided.
One or more fixed and/or removable mechanical particulate filters may be provided (e.g., before the working area of the UV-C sanitization device). In doing so, particulates may be kept away from A UV-C working area of the device.
One or more (e.g., several) speed settings may be provided to circulate air through a UV-C working area. Such various speeds may, for example, provide different impact rates (e.g., inactivation rates) of various air-born contaminants (e.g., virus) and may provide different speeds at sanitizing air.
An autonomous cleaning operation may be provided by a UV-C sanitization device that may clean a UV-C generating device. For example. an air sterilization device may utilize one or more fans to move air through a UV-C working area at a maximum speed during operation. However, during cleaning, the one or more fans may move the air through the UV-C working area at a faster rate and such a faster rate may be constant for a period of time or may include several pulses of air. A cleaning substance may also be released to be moved through the working area during an autonomous leaning operation. A portion of a UV-C air sterilization device may be accessible to a user so that the user may, for example, access a UV-C working area of a UV-C air sanitization device for cleaning. Cleaning objects (e.g., a brush that can fit into the working area of a UV-C sanitization device, cloth, and/or other object may be provided in a sealed box with the UV-C air sanitization device for consumer sale). A UV-C sanitization device may have an indicator (e.g., verbal and/or audible) to provide a notification to a user that a user-driven and/or user-assisted cleaning process is desired. A housing of a UV-C sanitization device may include, for example, a mating structure such that a cleaning object may be mated to the UV-C sanitization device.
One or more light sources (e.g., visible light sources) may be placed in one or more working areas of a UV (e.g., UV-A, UV-B, and/or UV-C) air sanitization device and one or more sensors that can detect the light provided from those light sources may be placed in the working channel or areas where light from the light sources may reach. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that different intensities of light sensed may, for example, be indicative of different amounts of residue (e.g., dirt and/or dust) that may have gathered on the surfaces of a UV-C working area as different amounts of residue may decrease, for example, the reflectivity of the surfaces with the reside. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that materials that are transparent to particular wavelengths may be utilized in a uV-C working area. Light (e.g., visible and/or non-visible light) may be provided through these transparent materials and sensors may be utilized to determine any residue on such transparent materials. Accordingly, light sources (e.g., visible light and/or non-visible light sources) may be utilized with sensors to determine the state of cleanliness of UV-C working surfaces by detecting different amounts of residue. Additionally, for example, UV-C sensors may be utilized to determine the amount of UV-C light in particular areas to determine, for example, how much reflectivity and/or transparency has been degraded from residue over reflective and/or transparent materials in and/or around a UV-C working area, respectively. Residue may be, for example, determined by direct sensing means such as for example a camera that takes a picture and analyzes the picture.
A reflective perimeter may be placed around a UV-C light source such that, for example, UV-C light is directed in a particular direction. Additionally, for example, UV-C reflective materials may be utilized to improve UV-C mating between a UV-C LED and a UV-C transport medium (e.g., a UV-C fiber optic).
UV-C may be utilized to inactivate amounts of a virus (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) in a substance, such as the air, order to create a vaccination such as a aerosolized vaccination. Inactivated virus may then be breathed in to have a vaccination impact. Such an aerosolized vaccination, or another form (e.g., liquid) vaccination may be provided by an inactivation fan that inactivates air or in a ventilator, or other medical device, as an air inactivation device. In an example of ventilator, or other device, fans may not be provided to move air through an inactivation working area as the ventilator, or other device, may utilize move air, or another substance (e.g., liquid), through the inactivation working area. UV inactivation of virus to create vaccines may be performed, for example, with UV-C. Multiple strains of virus (e.g., strains from different claves of virus) may be inactivated and combined in order to form a super vaccination across one, two, or more than two virus, strains of virus from the same clave, strains of virus strains of a virus from different claves. For example, a multi-strain vaccination may include strains of a virus from at least 3 or at least 5 different claves. Accordingly, for example, a multi-clave vaccination may be provided by inactivating with UV-C one or more virus strains from multiple or several claves of SARS-CoV-2 and combining the inactivates virus strains in a single vaccine for administration to a human being. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the amount of different strains of a virus may be the same. A vaccination may have any number of inactivated virus such as, for example, one million, ten million one hundred million, one billion, or more than one billion virus and may have one inactivated strain, more than one inactivated strain, and the inactivated strains may be provided in equal proportions or different proportions.
One or more UV-C air sterilization devices may be, for example, placed in an air duct (e.g., 24 inch by 24 inch, 36 inch by 36 inch, 48 inch by 48 inch, circular air duct, and/or rectangular air duct). One or more UV-C air sanitization devices may be placed after an air register bringing air into an air duct and/or room or before an air register bringing out of an air duct and/or room. Such devices may be provide on a structure that forces all, or most, of the air to go through the UV-C air sanitization devices. Each air sanitization device may have, for example, one or more fans (e.g., two fans where each fan includes two counter-rotating blades). The structure may be expandable and collapsible so that the air sanitization device may be utilized in different size and/or shape air ducts. One or more controllers may be on the structure and/or one or more of the UV-C air sanitization devices that may control all of the devices (e.g., control which fans are ON/OFF and the speeds of each fans) and may receive information from the devices (e.g., if a device needs servicing such as UV-C LEDs need to be replaced to maintain a particular efficacy). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more redundant air sanitization devices may be included such that one or more of the air sanitization devices loose efficacy (e.g., UV-C LEDs fall below a performance threshold so the UV-C air sanitization devices falls below a performance threshold) redundant UV-C air sanitization devices may be turned ON. Alternatively, for example, all UV-C sterilization devices may be ON and the speed of fans (if included in an air sanitization device) may be adjusted based on the number of UV-C air sanitization devices in an array and the current operating efficacy of the array. Sensors may be utilized in the UV-C generating devices to determine the amount of UV-C being generated (e.g., by detecting UV-C light or another light emitted such as visible light, UV-B light, and/or UV-A light).
Detection of additional structures, or detection of a change in airflow through an air inactivation device, can be utilized to, for example, autonomously change the airspeed to a pre-determined airspeed. Accordingly, for example, the addition or removal of a structure that impacts airflow may be sensed by sensing a change in airflow and fan speed, for example, may be changed to counteract. Accordingly, for example, a device that is operating at 100 liters per minute that has a concentration funnel or annulus cone added to the output and that may reduce the airflow may be sensed and fans speeds may be increased to return the device to, for example, 100 liters per minute. A device may have any number of settings such as, for example, any number of speed settings such as three speed settings (e.g., 100, 200 and 300 LPM or 100, 200, 400 LPM). A speed setting may be at least twice the speed of a particular speed setting and yet another speed setting may be at least three times the speed of a particular speed setting.
Accordingly, for example, one or more airflow sensor may be provided in the device. A setting may cause the unit to change fan speeds to achieve the setting. If the setting cannot be achieved, for example, a fan speed that provides the closest potential air speed to the setting may be provided. The device may look at the air speed setting and, if the air speed changes, the device may adjust the fans to re-achieve the desired setting. A manual input may be provided to provide the setting. Alternatively, for example, the device may have a particular airflow setting the device may be attempting to achieve.
