Patent Application
20210322621
This application relates to the field of sanitizing or sanitation devices for protecting against bacteria and/or viruses.
Despite advances in medical technology, various types of bacteria and viruses still cause many illnesses and deaths around the world. Many of these illnesses are contracted by breathing in airborne particles or droplets that contain the bacteria or virus. In other cases, they make contact with the face and are eventually inhaled, ingested, or transferred through touching of the face. Many of these illnesses involve respiratory infections which cause millions of deaths every year and can be particularly difficult when a pandemic occurs. Facemasks are commonly used in medical environments and are also often used by the general population when there is a risk of infection. Facemasks are also used to attempt to reduce the chances that an affected person infects others in his or her proximity.
Many types and grades of facemasks are used. Examples of common facemasks include simple disposable facemasks, surgical facemasks, N95 masks, and respirators. Facemasks have a number of drawbacks. First, they are typically uncomfortable and can make the wearer hot or sweaty underneath the mask. Second, they make it difficult to hear or understand the wearer's spoken words. Third, they must be periodically cleaned, disposed of, and/or replaced. Fourth, they typically work by trapping the bacteria or virus and must be handled carefully to avoid inadvertent transfer from the mask itself. Further, depending on the situation, facemasks may present awkward or uncomfortable situations when some people wear them and others do not. Finally, there may be negative aspects or connotations associated with wearing a facemask in some situations. Improvements in personal, wearable sanitizing devices are desired.
A personal and wearable sanitizing device includes an eyewear frame and one or more ultraviolet C (also referred to as UV-C or UVC) sources attached to a lower edge of the eyewear frame for directing UV-C energy in a downward direction from the eyewear frame. The one or more UV-C sources are configured for sanitizing air that is in proximity to a mouth and/or a nose of a wearer of the personal sanitizing device. The personal sanitizing device may also include a battery configured for powering the one or more UV-C sources.
In another embodiment, a personal sanitizing hat includes a bill configured for extending forward above a face of a user when the user is wearing the personal sanitizing hat. The bill includes one or more UV-C sources attached to a lower surface of the bill for directing UV-C radiation in a downward direction from the bill. The one or more UV-C sources are configured for sanitizing air in proximity of a mouth and/or a nose of a wearer of the personal sanitizing hat. The personal sanitizing hat also includes an electrical cable and a battery for powering the one or more UV-C sources through the electrical cable.
In yet another embodiment, a sanitizing device includes a nonlinear optical element, one or more laser diodes, a lens, and a battery pack. The one or more laser diodes are each configured to direct a beam of optical energy to the nonlinear optical element. Each beam of optical energy has a first wavelength and the nonlinear optical element is configured to produce UV-C energy having a second wavelength from the beams of optical energy. The lens is configured to focus the UV-C energy to cover a desired area for sanitizing purposes. The battery pack is configured for powering the one or more laser diodes.
In yet another embodiment, a wearable, personal sanitizing device includes one or more earpieces and an arm extending from each of the one or more earpieces. Each arm is configured to extend to an area near the nose and/or a mouth a user of the personal sanitizing device when the one or more earpieces are worn by the user. The one or more UV-C sources are attached to an end of each arm, the UV-C sources configured for directing UV-C energy toward the mouth and/or the nose of the user of the personal sanitizing device. The personal sanitizing device may also include a battery configured for powering the one or more UV-C sources.
In the drawings,
Ultraviolet (UV) light refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum between visible light and X-rays. UV light is typically referred to as light having a wavelength falling between 10 and 400 nanometers (nm). UV light is not visible to the human eye because it has a shorter wavelength and higher frequency than the light human eyes and/or brains perceive as visible. UV light is typically categorized into several different subtypes. UV-A light (320-400 nm) is UV light with the longest wavelength, and the least harmful to humans. It is more commonly known as “black light.” It is often used to cause objects to emit fluorescence (a colored glowing effect) in artistic and celebratory designs. Many insects and birds can perceive this type of UV radiation visually, along with some humans in rare cases, such as in cases of Aphakia (missing optic lens). UV-B light (290-320 nm) causes sunburns with prolonged exposure along with increasing the risk of skin cancer and other cellular damage. About 95% of all UV-B light is absorbed by the ozone in Earth's atmosphere. UV-C light (100-290 nm) is almost completely absorbed by Earth's atmosphere. When studying light passing through outer space, scientists often use a different set of UV subtypes dealing with astronomical objects. The first three are similar to the categorization most commonly used in Earth sciences: Near Ultraviolet (NUV) light (300-400 nm), Middle Ultraviolet (MUV) light (200-300 nm), and Far Ultraviolet (FUV) light (100-200 nm).
