Patent Application
20220088250
The present disclosure relates to the field of disinfection, and more particularly toward disinfecting aspects or components of transportation vehicles.
Infection by a foreign organism, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites, can be acquired in a variety of ways. But once acquired, the infection, if harmful, may colonize and result in illness. The immune system of the infected host, e.g., the person, may react to the infection and attempt to kill or neutralize the foreign organism. However, in some cases, the immune system may be insufficient to completely neutralize the infection, and hospitalization may be necessary for survival. For these and other reasons, infectious disease prevention is conventionally preferred over reliance solely on the immune system of the infected host.
Conventional efforts to prevent spread of infectious disease often involve manual disinfection techniques, such as wiping down or washing surfaces that may harbor foreign organisms. Because infectious diseases can be spread in a variety of ways, such as via direct contact from person to person, manual disinfection techniques can be time and labor intensive. For example, indirect contact from an infected person to an environmental feature and then to another person who contacts the contaminated environmental feature is a common mode of infection. Because there are numerous surfaces in the environment, it is considered laborious and time intensive to decontaminate all or substantially all surfaces in the environment, essentially making such decontamination impractical in many cases. As another example, air borne pathogens from an infected person can make their way into areas that are inaccessible to manual disinfection techniques.
The transportation environment includes many surfaces that can become contaminated, which can be labor intensive to manually decontaminate due to the number and variety of surfaces (e.g., nooks and crannies as well as various operator and passenger interface surfaces). The duct system in a vehicle is particularly labor intensive to decontaminate, potentially involving removal of the dashboard to access the air ducts. Additionally, or alternatively, in mass transportation environments (e.g., a commuter bus or train), the number and frequency of passengers increases the likelihood of surface contamination, again increasing the labor and time to effectively decontaminate such surfaces with conventional techniques. For these and other reasons, conventional techniques fail to enable decontamination of transportation environments in a practical manner.
In other realms, conventional disinfection systems have involved application of UV light within an enclosed space to protect the user from significant exposure to the UV light. For instance, a target device, such as a dental instrument or surgical instrument, may be stored in a box to protect the user from UV. The mechanical isolation of the target device may be used for safety while over dosing the product with UV light for fast disinfection. Other conventional systems may utilize UV wands and allow portable disinfection by moving the UV wand over a surface. However, disinfection with a UV wand often leads to incomplete disinfection because the dosing amount is substantially controlled by the human operator of the UV wand. Additionally, it is noted that many conventional UV disinfection constructions utilize high intensity application of UV light, which restricts the size of a UV light source to a small or high cost source due to the high power lamps and drivers.
The present disclosure in accordance with one embodiment provides enhanced decontamination of surfaces or zones in the transportation environment, potentially yielding better decontamination results over conventional techniques. In one embodiment, movable objects disposed in a transportation environment may be powered and disinfected while tracking touch, temperature or other interface sensors, or any combination thereof, and may enable detecting usage conditions or other conditions pertaining to the transportation environment. For instance, sensors associated with one or more human interfaces in a mass transit system (e.g., a subway car) may facilitate tracking where people load, unload, and usage over a route while providing disinfection as well as data.
In one embodiment, a disinfection system may be provided in conjunction with a human interface device to enable both interface options and disinfection options. The interface options may pertain to disinfection status or aspects in one embodiment; but the present disclosure is not so limited. Human interface devices or capabilities may be incorporated into a variety of embodiments in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein, including switches, cubbies, charging, shifters, floors, air ducts, handles, handholds, touchscreens.
In one embodiment, a movable device can be powered despite its nonstationary configuration (e.g., via wireless power or via a connectionless power link), and can be disinfected by a disinfection system that substantially prevents significant UV exposure to a user or human operator by tracking movement or touch (or one or more other criteria discussed herein) as a basis for turning off the disinfecting device.
One embodiment of the present disclosure facilitates disinfection of disinfection zones in an automated manner By automating the disinfection system, disinfection can be conducted in a controlled and more consistent manner, potentially achieving faster and more effective disinfection.
In one embodiment, the disinfection system may be powered via power from a connectionless power link, such as a wireless power link. The disinfection system may be incorporated into a case or mobile device, potentially facilitating eliminating areas for bacterial and pathogens or other foreign organisms to grow.
