Portable wand system for reporting and verifying surface treatment performance and method of use

Abstract

To provide a system which performs surface treatment such as disinfection and sanitization while maintaining a high degree of quality control and efficiency.SOLUTION: A portable wand system 10 comprises a wand controller subsystem 30. The wand controller subsystem includes a computer program, and a memory unit storing paths learned and recorded during a learn mode, by an operator manually moving a wand applicator 18a. The paths include desired paths in stay-in zones to be surface treated, and include stay-out zone paths in or near stay-out zones in which the processing should be avoided. The portable wand system is used in a processing mode to measure the operator manually moving the wand applicator in operation paths, based on the desired paths. For a selected stay-in zone, the portable wand system compares the operation path to the desired path, and indicates when the operation path deviates from the desired path, and when the wand applicator is in proximity to, and oriented towards, the stay-out zones.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for indicating and verifying the performance of surface treatments, and more particularly to systems and methods for indicating and verifying that disinfection, sterilization, and other surface treatment processes have been performed satisfactorily and completely. [Background technology]

[0002] When surface treatments, such as surface disinfection or sterilization, are performed manually using handheld devices, the uniformity of the treatment can vary and repeatability is difficult to achieve. When such processes are performed manually, it is difficult to achieve high quality control and efficiency. For example, when using handheld ultraviolet (UV) light devices to manually disinfect or sterilize surfaces, operator variability can increase the time required to fully complete the surface treatment. Even when time is available, it is difficult to completely and reliably record the coverage achieved manually.

[0003] Additionally, for surface disinfection or sterilization processes performed manually with handheld ultraviolet (UV) light devices or applicators, as well as UV curing, painting, shot peening, polishing, welding, and other processes performed manually with other handheld devices or applicators, it is difficult to prove that the handheld device or applicator performed the operations according to a prescribed or learned mode or path. Known manual processes, and the handheld devices or applicators used in such manual processes, leave the determination of task completion to the subjective judgment of the operator. Therefore, it is not possible to rigorously prove that the task was performed thoroughly and completely.

[0004] Additionally, known manual processes, as well as handheld devices or applicators used in such manual processes, rely on the subjective judgment of an operator to identify "stay-out zones," which are routes or areas where surface treatment operations should be avoided, such as surfaces that may be adversely affected by UV light or other surface treatments. For example, if an operator accidentally points a known UV light device or applicator, or other known handheld device or applicator, at a "stay-out zone" while performing a surface treatment, the known UV light device or applicator, or other known handheld device or applicator, does not provide a warning or notification that the operator is attempting to perform an operation in the "stay-out zone," nor does it automatically reduce or shut off power to the known handheld device or applicator.

[0005] Additionally, automated methods for performing surface treatments such as disinfection or sterilization can require very complex equipment, which generally cannot perform as adeptly as a human operator when treating complex surfaces.

[0006] Therefore, what is needed is a portable or handheld system and method for performing surface treatments such as, for example, disinfection, sterilization, and other processes that utilizes learned paths and modes in a manual surface treatment process to notify and confirm to a user that a surface has been sufficiently treated, to notify an operator when an "avoidance zone" has been entered, to maintain a high degree of quality control and efficiency, and to provide advantages over known systems and methods. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide portable wand systems and methods for use to report and verify the performance of surface treatments. As described in the detailed description below, various aspects of these systems and methods offer significant advantages over known systems and methods.

[0008] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a portable wand system is provided, the portable wand system including a wand applicator including a surface treatment element, the portable wand system further including a wand control subsystem connected to the wand applicator.

[0009] The wand applicator control subsystem includes a computer program. The wand control subsystem further includes a memory unit for storing paths learned and recorded by an operator manually moving the wand applicator in a learn mode. The paths include desired paths within application zones having one or more surfaces on which the surface treatment is to be performed by the surface treatment element. The paths further include avoidance zone paths within or near avoidance zones where the surface treatment is to be avoided.

[0010] The portable wand system further includes a selector body operatively connected to a manual selection button, an indicator element, and a power body connected to the wand applicator.

[0011] The portable wand system, used in a treatment mode after the learn mode, measures real-time movement of the wand applicator with the surface treatment element activated as the operator moves the wand applicator along one or more work paths based on one or more of the desired paths in one or more of the plurality of application zones. The portable wand system compares the work path with the desired path for a selected application zone and notifies the operator when the work path deviates from the desired path and when the wand applicator is approaching and oriented toward an avoidance zone. The portable wand system verifies that the desired surface treatment has been performed.