Multiple air inactivation devices, or other types of inactivation devices, may be utilized collectively to inactivate an area of contaminants (e.g., virus) or to provide an inactivation strategy for an area, object (e.g., person), or objects (e.g., persons). In this manner, for example, inactivation devices may communicate data between each other and between, for example, a remote system such as a remote controller system. Accordingly, a number of air inactivation devices may be provided on one-axis, two-axis, or any number of axis oscillators and the fans may move in a coordinated fashion to achieve a strategy. A strategy may be to inactivate air in a room, to track and follow one or more objects and provide clean air to those objects (e.g., persons), or any other strategy. Sensors (e.g., vision systems) may be placed around a room or may be moved (e.g., via one or more vehicles such as wheeled vehicles). Inactivation devices may scan an environment when the fans are placed in an environment, engage in communication with nearby inactivation units, determine a strategy based on the capabilities of the inactivation units collectively working together, determine additional environmental conditions such as, for example, altitude, temperature, humidity, and execute a strategy together based on the information collected.
A working area for UV-C air inactivation may have, for example, one or more air inlets and one or more air outlets. UV-C reflective objects may be placed in the inlets and/or outlets such that light is reflected back into the working area but air is permitted to flow past and/or through the objects.
An air inactivation system may be provided in a device that is independent from an air-based cooling system for that device. In doing so, different motors may be utilized to move air through a working area that is inactivated by, for example, UV-C light sources than the motors that are utilized to move air through an area (e.g., outside the working area) for cooling the device. In doing so, for example, the motors utilized to move air through a working area may operate at a reduced speed as the motors may not be moving air also to cool the device and this reduced speed may, for example, introduce less heat into the working area as well as provide a reduced noise from the reduced motor speed.
Multiple UV-C reflective chambers (e.g., tubes) may be mechanically coupled together to form a larger chamber (e.g., larger tube). For example, two, three, four, or more than four tubes may be mechanically coupled together to form a longer tube. Each tube may be, for example, at least six, twelve, or eighteen inches long. Different tubes may have different lengths or the same lengths. For example, the exterior tubes in the tube array may be longer than the interior tubes. Each tube, however, may have the same number of UV-C LEDs that provide light into it (e.g., via a flexible electronic circuit board that includes the UV-C LEDs). Alternatively, for example, different tubes may have different UV-C LEDs. The exterior tubes may be longer, for example, in order to provide more reflective material between the end of the tube and the nearest UV-C light source.
Simulation software may be provided that may include a graphical user interface that provides via manual inputs the creation of an environment (e.g., a room, series of rooms, a vehicle, a building), the creation of objects in the environment (e.g., tables, chairs), the creation of pathogen sources in the environment (e.g., various types of human beings, various types of animals), airflow inlets and airflow outlets, and any other type of asset that may impact airflow. For example, one or more pathogen inactivation devices may be provided in the simulation. Each inactivation device may operate at different inactivation rates in different situations (e.g., as time lapses, in different humidities, at different elevations, at different aerosolization molecule sizes) and may operate in different situations for different pathogens (e.g., rhinovirus, norovirus, tuberculosis, Staphylococcus, SARS-COV-2, etc.).
An adaptive algorithm may be provided that may take certain manually defined variables and determine the optimal placements in an environment based on those variables. Such variables may include level of inactivation in the environment, level of inactivation in a defined portion of the environment, level of inactivation at the inhalation airway of a particular person (e.g., a patient or a doctor), a level of inactivation at the inhalation airway of a particular group of people (e.g., all people or a subset of people), a level of inactivation across the environment as well as all people or a subset of people, and eligible inactivation device placement areas. In doing so, for example, a user may run a software package to determine the optimal placement in a hospital room with the key performance indicators of inactivating at least 50% of a particular virus (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) in a room, 100% of virus inhaled by a patient, 100% of virus inhaled by a doctor, and where the units must be placed at within 2 feet of the top 3 feet of wall in the room (e.g., so a patient cannot easily physically interact with the unit). The software package may then provide a graphical user interface sowing a solution set of placement options and a recommended placement from that solution set. An output data set may be provided that may include a list of all placements and key performance indicators requested by the user as well as other performance indicators (e.g., virus about a doorway or virus in the center 50% of air in the room).
The principles and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same structural elements throughout, and in which:
Printed circuit board 101 may be, for example, a non-flexible or a flexible printed circuit board. Input/output ports 104 and 105 may be, for example, contacts to couple to another circuit board or an external device. Processor 106 may, for example, control UV-C LEDs 102 and 103 using firmware that is downloaded into processor 106 or provided in a memory of processor 106 before or after placement on circuit board 101. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that printed circuit board 101 may be multiple printed circuit boards that are communicatively coupled together to form a multiple circuit board device. Different circuit boards of a multiple circuit board device may be provided in a single housing or in different housings.
Firmware updates may be downloaded through input/output ports 104 and 105. Any number of input/output ports may be provided and different protocols may be utilized for different ports. Additionally, blue-tooth (e.g., BLE), contactless (e.g., RFID), telecommunications (e.g., cellular such as 4G or 5G cellular), infrared, or other wireless communication structures may be provided such as wireless communication chips, circuitry, protocols, and ports may be provided. Wireless power generation may be provided and may be utilized by power circuitry to change a battery coupled to printed circuit board 101 (e.g., through battery contact pads on circuit board 101).
Printed circuit board 101 may be a flexible polyimide or flexible Fr$. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that such a flexible printed circuit board may be, for example between two thousandths of an inch and seven (7) thousands of an inch in thickness (e.g., between two thousandths of an inch and three thousands of an inch in thickness). Silicon chips may be grinded and polished before placement on printed circuit board 101 to between, for example, five thousandths and ten thousandths of an inch in thickness). Such chips may be mounted on printed circuit board 1010 via a flip-on-flex structure or via a wire-bonded structure. A wire-bonded structure may be for example a low-provide wire-bonded structure with wire-bonds that are placed with less than a five thousandths of an inch profile above the silicon chip and encapsulant that is less than three thousandths of an inch above each wire-bond. The entire thickness from the bottom of flexible circuit board to the top of an encapsulant of a chip may be, for example under fourteen thousandths of an inch thick (e.g., under twelve thousandths of an inch thick). For example, the thickness from the bottom of circuit board 101 to the top of the encapsulant may be between ten and sixteen thousandths of an inch thick (e.g., between twelve and fourteen thousandths of an inch thick). Wire-bonds may be for example, gold wire-bonds or aluminum wire-bonds. A low-profile encapsulant may be provided that utilizes at least two separate encapsulate provisioning steps in order to provide the low-profile encapsulant.
Processor 106 may be one or more processors and may be provided between, for example, twenty megahertz and five gigahertz. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that faster processors may provide faster control of UV-C LEDs 102 and 103. Faster control of UV-C LEDs may provided shorter ON times which may provide the ability to damage and sterilize certain elements (e.g., virus) without damaging and sterilizing other elements (e.g., living tissue and cells). Processor 106 may, for example, provide ON times for UV-C LEDs 102 and 103 less than, for example, 100 nanoseconds, less than 10 nanoseconds, less than 1 nanosecond. For example, Processor 106 may turn ON UV-C LEDs 102 and 103 between approximately 1 and 100 nanoseconds (e.g., between 20 and 60 nanoseconds or between 30 and 50 nanoseconds). High speed control circuitry may also be provided in order to control UV-C LEDS 102 and 103 between 1 and 100 femptosecond (e.g., between 1 and 50 femptoseconds or between 1 and 20 femptoseconds).