In one embodiment, a mobile device may include a battery and a power link (potentially a wireless power link) configured to receive power and transfer that power to charge the battery of the mobile device. In many cases, during charging of the mobile device, it may be held or positioned relative to a surface, such as a positioning structure. Such a positioning structure can hide organisms, such as bacteria and pathogens, or shield surfaces from being disinfected. One embodiment according to the present disclosure may facilitate delivering UV light to such surfaces. For instance, a mechanical and material configuration may enable 3D disinfection. The materials used for the support surface or a case of a mobile device or smart phone can be UV transmissive facilitating delivering UV light to surfaces that otherwise may remain obscured from a conventional system.
In one embodiment, the disinfection system may be configured to utilize UV transmissive elements or materials to facilitate transference of UV light from a remotely positioned UV light source to a disinfection zone or area. Additionally, or alternatively, a control system may be provided with at least one sensor and control operation of the UV light source or deliverance of UV light to the disinfection zone, or both, based on output from the at least one sensor. For instance, the control system may detect a human usage condition, such as presence in proximity to the disinfection zone, based on the sensor output, and discontinue application of UV light to the disinfection zone based on the human usage condition. In this way, the control system may operate in conjunction with the at least one sensor to provide an interlock in an effort to avoid applying substantial amounts of UV light energy to a human.
In one embodiment, UV transmissive materials may be incorporated into one or more surfaces or structures, such as a case for a mobile device or smart phone, that enable treatment in a manner that is considered substantially 3D. For instance, a surface that may be considered a blind surface to conventional disinfection systems may be disinfected in a construction in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
In one embodiment, via controlled application of UV light energy to a decontamination zone that is conventionally considered a blind zone, intense UV exposure and costly UV light source constructions to achieve such intense exposure may be avoided. The conventional approach of more UV light energy is better may have negative ramifications to the destruction of materials not intended for intense UV exposure. The disinfection system in accordance with one embodiment may substantially avoid such ramifications.
In one embodiment, the disinfection system may incorporate automatic safety monitoring and interlock in conjunction with a user interface that enables user understanding of the process including charge status and disinfection status. This allows automated charging and disinfection while substantially protecting the user and providing a user interface.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the invention to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the invention any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components. Any reference to claim elements as “at least one of X, Y and Z” is meant to include any one of X, Y or Z individually, and any combination of X, Y and Z, for example, X, Y, Z; X, Y; X, Z; and Y, Z.
A disinfection system in accordance with one embodiment is provided in the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion 110 includes an external interface 112 configured to receive power from an external source. Optionally, the external interface 112 includes a communication interface to facilitate communication with one or more external devices. The first portion 110 may provide a first portion power link 114 operable to supply power to a second portion power link 124 of a second portion 120. Together, the first and second portion power links 114, 124 may form a system power link 102 that facilitates transference of power from the external source to the second portion 120 to power a control system 122 and a UV light source 126 of the disinfection system 100. The system power link 102 in one embodiment may be a connectionless power link, such as a wireless power link.
The second portion 120 or linked portion 120 in the illustrated embodiment includes the control system 122 and the UV light source 126. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is not so limited. For instance, the control system 122 or aspects thereof may be disposed in the first portion 110 as depicted in phantom lines in the illustrated embodiment. The UV light source 126, as discussed herein, may be optically coupled to a transmissive element (not shown in
The control system 122 of the disinfection system 100 may include circuitry operable to direct operation of the UV light source 126, and may include one or more sensors configured to provide sensor information. As an example, the sensor information provided by the one or more sensors may be indicative of a human usage condition with respect to a device, surface, or disinfection zone, or a combination thereof, that is associated with the disinfection system 100. The device or disinfection zone in one embodiment described herein may be a component or associated with such a component in the realm of transportation (e.g., a human interface of a vehicle). The control system 122 may be configured to discontinue application of UV light energy to the disinfection zone in response to the human usage condition being indicative of a human body part being in proximity to or potentially in proximity to the disinfection zone. In one embodiment, the control system 122 may discontinue application of UV light energy within is or less of detecting a human body part in proximity to the disinfection zone.
The control system 122 may be operable to detect or determine an amount of UV dosage (e.g., irradiance mW/m{circumflex over ( )}2*exposure times) provided to the disinfection zone and control decontamination of the same based on the amount of UV dosage. Such detection and control may be adaptive based on sensor information indicative of UV dosage to the disinfection zone; alternatively, the detection and control may be estimated based on one or more predetermined parameters (e.g., intensity of the UV light source and transmission effectiveness of the transference element).