The germicidal effect of UV light on bacteria and viruses is primarily due to the formation of thymine, thymine-cytosine (pyrimidine), and cytosine dimers in DNA. UV radiation with wavelengths in the range of 200-295 nm, sometimes referred to as the bactericide or germicide range, has been found to be very effective for sanitizing. UV-C light is commonly used as a disinfectant for food, air, and/or water to kill microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids in cells. It is sometimes used for treating surfaces, rooms, equipment surfaces, water, and air flowing through a duct or channel. UV-C is generally understood to be safer for human exposure than other ranges of UV light. The absorption length of UV-C radiation in human skin is extremely short such that almost no UV-C radiation can reach the living cells in the skin. In other words, most or all of the absorption occurs in the dead cell layers. In some cases, wavelengths in the specific range of 200-210 nm have been found to be very effective in these applications. In particular, some tests have found 207 nm UV light to be very effective in these applications. In other situation, wavelengths in the range of 210-240 nm have been found to be very effective.
Personal sanitizing device 100 includes UV-C arrays 110A attached to lower edges or surfaces of glasses 105. While two UV-C arrays 110A are illustrated, personal sanitizing device 100 may be implemented with any number of UV-C arrays. UV-C arrays 110A are positioned to direct UV-C light having a preferred wavelength in a generally downward direction toward the wearer's mouth and/or nose. Beneficially, the UV-C light generated by UV-C arrays 110A partially and/or fully sanitizes air inhaled and/or exhaled by the wearer, along with droplets or particles that are in the air. This allows the wearer to both reduce the risk of contracting an infection from inhaling, as well as reduce the risk of transmitting an infection to others through exhale. In addition, UV-C arrays 110A may also sanitize skin on the face around the nose and mouth. UV-C arrays 110A may be removably attached to glasses 105 or may be permanently attached to glasses 105.
While some existing masks may use UV light to sanitize inhaled and/or exhaled air, they often do so by routing air through a channel, tunnel, passageway, or other enclosed path in the mask to be treated by the UV light. Unfortunately, while these masks may realize some beneficial use of the UV light, these types of masks have some or all of the downfalls of masks discussed above. Personal sanitizing device 100 permits the personal sanitizing function to be performed without the uncomfortable, obtrusive, and unpleasant visual or aesthetic aspects of traditional masks. Personal sanitizing device 100 performs the sanitizing function in an ‘open air’ fashion without having to cover the wearer's nose or mouth with anything. Personal sanitizing device 100 sanitizes inhaled air and/or exhaled air without covering the nose or mouth and without having to route the air through any device, mask, filter, fabric, or membrane.
The benefits of personal sanitizing device 100 also make it more likely that a user will wear personal sanitizing device 100 a larger percentage of the time and in a greater variety of situations than a traditional mask. Consequently, both the wearer and others in proximity to the wearer are better protected. Personal sanitizing device 100 may be used as a continuous use sanitizing tool, as opposed to masks which are often only used at the greatest time of risk because of their obtrusive characteristics.
UV-C array 110B is connected to a battery 116, directly or indirectly, with a cable 114. Cable 114 may be any type of cable with one or more electrical conductors. UV-C array 110B may be individually connected to battery 116 or may be serially or daisy-chain connected through other devices. In some examples, UV-C array 110A or 110B may be powered by its own integrated battery or battery pack. Battery 116 may comprise one or more of a variety of electrical power storage technologies including lithium ion (Li-ion), lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer), lead-acid, nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel-zinc, alkaline, fuel cells, lithium titanate cells, capacitive energy storage devices, super capacitors, and/or any other type of device for storing energy. While the term “battery” is primarily used herein for purposes of explanation, the apparatuses, methods, systems, and techniques described herein are applicable for use with any power or energy storage technology.