Circuitry 107 and 108 may include, for example, regulation and control circuitry for UV-C, or other, sources of light on circuit board 101 as well as sources of light and other circuitry on other boards or external devices. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C LEDs on circuit board 101 may be, fore example, individually regulated and controlled or controlled as a group or in subsets. For example, circuit board 101 may include over ten (10) or over one hundred (100) UV-C LEDs. UV-C LEDs may be regulated and controlled in groups of two or more (e.g., three or more). A portion of UV-C LEDs may be regulated and controlled independently while another portion of UV-C LEDs may be regulated as a group or in sub-groups.
UV-C LEDs on printed circuit board 101 may be, for example, UV-C LEDs having the same wavelength of may have different wavelengths and they may be independently controlled at different times using different control profiles that provide different turn ON an turn OFF pulses (e.g., the duration of an OFF state for one or more UV-C LEDs may be the same duration or a different duration such as a longer or shorter duration than the ON duration for the respective one or more UV-C LEDs). The UV-C LEDs may all be between approximately 200 and 280 nanometers (e.g., provided at or between 250 and 270 nanometers such as provided at or between 255 and 265 nanometers). Some UV-C LEDs may be provided, for example, at or between 250 and 260 nanometers while others are provided, for example, at or between 260 and 270 nanometers. One or more additional light sources may be provided on board 101 such as, for example, UV-B, UV-A, VUV, and visible spectrum light sources.
Visible spectrum light sources may be provided, for example, to provide a visual indicator when board 101 is ON or OFF as well as different operating modes. For example, a visible spectrum LED may be a single-color LED (e.g., white, green, blue, Or red) or a multiple color LED and may provide indication of when a battery (e.g., a rechargeable battery) is low and/or critically low on power. Manual inputs may be included on circuit board 101 to receive, for example, manual input to turn circuit board 101 ON, Off, and/or change between different modes of operation (e.g., different intensities for UV-C LEDs 102 and 103).
Circuit board 101 may be a single layer or multiple layer circuit board. For example, circuit board 101 may have two, three, four, or more layers. Printed circuit board 101 may be flexible. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a flexible circuit board may be at least partially or fully wrapped around or contorted around one or more objects (e.g., one or more working spaces for sterilization by the UV-C LEDs of board 101). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that flexible circuit board 101 may utilized for multiple sterilization devices as flexible circuit board 101 may be able to flex around one or more objects (e.g., one or more hollow cylinders in which working material may be sterilized by UV-C LEDs) or may not be flexed and may lie flat next to an object (e.g., a surface of an object desired to be sterilized). Flexible circuit board 101 may be actuated so it can be flexed around different objects or placed next to an object so one device may be used in different configurations to change the location of elements of circuit board 101 to sterilize different objects and/or surfaces.
Circuit board 101 may include multiple rows and columns of UV-C LEDs and each UV-C LED, row of UV-C LEDs, and/or column of UV-C LEDs may be, for example, independently controlled (e.g., by processor 106 via additional circuitry such as additional circuitry 107). Circuit board 101 may include, for example, rows of three (or more) UV-C LEDs and columns of five (or more) UV-C LEDs). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that rows may include the same number of UV-C LEDs or a different number of UV-C LEDs than other rows. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that columns of UV-C LEDs may include the same or different number of UV-C LEDs than other columns. A row of UV-C LEDs may have, for example, six UV-C LEDs so that if circuit board 101 is rolled around a tube in a particular manner that the UV-C LED row provides a hexagonal disc around that tube. Each column may then, for example, provide another hexagonal disc of UV-C LEDs.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that circuit board 101 may be folded to provided UV-C LEDs facing in two (or more directions), left unfolded so the UV-C LEDs face in a single direction, wrapped around an object so the UV-C LEDs face into the object, folded inside of an object (e.g., a tube) so the UV-C LEDs face outside of the object, wrapped around an object (e.g., a brontoscopy or proble) with the UV-C LEDs facing away from that object, or in any form to provide UV-C LED light to any object or objects. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that circuit board 101 may have UV-C LEDs on a single side of board 101 or multiple sides of board 101.
Cross section 110 shows a cross-section of flexible circuit board 113 including UV-C LEDs 114 and 115 inside of a tube having an interior surface 112 and an exterior surface 111. Such a tube may be cylindrical in shape or may have a non-cylindrical shape. Any UV-C material utilized with a sterilization device may be UV-C transparent and may have UV-C transparency greater than fifty percent (50%), greater than seventy percent (e.g., 70%), greater than eighty percent (80%), or greater than ninety percent (e.g., 90%). Such a UV-C transparent material may be, for example, quartz. Cross section 110 may, for example, include a cross section that includes two or more UV-C LEDs such as three or more UV-C LEDS or six or more UV-C LEDs. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that cross-section 110 may be provided such that a flexible circuit board having UV-C LEDs is inserted into a rigid or flexible tube that is UV-C transparent to be placed in a cavity of a living organism (e.g., a nasal, throat, or lung cavity) or wrapped around or a part of a structure (e.g., a bronchoscope, nasapharangeascope, or another type of scope) in order to sterilize material placed about the tube having outer surface 111 and inner surface 112 from contaminants (e.g., viruses). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a thinner thickness between inner surface 111 and 112 of any tube used in connection with a sterilization device may provide more UV-C light to penetrate through inner wall 11 and 112 to interact with a working material. Accordingly, the thickness between inner surface 111 and 112 may be, for example, at or between half a millimeter and four millimeters (e.g., at or between half a millimeter and two and a half millimeters such as at or between a millimeter and two millimeters). For example, the thickness of a UV-C transparent material may be approximately two millimeters in thickness.
Side view 140 shows a side view of a cylinder with a flexible circuit board having UV-C LEDs wrapped around the cylinder. More particularly, side view 140 includes flexible circuit board 141 wrapped around a cylinder that has multiple UV-C LEDs such as UV-C LEDS 142, 143, 144, and 145. UV-C LEDs and 143 may be part of a UV-C disc that includes three or more UV-C LEDs. For example, the far side (not shown) of side view 140 may include a single UV-C LED aligned with UV-C LED 142 and 143 to provide a three UV-C LED disc around a hallow cylinder when placed around a hollow cylinder. UV-C LEDs may be facing into the hollow cylinder to provide UV-C light into a working area inside of the hollow cylinder in order to interact (e.g., sterilize) material (e.g., virus) in and/or moving through that working area. UV-C LED 142 may be aligned with UV-C LED 144 and UV-C LED 143 (and other UV-C LEDs) may be aligned with 145 (and other UV-C LEDs), respectively, so that the UV-C LEDs of multiple discs and/or rows are aligned with each other when wrapped around an object.
Cross-sectional view 120 shows circuit board 123 that may include one more UV-C LEDs (e.g., UV-C LED 124) located around a UV-C transparent hollow cylinder provided by interior wall 121 and exterior wall 122.\
Cross-sectional view 130 shows circuit board 131 located around a hollow cylinder that included an interior wall 132 and an exterior wall 133. Circuit board 131 may have one or more UV-C LEDs (e.g., UV-C LEDs 134 and 135).