The control system 122 may be operable to provide feedback to a human in a variety of ways, indicating a variety of conditions, one or more of which may pertain to decontamination of the disinfection zone. Examples of feedback include haptic feedback, visual feedback, and audio feedback.
To provide a more specific example, the disinfection zone may be associated with a transmission shifter or handhold of a vehicle. The control system 122 may control operation of the UV source 126 to disinfect a human interface portion of the transmission shifter or handhold, and may present visual feedback in the form of light having a spectrum different from the UV light to indicate decontamination is complete or underway. For instance, the visual feedback may be a red light provided to the same transmissive element as the UV light from the UV light source 126, such that the color of the transmissive element as seen by the human is sufficiently distinctive to indicate decontamination is underway.
In one embodiment, the control system 122 may be configured for operator detection. Using motion, acceleration, capacitance touch or power feedback or inputs, the controller may determine a user is present and to shut off UV disinfection.
In one embodiment, the control system 122 may provide motion interlock capabilities and capacitive presence-based capabilities, or both. In one embodiment, motion may be detected using infrared. Additionally, or alternatively, acceleration sensors may provide output indicative of a hand having reached in with respect to the device and indicative of when the device is move, tapped or manipulated. Capacitive proximity sensing may also facilitate identifying touches, and may be provided to the control system 122 as a basis for tracking touches and specific buttons within the plastic and transmissive surfaces of the system.
Turning to the illustrated embodiment of
The second portion power link 124 may be configured in one embodiment to store power for operation of the UV source 126 for a target dose and interval for decontamination.
The control system 122 in the illustrated embodiment includes a sensor system 220 coupled to one or more sensors 222, including for example a UV sensor, a temperature sensor, a heater/temperature control feedback sensor, an accelerometer, a capacitive touch sensor (e.g. calibrated to touch proximity), and a USB input interface. The control system 122 may also include a controller 230 operable to direct operational aspects of the second portion 110, such as UV dosing and the decontamination process.
The controller 230 includes any and all electrical circuitry and components to carry out the functions and algorithms described herein. Generally speaking, the controller 230 may include one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, and/or other programmable electronics that are programmed to carry out the functions described herein. The controller 230 may additionally or alternatively include other electronic components that are programmed to carry out the functions described herein, or that support the microcontrollers, microprocessors, and/or other electronics. The other electronic components include, but are not limited to, one or more field programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discrete circuitry, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and/or other hardware, software, or firmware. Such components can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners, whether combined into a single unit or distributed across multiple units. Such components may be physically distributed in different positions in the disinfection system 100, or they may reside in a common location within disinfection system 100. When physically distributed, the components may communicate using any suitable serial or parallel communication protocol, such as, but not limited to: CAN, LIN, FireWire, I2C, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, SPI, Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), RF (cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy.
The controller 230 may include volatile and and/or non-volatile storage memory. For example, the controller may include flash memory. The operation of the controller and related UV disinfection circuitry can be implemented or adapted partially or in full as described in U.S. provisional patent application 62/650,340, entitled Disinfection Behavior Tracking and Ranking, filed on Mar. 30, 2018 to Baarman, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 230 may be coupled to a cryptographic identification circuit, which may cryptographically store an identification value associated with the second portion 120.
The control system 122 in the illustrated embodiment of
More specifically, in one embodiment, the control system 122 may be configured to provide input and output for a human interface, one or more aspects of which may be decontaminated by a decontamination process carried out by the control system 122. For instance, the control system 122 may direct operation of the UV lamp 126 to decontaminate the human interface associated with the second portion 120. It should be understood that the human interface in one embodiment is not limited to a particular set of inputs or outputs, or both. Further, one or more inputs of the human interface may not be directly coupled to the control system 122, such as a transmission shifter of a vehicle providing an input to a system separate from the disinfection system 100 and facilitating directing operation of a vehicle. Likewise, it should be understood that one or more outputs for the human interface may not be directly coupled to the control system 122. In the transmission shifter example, the shifter may include an indication of the current gear selected for the transmission of the vehicle, where such an indication is under control of the system separate from the disinfection system 100.
In the illustrated embodiment, at least one output of the human interface may be directly controlled by the control system 122. Example outputs as described herein, and include but are not limited to feedback via one or more LEDs, potentially of varying colors, and haptic feedback.