While not visible in the figures, the disclosed sanitizing devices may also contain a number of other components such as a printed circuit board, a switch, electrical components, electromechanical components, discrete components, electrical circuitry, analog components, digital components, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, memory, a voltage controller, a voltage booster, a current limiter, a battery charge controller, a battery monitor, electromechanical connectors, an electrical coil, an inductive electrical coil, a modulator, a demodulator, an rf transmitter, an rf receiver, an antenna, a filter, a mixer, and/or an amplifier. Personal sanitizing device 100 may be configured for wirelessly transmitting and/or receiving data or electronic communications from one or more other devices, such as, for example, from a smartphone over a BLUETOOTH connection. In some examples, any of the devices disclosed herein may be controlled or monitored using a software application (an app) which runs on a mobile phone, tablet, or computer.
The disclosed sanitizing devices may also include one or more display element(s) for visually conveying status or information to a user. The display element may include one or more of: a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), electronic paper, electrophoretic ink, and/or another type of device for visually conveying information to a user, including combinations thereof. Display element(s) may be made up of a group of discrete display elements, such as a group of LEDs. Display element(s) may also be made up of a single display device, such as an LCD, containing a plurality of display elements, segments, or areas. Display elements(s) may be illuminated in a variety of combinations, sequences, colors, patterns, and/or intensities to convey various information about an operating mode, status, and/or condition. Any of the devices may also convey information using an audio device for generating an audible signal which may include a speaker, a buzzer, a beeper, a piezoelectric device, and/or a combination thereof. Finally, they may also include one or more buttons, switches, optical detectors, touch sensitive devices, capacitance sensors, or other devices through which a user may provide an input to the device.
The personal sanitizing devices disclosed herein may also include a strap 118. Strap 118 may be used to hold removably attach battery 116 to the user, the user's clothing, and/or to another object. Other methods of attachment may also be used including a snap, a fastener, an elastic band, hook and loop fasteners, and/or a temporary adhesive.
In some examples, any of the UV-C arrays disclosed herein may be operable at different power levels where a tradeoff may be made between sanitizing power and battery life. In other examples, personal sanitizing device 100 may operate one or more UV-C arrays in a pulsed manner or according to a designated duty cycle.
In yet other examples, a personal sanitizing device may include sensors for determining when and/or at what power levels the UV-C arrays are operated. In one example, a motion sensor or camera may be included to determine when the wearer is moving, when the wearer is inside a building, and/or when the wearer is in proximity to others. The power level and/or operation mode of the UV-C arrays may be adjusted based on information from one or more of these sensors. In another examples, an air quality sensor may be used to determine air quality and/or an estimated number of particulates or droplets in the air. Any of these factors may be used to determine when and/or at what power levels the UV-C arrays are operated.
Beneficially, the UV-C light generated by UV-C arrays 210 partially or fully sanitize air inhaled or exhaled by the wearer, along with droplets or particles in the air. This allows the wearer to both reduce the risk of contracting an infection from inhaling as well as reduce the risk of transmitting an infection to others through exhale. In addition, UV-C arrays 210 may also sanitize skin on the face around the nose and mouth. While some existing masks may use UV light to sanitize inhaled and/or exhaled air, they often do so by routing air through a channel, tunnel, or path in the mask to be treated by the UV light. Unfortunately, while these masks may get some beneficial use of the UV light, these types of masks have some or all of the downfalls of masks discussed above. Personal sanitizing hat 200 permits the personal sanitizing function to be performed with the uncomfortable, obtrusive, or unpleasant visual or aesthetic aspects of traditional masks. Personal sanitizing hat 200 performs the sanitizing function in an ‘open air’ fashion without having to cover the wearer's nose or mouth. Personal sanitizing hat 200 sanitizes inhaled air and/or exhaled air without covering the nose and/or mouth and without having to route the air through any device, mask, filter, or membrane.
Further, any of the personal sanitizing devices disclosed herein may also be used for sanitizing other items. For example, bill 210 of personal sanitizing hat 200 may be placed over another item for purposes of sanitizing that item when it is not being worn by a user. For example, it may be placed over a mobile phone for purposes of sanitizing the mobile phone. Other applications are possible.
In some situations, there may be a desire to reduce the amount of UV-C exposure to the user's skin, particularly if the device is going to be worn for long periods of time. A blocking lotion or creme may be applied topically to the areas of concern to reduce the amount of UV-C radiation reaching the skin. A broad-spectrum blocker may be used or a specialized blocker may be used which is formulated to be specifically effective at the UV-C wavelengths used by the device.