Side view 150 shows flexible circuit board 152 wrapped around a hollow cylinder such that LED discs are formed that are staggered from one another. For example, UV-C LED 153 may be associated with two ore more UV-C LEDs located on the far side of the cylinder while UV-C LEDs 152 and 154 may be associated with one or more UV-C LEDs located on the far side of the cylinder. Each UV-C LED disc may have the same (or different) number of UV-C LEDs but, for example, these UV-C LED discs may be staggered such that material flowing through the cylinder at different locations may have staggered UV-C LEDs that may be closer to the material than if the UV-C LEDs were not staggered with respect to one another. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple UV-C discus, rows, or columns may be staggered in two or more configurations 9 e.g., three or more configurations) and multiple groups of UV-C LEDs may be staggered differently than different groups of UV-C LEDS.
Device 160 shows a stepped hollow cylinder 162 that has three circuit boards, each having multiple UV-C LEDs wrapped around different portions of the stepped hollow cylinder. For example, circuit boards (e.g., circuit board 101 of
Cross-sectional view 170 includes circuit board 173 around a hollow cylinder including interior wall 171 and exterior wall 172. The cylinder, as in any structure that is provided to include a working space in that structure, may be UV-C transparent. Circuit board 173 may include one or more UV-C LEDs (e.g., UV-C LED 176) that faces into the walls 171 and 172 such that UV-C light from UV-C LED 176 passes through walls 172 and 172 to impact the working space provided by wall 171. A material, e.g. air, may be flowed through the working space provided by wall 171 so that UV-C LEDs may impact (e.g., sterilize) that material from contaminants (e.g., virus and/or bacteria). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a flexible circuit board having UV-C LEDs may be laminated into the hollow cylinder itself (e.g., between walls 171 and 172. Such a configuration may, for example, provide UV-C LEDs closer to the working space. A fan, or other material movement system, may be provided to impact the speed that material is moving through the working space.
Post 175 may be UV-C transparent and may include UV-C LED 174. Configuration 181 may be provided in place of UV-C 174 and may include multiple UV-C LEDs. Any UV-C LED may be tilted at an angle on any axis in order to provide UV-C LED light in any direction. UV-C LEDs 182, 183, 184 may be provided on structure 185 and may be tilted differently on one or more axis from each other).
UV-C LEDs 174 or any UV-C LED located outside of a circuit board (e.g. circuit board 173) may be communicatively coupled (e.g., coupled by a physical conductor) to circuit board 173 so that circuit board 173 may control one or more UV-C LEDs located outside of circuit board 173.
A working space may be any working space in any device such as a ventilator device. In providing UV-C sterilization in a ventilator device any air flowing through that ventilator device (e.g., air entering, flowing through, or exiting) the device may be sterilized.
Device 210 may include one or more batteries 215 and 224. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that batteries 215 and 224 may be separate batteries or a single battery wrapped around housing 213. Batteries may be rechargeable or permanent and removable and replaceable. Charging circuitry may be provided. External power may recharge the power or, for example, may power circuitry of device 210 directly. Switching and regulation circuitry may control, for example, when external power (e.g., wall power) is utilized to charge a rechargeable battery and/or power circuitry of device 210 directly. Manual interfaces 211 may be included such as, for example, to turn device 210 ON/OFF and or change modes or enter other input data into device 210 (e.g., configure device settings and or device modes). Visual indicators 212 may be a bi-stable or non bi-stable display and/or single-color light source(s) and/or multiple color light source(s). A visual indicator may be a two-color display (e.g., black and white or two tone display) or a several color display (e.g., a color display) and may include an interface for the consumer. Visual indicators 212 may include the status of device 210 Status may include, for example, status information such as, for example, whether device 210 is operating properly or incorrectly as well as data associated with the device. For example, device 210 may provide a visual indication of a low battery, broken part (e.g., broken UV-C LED). Audio indicators may also be provided such as speakers. Audio and/or visual information may be provided such as, for example, when a battery is less than a particular amount of charge (e.g., less than twenty percent or less than ten percent of charge) or when a software update is available. External ports 214 may be provided anywhere on housing 213 such as on mateable port 217 and 218 such that external power and/or control and/or data input/output may be provided. By including external ports 214 on mateable portions multiple devices can be physically coupled together and the coupled devices may communicate to each other (e.g., control and power each other). Any number of devices 210 may be coupled to one another to, for example, provide a multiple or several device array or, for example, to increase the sterilization impact on a working substance. Two or more devices 210 may be coupled to a ventilator. Two or more devices 210 may be coupled to different parts of a ventilator or may be coupled adjacently to a single part of a ventilator.
Devices 230 are provided that include device 232 having mateable portions 231 and 233, device 235 having mateable portions 234 and 236 and device 328 having mateable portions 237 and 239. A working substance can be flowed (e.g., pushed and/or pulled) through an opening in mateable portion 231 and through devices 232, 235, and 238 to be expelled through an opening in mateable portion 239.
Devices 240 may be provided and may include devices 241, 243, 244, 246, 247, 248, and 250. Adaptors 242 and 225 may be included to create a joined working space between any number of devices. Adaptor 242 may, for example, fluidically couple device 241 to device 243 and 244. Adaptor 245 may, for example, fluidically coupled devices 243 and 244 to devices 246, 247, 249, and 250.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C generating device may have liquid and/or gas flowed through it from any structure. Accordingly, for example, a UV-C sterilization device may be placed about an input and/or output and/or filter port to any device such as a face mask. Accordingly, for example, a face mask wearer (e.g., a military, police, firefighter, caregiver) may enjoy improved protection against contaminants (e.g., bacteria and/or virus). Configuration 320 may be provided that may include UV-C sterilization device 322 fluidically coupled to an air channel of mask 321. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple UV-C sterilization devices may be coupled to one or more air channels of mask 321.
Configuration 330 of
Configuration 340 may be provided any may include device 341 fluidically coupled to device 343 through UV-C generation device 342 such that a substance moved between device 341 and 343 may be sterilized by, for example, device 342.
Configuration 350 may include device 353 communicatively coupled to UV-C generating device 351 via physical or wireless communications 353 such that information and controls may be provided between device 353 and device 351.
Configuration 360 may be included that includes device 353 fluidically coupled to device 261 and communicatively coupled to device 264. Device 264 may also be communicatively coupled or fluidically coupled to device 261. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that device 362 may be communicatively coupled to multiple or several other devices as well as fluidically coupled to multiple or several other devices.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C working area portion 422 may include an area where UV-C is introduced to the substance flowing through device 422 for sterilization. Such an area may be provided, for example, by a structure such as a tube made of UV-C reflective material (e.g., a PTFE material with at least 90% reflectivity or 95% reflectivity). Apertures may be cut into the structure and one or more UV-C light emitting diodes may be provided in the apertures. UV-C transparent material may be provided in the apertures, for example, such that the UV-C light emitting diodes provide light through the UV-C transparent material and into the working area and the UV-C light may reflect off the UV-C reflective material and be retained, at least partially, in the working area. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C transparent material may be, for example, a quartz with at least 85% UV-C transparency or at least 90% UV-C transparency. UV-C LEDs may be provided, for example, with UV-C between 100 nm and 280 nm (e.g., between, and including, 200 and 280 nm or between, and including, 260 nm and 270 nm).