In one embodiment, light output from one or more feedback lighting 226 (e.g., LEDs) for output via the human interface may share a transmission channel utilized for disinfection. For instance, the UV light source 126 and one or more feedback lights 226 may direct light to a transmission medium or channel that transfers light to a disinfection zone, which may also serve as a feedback zone for the human interface. Additionally, or alternatively, decorative lighting aspects may be provided to the human interface via the transmission medium. As an example, a decorative LED may be configured in the second portion 120 to direct light to the human interface using the same transmission medium or channel as the UV light source 126.
Although one embodiment of the present disclosure is described in conjunction with feedback lighting 226 or decorative lighting, or both sharing a transmission medium with UV light from the UV light source 126, the present disclosure is not so limited. For instance, the feedback lighting or decorative lighting, or both, may be directed to the human interface with the second portion 120 along a path similar to but not the same as the UV light. The feedback lighting 226 or decorative lighting, or both, may be generated remotely from the human interface and transfer thereto via a transmission medium separate from the transmission medium utilized for transfers of UV light to a disinfection zone of the human interface.
In the illustrated embodiment, the control system 122 of the second portion 120 includes haptic feedback circuitry 228 operable to provide an output to the human interface coupled to or associated with the second portion 120. The haptic feedback circuitry 228 may provide simple or complex patterns of vibration to the human interface that facilitates providing information to the human operator of the human interface.
In the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the UV light source may include an outer reflector for directing the light generated from the UV light source 126 to a target area, such as a transmission medium or a disinfection zone, or both. In one embodiment, the UV light source 126 may be associated with an RFID coil 127, which may store an identifier associated with the UV light source 126, and potentially one or more usage parameters (e.g., operating time and lifetime).
In one embodiment, the second portion 120 depicted in the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment of
The first portion 110 may include a sensor system 330 configured similar to the sensor system 220 of the second portion 120, as well as being configured to provide one or more inputs or one or more outputs, or a combination thereof, including for example the feedback circuitry 328 and feedback lighting 326. The control system 122 disposed in the first portion 110 may also include a cryptographic identification circuitry operable to provide secure memory for storing information associated with the first portion 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the external interface 112 is identified by the vehicle battery coupling and communication circuitry designated as 112. As discussed herein, the external interface 112 may facilitate communication with one or more external devices or systems in a variety of ways, including for instance I2C, RF, CAN bus, and LIN bus.
The first portion 110 in the illustrated embodiment of the
Turning to the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion 110 of the disinfection system 100 may be disposed near a base portion of the human interface 130 that remains substantially stationary or immobile during operation. The second portion 120 of the disinfection system may be disposed in a knob or handhold of the shifter that is movable relative to the stationary portion or first portion 110 but coupled thereto. Alternatively, the movable portion or second portion 120 may be remote or separable from the stationary portion.
The second portion 120 of the disinfection system 100 may be operable to conduct a disinfection or decontamination process with respect to a decontamination zone 132 of the human interface 130. In the illustrated embodiment, the decontamination zone 132 is associated with a portion of the human interface that is determined to be in likely contact with a human body part of the human operator. The disinfection system 100, including the second portion 120, may be constructed to dispose the decontamination zone 132 in optical communication with the UV light source 126. Optical communication may be achieved in a variety of ways, including providing a transmissive medium or transmissive material for transferring UV light from a remotely positioned UV light source 126 relative to the decontamination zone 132. Optical communication may also be facilitated via use of transmissive material that forms one or more aspects of the human interface 132; for example, the transmissive material may form part of a housing of the human interface 130 such that providing UV light from the UV light source 126 to the transmissive material enables decontamination of a surface of the transmissive material.
In the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the control system 122 may include decorative lighting aspect as well as the feedback lighting 226. The feedback lighting and/or the decorative lighting may be generated from a light source remote from the disinfection zone 132, but optically communicated or transferred to the disinfection zone 132 or other portions of the human interface 130 via a transmission medium (e.g., a light pipe or fiber, or a combination of different mediums).