Personal sanitizing device 300 also includes one or more earpieces 328 which hold arms 326 in position. As illustrated in the side view of
Beneficially, the UV-C light generated by UV-C arrays 310 partially or fully sanitize air inhaled or exhaled by the wearer, along with droplets or particles in the air. This allows the wearer to both reduce the risk of contracting an infection from inhaling and reduce the risk of transmitting an infection to others through exhale. In addition, UV-C arrays 310 may also sanitize skin on the face around the nose and mouth. While some existing masks may use UV light to sanitize inhaled and/or exhaled air, they often do so by routing air through a channel, tunnel, or path in the mask to be treated by the UV light. Unfortunately, while these masks may get some beneficial use of the UV light, these types of masks have some or all of the downfalls of masks discussed above. Personal sanitizing device 300 permits the personal sanitizing function to be performed with the uncomfortable, obtrusive, or unpleasant visual or aesthetic aspects of traditional masks. Personal sanitizing device 300 performs the sanitizing function in an ‘open air’ fashion without having to cover the wearer's nose or mouth. Beneficially, personal sanitizing device 300 sanitizes inhaled air and/or exhaled air without covering the nose and/or mouth of the user and without having to route the air through any device, mask, filter, or membrane.
In the examples, above various UV-C sources and/or arrays are disclosed. In some examples a more complex source system may be used in order to generate the preferred UV-C radiation or energy for performing the sanitizing processes disclosed herein. In some examples, radiation from a source may be processed or manipulated before it is directed to the airspace or surface of interest, rather than just transmitting it directly from the source to the airspace or surface of interest. This processing or manipulation may involve focusing, defocusing, combining, separating, polarizing, phase shifting, amplifying, optical manipulation, and/or use of non-linear optical techniques.
In one specific example, each of sources 502 may be a laser diode capable of generating an optical output beam 512 which may have a wavelength in the range of 440-450 nm. While this may not be the wavelength which is ultimately of interest, these sources may be useful because they are widely available, inexpensive, efficient, powerful, stable, small, rugged, or have other desirable characteristics. A nonlinear optical element 505 is used to translate or convert optical output beams 512, partially or fully, to another frequency or wavelength range. Nonlinear optical element 505 may perform one or more frequency mixing processes such as harmonic generation, frequency multiplying, wavelength dividing, frequency dividing, wavelength multiplying, difference-frequency generation, half-harmonic generation, optical parametric amplification, optical parametric oscillation, mixing, phase modulation, and/or amplification.
In one specific example, nonlinear optical element 505 may include a material which produces second harmonics of optical output beams 512. This may also be referred to as frequency doubling. The result is one or more modified optical beams 514 which have approximately one half the wavelength of optical output beams 512. Continuing with the specific example above, some or all of the original optical energy at 440 to 450 nm now exists with a wavelength of 220 to 225 nm, which may be preferred for the sanitization functions disclosed herein. In one implementation, nonlinear element 505 may contain one or more barium borate (BBO) crystals.
As illustrated in
In some examples, the optical sources may be pulsed or operated according to a duty cycle which may improve battery life and/or keep one or more elements at or below desired thermal levels.
Any of the sanitizing devices disclosed herein may be attachable to or integrated with another device or tool, such as a medical instrument. The sanitizing device may be configured to sanitize the tool or instrument and/or sanitize an object or area that the tool or instrument will be acting upon. In some examples, the sanitizing device may be attachable or integrated with a surgical instrument or medical diagnostic tool to continuously or semi-continuously sanitize the instrument or tool and/or sanitize an area of a body before and while the instrument or tool is acting upon the body. In some examples, fiber optics may be used to route the ultraviolet light to a preferred location or direct it in a preferred direction.
The apparatuses, systems, methods, techniques, and components described herein are meant to exemplify some types of possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned examples limit the scope of the invention, as they are only exemplary embodiments.
The foregoing disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Other modifications and variations may be possible in view of the above teachings. The examples described in the foregoing disclosure were chosen to explain the principles of the concept and its practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention. It is intended that the claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except as limited by the prior art.
The phrases “in some embodiments,” “according to some embodiments,” “in the embodiments shown,” “in other embodiments,” “in some examples,” “in some cases,” “in some situations,” “in one configuration,” “in another configuration,” and the like generally mean that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic following the phrase is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and/or may be included in more than one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or different embodiments.
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/229,989, filed Apr. 14, 2021, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/011,696, filed Apr. 17, 2020, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63011696 | Apr 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17229989 | Apr 2021 | US |
| Child | 17338071 | US |