UV-C working area portion 422 may include heat sink and heat sink fins that are thermally coupled to one or more UV-C light source(s) (e.g., LED(s)) and permit air to flow past the heat sink and heat sink fins and remove heat from the heat from the device. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a substance (e.g., air) may be brought through fan portion 424 through a structure such as a cylinder and UV-C may be applied into this cylinder and then the treated air may be stopped from exiting the device by interface portion 421 and then air may flow back outside the cylinder past heat sinks and/or heat sink fins and then may exit the device, for example, about extension portion 423. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C treated air may be heated by heat sinks and heat sink fins and this heat may perform additional sanitization of certain types of contaminants that are reactant to heat (e.g., virus such as SARS-CoV-2).
Device 430 may be, for example, a view facing a fan portion of a device (e.g., fan portion of device 420) and may include fan portion 432 with grill structures 433 and 431.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C working area may be provided by a cylinder or other hollow structure such as a spherical cylinder, elliptical cylinder, rectangular cylinder/prism, square cylinder/prism, triangular cylinder/prism, or any other shape channel including channels that may change shape as the channels progress in a direction. UV-C LEDs may be provided on a flexible printed circuit board that is flexed around a cylinder (e.g., a quartz cylinder) and mounted to the cylinder and/hour housing (e.g. through screw apertures located on the printed circuit board). Any number of rows and columns of UV-C LEDs may be provided and these rows and/or columns may be aligned and/or staggered for entire columns and/or rows or portions of columns and/or rows.
One or more heat sinks may be provided, for example, on the back of a flexible circuit board so that heat from a UV-C LED may travel from the UV-C LED through the circuit board to one or more heat sinks. A heat sink may be for example, aluminum and/or copper (e.g., copper inside of the aluminum to improve flow of heat through the aluminum). Thermal paste or another thermal substance may be utilized to improve thermal coupling of a portion of a device (e.g., back of circuit board under a UV-C LED) with a heat sink. One, two, or several Heat dissipation fins, such as fins 402 and 419, may be provided and may be provided as part of or coupled to one or more heat sinks. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that batteries may be provided in air sanitization houses.
An air sanitization device may be provided in which an object may be passed through one or more UV-C working area(s). Different types of UV light sources (e.g., tube lamps) and different types of UV light (e.g., UV-A and/or UV-B devices) may be provided to provide various types of UV light into a UV working area.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C generation device may have any number of UV LEDs of any number of types and wavelengths and be provided in any configuration and density. Multiple devices may be fluidically coupled together o so that the sterilization capability may be increased by creating additional UV-C working areas that are fluidically coupled together (e.g., the output of an air sanitization device is coupled to the input of an air sanitization device.
A UV-C working area defining structure (e.g., tube) may be provided at a slant with respect to a base. In providing a slant, UV light (e.g., UV-C light) may be directed away from an opening so that UV-C light does not pass through the opening (e.g., the entrance). Different mating structures may be provided about input and/or output outlets of an air sanitization device so that the air sanitization device may be, for example, coupled to an external device such as a ventilator for air sterilization.
A conveyer or moveable tray or pushing object may be utilized to move an object through a working channel. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that structures may be provided in a UV working area to slow down an object and or direct an object in a certain direction in order to, for example, increase the time of an object in a working channel. For example, a working channel may include multiple turns in order to, for example, potentially decrease the speed of objects flowing through a working channel.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the entrance and/or of a UV working area may take any dimension and shape, may take the same dimension and/or shapes, and/or may take different dimensions and/or shapes. Furthermore, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV working area may have multiple entrances and multiple exits (and may be bi-directional do objects can enter from any exit and enter through any exit). The working area channel may have the same dimensions or different dimensions as an opening. Multiple or several connected and/or independent UV working areas may be provided in a device.
An opening to a UV-C working area may, for example, have any length and/or width. For example, the width of an opening may be less than, greater to, or equal to 0.5 inches, 1.0 inches, 1.5 inches, 2.0 inches, 2.5 inches, 3.5 inches, 6 inches, 12 inches, 18 inches, 24 inches, etc. For example, the length of an opening may be less than, greater to, or equal to 0.5 inches, 1.0 inches, 1.5 inches, 2.0 inches, 2.5 inches, 3.5 inches, 6 inches, 12 inches, 18 inches, 24 inches, etc. For example, the width of an opening may be less than 6 inches and the length of an opening may be less than 24 inches.
Device 440 may include sound suppressor 441 in which air is brought into a sound suppression chamber to block sound coming from fans 442-445 toward the direction of the inlet of the sound suppressor. Sound suppressor may include one or more inlet sound barriers 459 that may be fabricated from a plastic (e.g., a 3D printed plastic and/or a molded plastic). A soundproofing material (e.g., a soundproofing foam) may be provided in the device between fan 442 and structure 459.
Fans 442-445 may be provided in any number of structures. For example, Fans 442 and 443 may be provided in one structure and fans 444 and 445 may be provided in a second structure. Each pair of fans may be, for example, count-rotating compression fans or may be non-compression fans. Each pair of counter-rotating fans may be, for example, synched together or may be offset from one another. Fans may be utilized to push air through a device and/or pull air through a device (e.g., during different operating modes). A UV-C working area may be provided as area 446 which may be defined, for example, by a UV-C reflective structure such as a UV-C reflective tube. Apertures may be provided in the tube for UV-C light sources (e.g., UV-C LEDs) to be included through one or more circuit boards (e.g., flexible circuit boards) or other structures. Transparent windows may be placed between the UV-C LEDs and the working area so that working area substances (e.g., air) does not touch the UV-C LEDs. Such windows may be UV-C transparent (e.g., a quartz or other UV-C transparent material). Heath sinks (e.g., copper heat sinks) and heat sink fins (e.g., aluminum heat sink fins or copper heat sink fins) may be utilized to remove heat from UV-C LEDs. UV-C inactivated air from working area 446 may be routed out of the UV-C inactivation chamber and returned over the exterior of a structure providing working area 446 (e.g., through heat sinks and heat sink fins removing heat from UV-C light sources providing UV-C light in working area 446). In doing so, for example, inactivated air may be utilized to, for example, also cool the device by removing heat from the heat sinks. In doing so, for example, only inactivated air may be moved out of the device. In doing so non-inactivated air is not moved out of the device so virus in non-inactivated air may not be spread by the device. Furthermore, inactivated air that is removing heat may be routed again via routing structures 447 and 448 so that air is routed at an end opposite an inlet (e.g., via outlet channels 451 and 452. In doing so, the chance that outlet air is re-introduced to an inlet of the device may be reduced. Furthermore, curved surface 453 (e.g., which may be a convex surface) may tighten and increase the throw of air from outlet channels 451 and 452. For example, air being introduced into device 440 at fans moving air at, for example, 400 liters per minute or higher may, for example, provide a throw (e.g., a distance air moves from the device in a human perceivable manner) by at least six feet from outlets 451 and 452. Housing structure 449 and 459 may be a metal, which may increase sound absorption, and then have a plastic casing outside of that metal, which may reduce the amount of heat a user feels if the person touches the outside of housing structure 449 and 459. Structures 448 and 447 may be a metal (e.g., an aluminum). Structure 453 may be, for example, a plastic (e.g., a 3D printed or molded plastic).