The control system 122 may include a sensor system that facilitates obtaining feedback or input from the human operator of the human interface 130 and/or one or more operating conditions of the disinfection system 100, such as temperature, capacitive touch sensing, and acceleration. In one embodiment, the control system 122 may determine that a human operator is proximal to or in contact with the human interface 130 based on output from a capacitive touch sensor disposed proximal to the disinfection zone 132 of the human interface 130. In one embodiment, the capacitive touch sensor may be operable to detect proximity of the human operator relative to the disinfection zone 132 within 10 cm or less, or 1 cm or less. The determination that a human operator is proximal to or in contact with the human interface 130 may be indicative of a human usage condition of the human interface 130 and detected as such.
In one embodiment, the control system 122 may detect changes in acceleration of the second portion 120 or movable portion of the disinfection system 100 based on output from acceleration sensor. Changes in acceleration of the second portion 120, potentially relative to a baseline acceleration of the stationary portion or first portion 110, may be indicative of a human usage condition of the human interface 130.
The control system 122 in the illustrated embodiment may control operation of the disinfection system 100 and a disinfection procedure based on the human usage condition of the human interface 130. For instance, if the control system 122 determines that a human operator is in contact with, proximal to or likely to become in contact with the human interface 130, the control system 122 may discontinue a decontamination procedure of the decontamination zone 132. In this way, the control system 122 may attempt to substantially avoid subjecting the human operator to substantial amounts of UV light energy. In one embodiment, the control system 122 may discontinue a decontamination procedure within a predetermined period of time after detecting a human usage condition with respect to the human interface 130.
It is noted that a human operator may not always be in contact with a human interface 130, such as a transmission shifter of a vehicle, but may be in position to use the human interface 130 intermittently. The control system 122 may receive inputs indicative of the human operator being in such a position although not in contact or substantially proximal to the human interface 130 itself. For example, the control system 122 may receive an input indicative that the human operator is disposed in a driver seat of a vehicle, or that the vehicle itself is mobilized for operation, and the control system 122 may discontinue the disinfection procedure based on such input.
The control system 122 may be operable to initiate a decontamination procedure for the decontamination zone 132 based on one or more inputs, such as proximity of a human operator to the human interface 132. The decontamination procedure may involve subjecting the decontamination zone 132 to UV light in accordance with a UV dosage amount (e.g., irradiance for a period of time). Because the control system 122 is configured to detect the human usage condition, the control system 122 may be operable to determine or conduct a decontamination procedure during times when the human operator is unlikely to utilize the human interface 132. This may allow the control system 122 to conduct a decontamination procedure over a longer period of time, utilizing less irradiance than conventional enclosure-based high-intensity systems, and lessening the likelihood of deterioration or damage to materials surrounding or forming part of the decontamination system 100.
In the illustrated embodiment of
The system 100 in accordance with one embodiment may facilitate powering complex mechanical devices. These devices or human interfaces may be both connected to a vehicle via communications and wireless power. In one embodiment, such devices may include remote moving aspects, which can be powered using Tx coil geometry that enable a range of movement without moving wires or cords to a remote moving Rx, enabling potential avoidance slip rings, cables or contacts and possible reliability issues associated therewith. These devices may be disposed in environments that are challenging for power and human interface while enabling completely the human interface. It should be noted that slip rings and contacts may be a viable alternatively if suitable reliability is achieved.
In one embodiment, when adding power to a free moving shifter knob, the knob may be adapted as a human interface device. Haptic and visual feedback may be provided as a logical interface. Touches, movement, and acceleration patterns may be tracked and monitored, potentially indicating how easy or aggressive the user may be feeling, which may be used as a basis for adjusting operation of the vehicle. The external interface (e.g., CAN and LIN) may enable operation of vehicle functions via user input to the human interface.
In one embodiment, the human interface may be constructed with a second portion 120 adapted to provide heating or cooling surfaces to the decontamination zone of the human interface. Electro-resistive heating, piezo electric heating or cooling, or fans, or a combination thereof may be provided and receive power from the power link 102.
In one embodiment, a human may be detected in proximity to the human interface, and in the context of a transmission shift, the shifter may detect touches and then disinfect between uses or users. The touch sensor and the disinfection in one embodiment may provide a layer of optics and effects capabilities to the human interface.
The disinfection source or UV light source may be configured to disinfect a disinfection zone surface, and then when lighted with an RGB LED, or RGB laser with fiber, the accent color or feedback color can be selected. For example if a car is in park, or if the car is in gear, the system can flash colors or create haptic feedback.