Device 460 may include inlet 461, sound suppressor 462, control section 463, housing structure 465, removable handle 465, and removable handle screws 466 and 467. Person skilled in the art will appreciate, for example, that device 460 may includes one or more components as device 440 of
Device 470 may include sound suppressor section 472, interface section 473, and housing section 474 and may include removable handle 475. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that section 473 may be a plastic (e.g., a 3D printed and/or molded plastic) and may include an aperture exposing an interface. Such an interface may have one or more buttons (e.g., a toggle button) and one or more user perceivable visual indicators (e.g., three visible light sources of the same or different colors). Device 470 may be a different perspective view of device 460 of
Device 478 may be a different perspective view of device 470 of
Device 490 may be a front perspective view of device 460 of
Device 480 may include recessed area 481 and mounting aperture 482. Outer annulus housing portion 483a and inner annulus housing portion 483b which may form an output annulus for outputting air inactivated by device 480. Annulus cone 484 may be added to provide a guide for airway exiting annulus provided by outer annulus housing portion 483a and inner annulus housing portion 843b.
Device 490 may include housing 491 and outer annulus housing 492 and annulus interior object 493, which may be a cone. The length of annulus object 493 may be, for example, at least half the diameter of the inner edge of the annulus or at least the diameter of the inner edge of the annulus.
Device 498 may be a perspective that includes inner annulus edge 499. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that inner annulus edge 499 may be, for example, provided by an inner annulus object itself.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C generation devices may be utilized for surface sanitization such as sanitization of organic or inorganic material.
Process 560 shows step 561, in which a computational fluid dynamic simulation may be initiated with SARS-CoV-2 in an environment. Results of the simulation may be saved and sent to a remote entity (e.g., a remote storage facility) in step 562. Results of the simulation may be utilized as a starting point in a string of simulations (e.g., step 563). Such a stepped simulation may be useful, for example, in a situation where a variable is desired to be changed (e.g., movement of a person in an environment). Any number of steps may be processed (e.g., two, three, four, more than four) and images of air conditions at the end of each step may be stitched together to form a video in step 564.
Process 570 may be included and may include step 571 in which pre-defined simulation variables may be manually input in step 571. Such pre-defined simulation variables may include, for example, the conditions that change between each simulation step, the environment of the simulation, the objects, pathogen generators, pathogen inhalers, air inlets, air outlets, and inactivation device parameters. Each simulation step may be performed in step 572. The results of each simulation may be saved and variables may be changed based on the pre-defined changes in step 573. Saved results from one step may be utilized as an input for a subsequent step in step 574.
Process 580 may be included and may include step 581 in which an input inlet and output outlet of an inactivation device is characterized in a simulation. An input and outlet may be characterize for example by providing a definition of how air is drawn into an inlet and how air is pushed out of an outlet (e.g., shape of air draw, velocity/acceleration and direction of air flow along the draw, etc.). Different inactivation rates for different pathogens (e.g., viruses, bacteria, spores) in indifferent conditions (e.g., humidity, elevation, density, molecule size, airflow rate) may be provided in step 582. Different sources of viruses (e.g., a male source of a particular height and build, a female source of a particular height and build, an animal source of a particular size and build) may be provided in step 583. Different sources may output air at different profiles (e.g., time when outputting and time when not outputting to simulate breathing), at different densities and speeds and different spread of molecule sizes. In step 584, a user can select different viruses for different sources and may select more than one virus for a particular source.
Peripheral 618 may include one or more additional peripherals such as one or more inlet and/or outlet module. An inlet module may include, for example, a hood (e.g., a hood having one, two, or more than two air inlets). An outlet module may include, for example, an air duct connector that provides air from the outlet of a UV-C inactivation device to an air duct (e.g., an air outflow duct).
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that any type of UV light may be utilized, for example, to create a UV inactivated vaccination and that particular strains may be inactivated with one wavelength of UV and another strain may be inactivated with a different wavelength. Such inactivated virus vaccinations may be aerosolized and may be inactivated in aerosolized forms. An aerosolized vaccination may then be, for example, changed to be in a different form (e.g., a liquid vaccination). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C inactivated strain vaccine may include portions of light outside of UV-C and a majority of the light (e.g., 50 percent or more, 75 percent or more, 85 percent or more, 90 percent or more, 95 percent or more, 98 percent or more, 99 percent or more, or 100 percent) may be UV-C.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C inactivation device may include eighteen UV-C LEDs and may inactivate bacteriophage, a DNA virus, at 30 liters per minute at an inactivation rate greater than 99.999% at a humidity greater than 50%. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C inactivation device may include eighteen UV-C LEDs and may inactivate, SARS-CoV-2, a RNA virus, at 400 liters per minute at an inactivation rate greater than 99% at a humidity greater than 50%.
Process 730 may be included and may include step 731, in which an inlet and/or outlet module is removed form an inactivation device. An exterior housing may be opened in 732. Inactivation modules may be remove din step 733. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that an inactivation module may be desired to be removed when the UV-C sources are damaged or exhausted. Inactivation modules may be replaced with working, fresh inactivation modules in step 734. Diagnostics my be run in step 735 to confirm operation, housing may be closed in step 736, and inlet and outlet modules may be re-attached in step 737. Such a maintenance operation may be, for example, performed while an inactivation device is fixed to an environment (e.g., fixed to a wall via one or more fixtures).
Process 760 may include step 761, in which inactivation rates for an inactivation device may be defined for different pathogens (e.g., different viruses, bacteria, and/or spores). Inactivation may be defined for different speeds, humidity, time in use, elevations, may be defined in step 762. Simulations may be run in step 676. Key performance indicators, images, videos, and reports may be outputted in step 764. Parameters for inactivation device placement may be defined in step 765 (e.g., where devices may be placed and may not be placed). Optimal placement given criteria may be determined in a process in step 766. Report on suggested locations for one or more devices and impact may be provide din step 767.
An inactivation device (e.g., a SARS-CoV-2 inactivation device) may include a fan portion and working area portion. A working area portion may include, for example, a structure that provides a working area for air, or another substance, to flow through, one or more circuit boards provided about the structure that includes one or more UV-C light sources (e.g., LEDs) as well as additional electronics (e.g., microprocessors, input/output ports, additional circuitry), heat sinks and heat sink attachment structure(s) (e.g., thermal paste), heat sink fins and heat sink fins attachment structures (e.g., if the heat sink is separate from the heat sink fins such as a copper heat sink and aluminum heat sink fins), and/or a primary housing that provides a mechanical structure as a foundation for the placement of structures in a working area portion.
Tube 814 may be, for example, a different perspective view of tube 810 of
Device 820 may be, for example, a heat sink fixture for a tube (e.g., tube 810 of
Device 830 may be, for example, a different perspective of device 820 of
Device 835 may be, for example, a different perspective of device 830 of
Configuration 840 may be utilized, for example, in a situation where people are in a stationary position for a period of time. This may be, for example, when people are standing in line or standing at a checkout counter to purchase items. Device 872 may be suspended from the ceiling via ceiling support 871 and may output air straight down to consumer 873 (e.g., creating a shower of inactivated air). User 877 may stand on a different side of counter 874 and may receive inactivated air from device 878 positioned straight above user 877 and suspended by support structure 876 (e.g., one or more cords). A power adapter may be attached to each device and a power plug may be attached to a support structure, or be the support structure itself, and plugged into a wall. Configuration 880 may include an inactivation device suspended via support 881 over user 882, who may be separated from user 884 by counter 883. Device 883 may be provided over user 884. In configuration 884, for example, air inlets may input air about a user and then provide inactivated air towards the ceiling of a building. The outlets may be, for example, directed toward an HVAC outflow outlet.
A portable, re-chargeable battery pack may be provided to power an inactivation device as well as an inverter circuit (e.g., 12 v or 24 v inverter circuit) for vehicles).
A substance inactivation device may include heat sink fins (e.g., aluminum fins) coupled to heat sinks (e.g., copper and/or aluminum heat sinks such as an aluminum heat sink with copper heat transportation structures such as rods within the aluminum). Heat sinks may be a heat sink structure that couples to, for example, a flexible circuit board coupled to tube 825. Tube 825 may have a different shape on its external surface (e.g., a six sided shape) than the shape on its internal surface (e.g., a spherical cylinder). A tube for defining a working area may be fabricated, for example from a UV-C reflective material (e.g., PTFE) and may have apertures for placing UV-C transparent materials (e.g., quartz) so UV-C light from UV-C LEDs on a flexible circuit board placed on the exterior of the tube may flow through the UV-C transparent materials and enter a working area provided by the tube. Person skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of sides on the external surface of a tube providing a working area) may match the number of UV-C LED locations that are provided about the perimeter of that tube. For example, if there are six possible UV-C LED locations about an external surface perimeter of a tube providing a working area then that tube may have six sides on the external surface. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the external surface of the tube may be any shape (e.g., spherical) and may match the shape of the internal surface of that tube. A tube may be fabricated from multiple materials such as, for example, a tube of UV-C transparent material (e.g., quartz) that is coated (e.g., either on its interior or external surface) with a UV-C reflective material (e.g., aluminum) with spaces in the UV-C reflective material aligning with UV-C locations. Structures may be provided and may be utilized to provide a mechanical support structure for attaching pieces. A structure may also be, for example, a heat sink. A portion that generates or conducts heat may be provided with or without heat sink fins. Additional heat sink or heat sinks may be provided and may attach to such a portion. A heat sink may thermally couple to one or more sides of a flexible circuit board, or other structure as a non-flexible circuit board, that provides UV light sources (e.g., UV-C LEDs). For example, a heat sink may be thermally coupled to UV sources located on two sides of the exterior of a tube providing a working area. Any number of screw and/or mounting holes and/or structures may be provided on any structure of a substance sanitization device such as an air or liquid sanitization device. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that different wavelengths of light (e.g., different wavelengths of UV-C, UV-B, and/or UV-C, and/or sub 100 nm and or wavelengths greater than UV-A) may be provided about a tube providing a working area to insert light of that wavelength into working area. Different wavelengths of light may, for example, provide improved different treatments for different types of contaminants. For example, one type of UV treatment may be utilized to optimize inactivation of virus using a photonic effect targeting the uracil of a virus while another type of UV treatment may be utilized to optimize impact of contaminants using a photonic effect targeting the thymine of a contaminant. Heat conductive materials such as heat sinks and heat sink fins may be attached to structures and each other using, for example, heat transfer pads (e.g., thermal pads) and/or heat transfer substances (e.g., thermal paste).
A device may be provided that may include fan blade operated by a motor that provides a working substance through the inlet of a working area so the substance can receive one or more types of treatments (e.g., a heat treatment and a UV-C treatment). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple types of treatments may be utilized. For example, heat may be introduced into a working area (e.g., by active heat generators or by heat sinks providing heat into a working channel) in order to impact a contaminant (e.g. inactivate a contaminant or render a contaminant inoperable). A tube may be provided to provide a treatment working area. A working area may be fabricated from one part or from multiple parts mechanically removably attached or permanently fixed (e.g., welded and/or adhered) together. An output may be provided so that air may flow out of a treatment working area. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that materials forming an inlet and/or outlet may fabricated from different materials from a portion of a working area structure between an inlet and outlet. For example, the inlet and outlet portions may be non UV-C reflective on their surfaces facing a treatment working area such that UV-C does not reflect off those surfaces and out of the treatment working area. Furthermore, for example, any number of inlets and or outlets may be provided into a working area. For example, a working area may have one inlet and two or three or more outlets. As per another example, a working area may have one outlet and two or three or more inlets. As per another example, a working area may have two or three or more inlets and outlets and the number of inlets and outlets may be the same or may be different. Inlets and/or outlets may have different sizes and shapes and interior and exterior surface shapes and may be fabricated as one part or multiple parts form one or more of the same or different materials using one or more of the same or different processes. A substance may flow out through an output and may, for example exit a device and enter the environment of the device (e.g., in a ventilator setting may exit a UV-C sanitization device and enter a ventilator tube) or may enter a room (e.g., an elevator, hotel room, cruise ship room) with sanitized air. As per another example, treated air may be flow out of an outlet through a channel and may leave the device or chamber through one or more apertures in structure providing that channel. After treated air leaves a portion of the device, the air may exit the device or may be flowed into another chamber. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C LEDs may be mounted to the exterior of a tube providing a working area as well as one or more heat sinks and air may be flowed across the exterior of the tube providing the working channel (e.g., over surfaces of the heat sinks across the tube providing the working channel) and out through an outlet channel. In doing so, for example, treated air may be utilized to also remove heat from the device. In doing so, for example, air is not circulated from device 830 that is not treated. In circulating untreated air, a device may introduce more contaminants into a portion of an environment by more quickly spreading contaminated air. Additionally, certain contaminants may be impacted by heat. Accordingly, the removal of heat may provide, for example, a second type of treatment in order to increase the inactivation of contaminants and/or render more contaminants inoperable.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that an access door may be provided on one or more areas of an UV-C generating device and may be, for example, aligned with an outlet or an aperture of a tube providing a working area so that the access door may be opened and a cleaning brush may be utilized to clean the interior of the working channel. A lock may be provided on the access door and a keyhole may be provided on the lock so a key may be utilized to open the lock. Other security mechanisms can be provided such as, for example, a keypad entry that utilizes an entry code or a biometric access lock (e.g., fingerprint and/or retinal). Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C generating device may be able to detect the status of an access door (e.g., whether the access door is opened or closed) and the device may restrict the UV-C light sources from turning on until circuitry confirms the access door is closed. Any number of access doors may be provided such as, for example, an access door about an inlet to receive a particulate filter which could also, for example, be utilized to receive a cleaning utensil (e.g., brush) and the cleaning utensil may be able to attach to and be removed from a structure located on the device. A chain or rope or other flexible structure may be utilized to keep the cleaning utensil secured to device 830 even when the cleaning utensil is removed from an attachment structure to the device and is being utilized by a user. Additionally, for example, a movable (e.g., pivotable) air direction fin (or fins) may be provided at inlet 834 so that, for example, air may be pointed to different areas of a working area. Doing so may, for example, increasing the impact of a cleaning protocol such that a cleaning protocol that increases airflow into a working are to clean the working area may be moved to provide air at different locations in order to improve the impact of the cleaning process.
A UV-C inactivation device may include any number of UV-C generating devices (e.g., three, four, more than four). Each UV-C generating device may be utilized, for example, to sterilize air and may include one or more fans (e.g. two fans each with two counter-rotating blades) to bring air into a working channel of the UV-C generating devices. A structure may be utilized to fix the UV-C generating devices together and may be utilized for example in a passageway such as an air duct.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that any types of fans may be provided on an air or virus or liquid inactivation device such as centrifugal and/or axial fans. Fiver optics may be utilized to provide UV-C light into a working area such that UV-C light sources may be positioned, for example, further away from a UV-C reflective tube.