In an alternative embodiment, depicted in the illustrated embodiment of
The removable portable device may be a smart phone or other portable device carried by a human operator, and a holder for 20 may be disposed in a transportation system, such as on a transportation bus, and provide charging capabilities for the removable portable device 410. For instance, the holder 420 may include a first portion power link 114 for supplying power in a connectionless manner (e.g. wirelessly or without interconnecting contacts) to the removable portable device 410.
In the illustrated embodiment of
Additionally, or alternatively, UV light generated from the UV light source 126 may be directed to external surfaces of the removable portable device 410 not directly in contact with the holder 420, such as the screen surface 411 of the removable portable device 410. This may be achieved by constructing the holder 422 to direct UV light via air to portions of the removable portable device 410.
In the illustrated embodiment of
The illustrated embodiments of
As discussed herein, the human interface 530 may also include decorative lighting under control of the second portion 120, facilitating visually facilitating identification of the human interface 530.
In the illustrated embodiment of
The human interface 1130 including the disinfection system 100 may be operable to detect a human usage condition with respect to the human interface 1130, and to conduct decontamination of the decontamination zone 1132 based on the human usage condition. In one embodiment, the disinfection system 100 may receive input indicative of a user approaching the human interface 1130 or in proximity thereto and likely to contact the human interface 1130. If the control system 122 of the disinfection system 100 is currently operating a decontamination procedure, the control system 122 may discontinue the decontamination procedure in response to detecting the human usage condition indicative of the user approaching the human interface 1130 or proximity thereto.
In one embodiment, the human interface 1130 may include one or more light transmissive materials or elements that form aspects of the human interface 1130. For instance, one or more exterior surfaces of the door handle, such as the movable handle itself may be formed of light transmissive material disposed in optical communication with the UV light source 126 of the second portion 120. Activation of the UV light source 126 may be conducted by the control system 122 to disinfect the disinfection zone 1132 of the human interface 1130. The feedback lighting 226 may be provided in a manner that is visible to an approaching user indicating that a decontamination procedure is complete or underway (e.g., green for complete and red for underway). The feedback lighting 226 as described herein may share a common optical path at the UV light source. In one embodiment, the feedback lighting 226 may be directed in a manner that is visible from a distance from the human interface 1130, while the UV light provided to the decontamination zone 1132 may be partially or fully obscured from visibility with respect to an approaching human. Additionally the optical material can be utilized for UV disinfection, decorative details, and user feedback, optionally all with the same optical details.
In the illustrated embodiment of
The illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment of
Turning to the illustrated embodiment of
The human interface 730 may include a base structure 740 constructed to accept and integrate with aspects of the human interface 130 that facilitate use by a human operator and operation of the disinfection system 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the human interface 730 includes first and second ends 741A-B with a support bar 742 disposed therebetween and coupling together the first and second ends 741A-B. A transmission medium 760 may be optically coupled with the UV light source 126, and traverse between the first and second ends 741A-B. The transmission medium 760 may be fiber-optic passages, or light pipes, or any other type of material facilitating transference of UV light energy or visible light energy from one region to another.
In the illustrated embodiment, the transmission medium 760 may include an exterior surface that is generally parallel to a transmission axis for light along the transmission medium 760 from one end to another. The transmission medium 760 may be constructed such that the exterior surface leaks or facilitates emission of light traveling within the transmission medium 760 from the exterior surface. In this way, light, such as UV light from the UV light source 126, may emanate from the exterior surface of the transmission medium 760 along all or a portion of its length. In the illustrated embodiment, the transmission medium 760 may traverse between the first and second ends 741A-B multiple times, enabling emanation of a target level of UV light from the transmission medium 760 along the longitudinal axis of the base structure 740.
In one embodiment, the transmission medium 760 may be optically coupled to an outer interface structure 750, 752 for the human interface 730. Lights, such as UV light, emanating from the transmission medium 760 may traverse through the outer interface structure to an exterior surface of the human interface 730, which corresponds with a decontamination zone 732. With this configuration, in one embodiment, UV light generated from the UV light source 126 remote from the decontamination zone 732 may be optically communicated to the decontamination zone 732 for decontamination thereof in accordance with a decontamination procedure. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer interface structure 750, 752 depicted in the illustrated embodiment is provided in the form of a two piece transmissive wrap or housing with: (a) a first piece 750 where the interface is generally aligned with one longitudinal side of the support 742, and (b) a second piece 752 where the interface is generally aligned with the opposing longitudinal side of the support bar 742, with the first and second pieces 750, 752 interconnecting or interfacing with each other to enclose a longitudinal section of the support bar 742 as well as the transmission medium 760.