Inactivation device 920 may include a smooth exterior surface and apertures (not shown) may be provided adjacent to the inlet of motors (e.g., motor 926) to provide air into the device for cooling. Device 920 may include UV reflective tubes 921, 922, 923, 924 and inactivation air provisioning motor(s) 925.
Device 930 may include device housing 931 and any number of cooling motors 932. A UV-C reflective tube segment may include, for example two, three, four, or more than four cooling motors.
Device 940 may include motors 941-944 and each motor associated with a different tube segment may include a different fan speed from each other (e.g., or the same speed). Motors speeds may increase as they get closer to device intake to enter UV-C reflective tube.
Device 950 may include motors 951-954 and each motor associated with a different tube segment may include a different fan speed from each other (e.g., or the same speed). Motors speeds may decrease as they get closer to device intake to enter UV-C reflective tube.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C LEDs may, for example be between 250 and 290 nm or, more particularly, between 260 and 280 nm or, more particularly, between 260 and 270 nm, or more particularly, between 260 and 265 nm, or more particularly be approximately 262 nm. Person skilled in the art will appreciate that each UV-C LED may, for example, provide UV-C light at an energy of at least 20 milliwatts or more or, more particularly, at an energy of at least 50 milliwatts or more or, more particularly, at an energy of at least 70 milliwatts or more.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C air sanitation devices may be used for any UV-C sterilization purpose such as UV-C inactivation of viruses to create vaccines, and/or sanitize liquids, etc).
Graphical user interface 1220 may be provided to create, modify, run, and save one or more simulations as well as simulation results. Object selection area 1221 may be utilize to select a new object to add into environment 1222. Option 1231 may be utilized to import a new object. Option 1232 may be utilized to determine the priorities in an adaptive simulation to optimize (e.g., minimize a pathogen concentration within a particular proximity of one person, a subset of people, all people, in an area, in all areas). A simulation may be run in step 1233. Viruses and sources may be defined in step 1234. Movement of objects may be added in step 1235. Variables added over time (e.g., the decay of inactivation rates over time for an inactivation device) may be added in step 1236. Person skilled in the art will appreciate that processes may be utilized to determine optimal placements of inactivation devices as well as selection of different types of inactivation devices. Additional variable may be added (e.g., cost per inactivation device) and simulations may be run to determine the optimal configuration for certain goals at a certain cost ceiling. Simulations may be run for a period of time with a particular configuration or until a particular event occurs (e.g., an airflow equilibrium is established).
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that UV-C transparent materials may have at least 80 percent, 90 percent, 92 percent, or more than 92 percent UV-C transparency. UV-C LEDs may provide, for example, light between 220 and 280 nanometers (e.g., between 255 and 275 nanometers). A device may have, for example, at least 10, at least 20, and at least 30 UV-C LEDs.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a UV-C LED may produce visible spectrum light and that one or more visible light sensors may be utilized to detect this light in order to, for example, detect the amount of UV-C in a working area to determine, for example, if a cleaning process should be initiated. Each UV-C LED may be operated independently and the amount of visible spectrum light compared to stored information associated with a clean state (e.g., a state when the device was manufactured or initially tested). In doing so, for example, the cleanliness of UV-C transparent material for a particular UV-C LED may be determined. Accordingly, a tube that provides a working area may have recessed portions and apertures associated to visible light sensors (and/or other sensor) and such sensors may be located at, for example, about each inlet/outlet of a device. Such sensors may be tilted to face into a working channel such that more light is received. In addition, or instead of, testing each light source independently (e.g., each UV-C light source independently) the UV-C LEDs may be tested in groups and may be tested multiple times. All the UV-C LEDs may also be turned on and light sensed to determine a cleanliness profile for the device. In sensing multiple different UV-C LEDs operating at different times, a cleanliness profile may be determined for each UV-C transparent material that is associated with each LED as well as the cleanliness of different areas of UV-C reflective materials (or other materials) that may be provided on an inner surface of a working area. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that visual indicators (e.g., light sources and/or displays) may be utilized to provide feedback on cleanliness and the cleanliness of different portions of a device as well as estimated sterilization impact at different operating modes. Furthermore, manual inputs may be provided so a user can perform a cleaning profile diagnostic so that after a cleaning a user can confirm the level of cleanliness that exist sin the device. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a cleanliness profile diagnostic may also, for example, be utilized to indicate if a UV light source is estimated to not be operational or operational at a particular diminished capacity. The operation of a device may be changed (e.g., autonomously) based on sensed data such as, for example, additional UV light sources may be activated and/or the intensity of particular UV-C sources may be increased.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a light source calibration process may be utilized to calibrate devices. Efficacy levels may be adjusted based, in part, on calibration data. Integrating sphere(s) may be utilized as part of a process to calibrate UV-C LEDs based on determined output and controlled thresholds. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that fiber optics may be utilized to transport UV light, such as UV-C light, to a working area, such as a tube. Multiple UV-C LEDs may be optically connected to UV-C fiber optics and these fiber optics may be combined through a UV-C fiber optic combiner and the combined UV-C fiber optic may be provided through, for example, an aperture of a structure (e.g., a tube) having a working area for receiving UV-C. UV-C optical modifiers may be provided at the end of a combined UV-C fiber optic to provide different UV-C output profiles.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements of any device herein may be utilized in any device herein. Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that the present invention is not limited to only the embodiments described. Instead, the present invention more generally involves UV-C focus, amplification, and control. Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that the apparatus of the present invention may be implemented in other ways then those described herein. All such modifications are within the scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the claims that follow.
Claims
1. A device comprising:
- a housing;
- a fan, located in said housing, for bringing an external air from outside of said housing to a working area inside of said housing;
- a plurality of UV-C reflecting tubes mechanically coupled together to form said working area, wherein each one of said UV-C reflecting tubes includes a plurality of apertures and a plurality of ultraviolet type-C light emitting diodes that provide UV-C light into said working area through said apertures, wherein at least two of said plurality of ultraviolet type-C light emitting diodes are centered at a wavelength between 250 and 275 nanometers; and
- a plurality of cooling fans that provide air into said housing, wherein said cooling fans do not provide air into said working area.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said UV-C light sources is optically coupled to a UV-C fiber optic.
3. A computer-readable medium having program logic imprinted thereon for performing the method comprising:
- a graphical user interface, wherein said graphical user interface includes a virtual button for adding a three-dimensional object into a three-dimensional virtual environment, a virtual air inlet for adding virtual airflow into said virtual environment, a virtual air outlet for extracting virtual airflow from said virtual environment, a virtual inactivation device having an device airflow inlet and a device airflow outlet for inactivating a pathogen at an inactivation rate that travels through said device inlet and outlet, a virtual pathogen generator for generating a pathogen, wherein said virtual pathogen may be selected from a list of multiple pathogens and each one of said multiple pathogens is associated with a different inactivation rate for said virtual inactivation device.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 29, 2021
Publication Date: Oct 20, 2022
Inventors: Jeffrey D. Mullen (Glenshaw, PA), Andrew Veter (Pittsburgh, PA), Keith Huthmacher (Pittsburgh, PA), Peter Gilgunn (Pittsburgh, PA), James Nelson (Rillton, PA), David Malarik (Worthington, PA), Jun Yu (Pittsburgh, PA)
Application Number: 17/215,431