In the illustrated embodiment of
In one embodiment of the human interface 730, the system may be operable to provide door open feedback with a flashing red light or to vibrate the door handle when a filter needs to be changed. The medium may enable feedback and input for tracking and providing information to the user. In one embodiment, the human interface 730 may be constructed using a quartz fiber with a side projecting PFA casing, providing lighting spiral on a shifter or a wrap for a shifter or handle for lighting effects (potentially unique) while substantially maintaining the UVC effectivity.
The illustrated embodiment of
The transmissive element 760 or material may take a variety of forms. In one embodiment, the transmissive element 760 is plastic injected PFA for UV-C transmission. Such a plastic is sold under the brand name TEFLON. The thickness of the material may determine the transmissive capability so thinner material selection typically provides greater transmissibility and disinfection capabilities. The inner surface textures allows scattered reflection. The inner surfaces may also be coated with a reflector to protect the device from UV exposure and also provides a dispersion and reflection of the UV light. A textured surface with a reflector provides the best performance. The transmissive element 760 described in conjunction with the illustrated embodiment of
In one embodiment, inside-out, outside projection, inside-out to transmitter substrate, and outside to transmitter substrate with respect to light may be achieved in a variety of ways, including one or more of the following:
In one embodiment, a handle as a human interface 730 in accordance with one embodiment may provide a mechanically strong handle that includes a disinfecting surface. The surface may be lighted with decorative lighting and provided with UVC disinfection. The handle may form a human interface device that, as an example, can also track touches, movement, force, and allow feedback-like warnings, error states and arriving stations. For instance, a haptic feedback may be provided to a user indicating that his or her stop is approaching, or that a stop in general is approaching.
In one embodiment, the composition and configuration of the thermoplastic composition or transmissive element and the UV reflective material can be selected to provide a composition with desired levels of UV reflectivity, and transmissivity for a desired application. The composition of the thermoplastic composition or transmissive element may also be selected to be cost-effective, resistant to degradation upon exposure to UV radiation for at least a desired period of time. Utilizing PFA and e-PTFE is a great example of a reflector and UV-C transmissive material. Further details and examples of UV reflective material appropriate for use in the present invention are described in U.S. provisional patent application 62/650,340, entitled Disinfection Behavior Tracking and Ranking, filed on Mar. 30, 2018 to Baarman, and U.S. provisional patent application 62/683,933, entitled Mobile Device Disinfection, filed on Jun. 12, 2018 to Baarman, which are both incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second portions 110, 120 of the disinfection system 100 are shown in a substantially integrated form with the control system 122 and powerlink 102 to the UV light source 126 integral to a single housing. It should be understood however, that the first and second portions 110, 120 may be configured differently and potentially separate from each other in accordance with one or more embodiments herein.
The disinfection system 100 in the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the transmission medium may traverse through the void 932 to an exit point or entry point of the vehicle air duct system, and provide a decorative aspect or feedback aspect to the disinfection system 100. Near the exit point or entry 940, light emanating from the transmission medium may be visible to a user or human operator. As a result, the decorative aspect or feedback aspect of the disinfection system 100 may be capable of relaying information via visible light to the human operator near the entry or exit point 940 of the vehicle air duct system. For instance, the color spectrum of the visible light emanating from the transmission medium 960 near or in proximity to the exit 940 may be indicative of a temperature of the air exiting or traversing through the air duct system.
In one embodiment, an optical fiber may be provided to disinfect vents and functionally indicate temperature. The disinfection system 100 can also be set to coordinated color options when not disinfecting. When the HVAC is running, the system may indicate to the user what temperature by displaying color as an option. In one embodiment, a channel can be provided to hold the fiber in a specific pattern to provide and maintain a desired design detail.
Directional terms, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inwardly,” “outer” and “outwardly,” are used to assist in describing the invention based on the orientation of the embodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional terms should not be interpreted to limit the invention to any specific orientation(s).
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described invention may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Further, the disclosed embodiments include a plurality of features that are described in concert and that might cooperatively provide a collection of benefits. The present invention is not limited to only those embodiments that include all of these features or that provide all of the stated benefits, except to the extent otherwise expressly set forth in the issued claims. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US19/68291 | 12/23/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62789228 | Jan 2019 | US |