[0012] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for reporting and confirming that a desired surface treatment has been performed on one or more surfaces is provided. The method includes providing a portable wand system. The portable wand system includes a wand applicator including a surface treatment element. The portable wand system further includes a wand control subsystem connected to the wand applicator. The wand control subsystem includes a computer program, a memory portion, and a central processing unit (CPU) connected to the memory portion. The portable wand system further includes a selector element operatively connected to a manual selection button. The portable wand system further includes an indicator element. The portable wand system further includes a power element connected to the wand applicator.

[0013] The method further includes training the portable wand system in a learn mode by an operator manually moving the wand applicator along a plurality of desired paths within a plurality of application zones to be treated on surfaces and along a plurality of avoidance zone paths within or near a plurality of avoidance zones where surfaces should not be treated, and recording and storing, by the portable wand system, the plurality of desired paths corresponding to the plurality of application zones and the plurality of avoidance zone paths corresponding to the plurality of avoidance zones.

[0014] The method further includes selecting a selected application zone having one or more surfaces to be surface treated by the portable wand system and selecting a desired path corresponding to the selected application zone, and operating the portable wand system in a treatment mode with the surface treatment element activated by the operator manually moving the wand applicator along a working path within the selected application zone based on the desired path.

[0015] The method further includes comparing the work path with the desired path by the portable wand system. The method further includes notifying the operator by the portable wand system when the work path deviates from the desired path and when the wand applicator is proximate to and oriented within one or more of the plurality of avoidance zones so that adjustments can be made to movement of the wand applicator and power to the wand applicator. The method further includes confirming by the portable wand system that the desired surface treatment has been performed on the one or more surfaces within the selected application zone.

[0016] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for indicating and confirming that a desired ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection has been performed on one or more surfaces in an aircraft interior is provided. The method includes providing a portable wand system. The portable wand system includes a wand applicator including an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element. The portable wand system further includes a wand control subsystem connected to the wand applicator. The wand control subsystem includes a computer program, a memory portion, and a central processing unit (CPU) connected to the memory portion. The portable wand system further includes a selector element operatively connected to a manual selection button. The portable wand system further includes an indicator element. The portable wand system further includes a power element connected to the wand applicator.

[0017] The method further includes selecting a learn mode option with the manual selection button to activate the portable wand system in a learn mode. The method further includes training the portable wand system in a first learn mode by an operator manually moving the wand applicator along a plurality of desired paths within a plurality of application zones having the one or more surfaces to be disinfected with the UV lamp element. The method further includes recording and storing, by the portable wand system, the plurality of desired paths corresponding to the plurality of application zones.

[0018] The method further includes training the portable wand system in a second learning mode by the operator manually moving the wand applicator along one or more avoidance zone paths within or near a plurality of avoidance zones that should not be disinfected, and recording and storing, by the portable wand system, the plurality of avoidance zone paths corresponding to the plurality of avoidance zones.

[0019] The method further includes selecting a learn mode option with the manual selection button to activate the portable wand system in a treatment mode. The method further includes selecting a selected application zone having one or more surfaces to be disinfected with the manual selection button and selecting a desired path recorded and stored in the first learn mode that corresponds to the selected application zone. The method further includes operating the portable wand system in the treatment mode by the operator manually moving the wand applicator in real time along a work path within the selected application zone based on the desired path with the UV lamp element activated.

[0020] The method further includes comparing, by the portable wand system, the work path to the desired path. The method further includes notifying, by the portable wand system, the worker when the work path deviates from the desired path and when the wand applicator is proximate to and oriented within one or more of the plurality of avoidance zones so that adjustments can be made to movement of the wand applicator and power to the UV lamp elements. The method further includes confirming, by the portable wand system, that the desired UV light disinfection has been performed on the one or more surfaces within the selected application zone.

[0021] The above-described features, functions, and advantages may be achieved individually in various aspects of the present disclosure or may be combined in other aspects, the details of which will become apparent from the following description and the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] The present disclosure will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which, while depicting preferred and exemplary embodiments, are not necessarily to scale and are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to impose limitations on the written description or claims.

[0023] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a portable wand system of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary forms of surfaces, surface treatments, and surface treatment elements for use with exemplary forms of the portable wand system of the present disclosure. [Figure 1C] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a training mode and a processing mode employed in an exemplary embodiment of a portable wand system of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]1 is a perspective view of an exemplary configuration of a portable wand system of the present disclosure including a binary indicator, an RFID reader, and RFID electronics. FIG. [Figure 2B] 2B is a perspective view of the portable wand system of FIG. 2A, including a video display, an RFID reader, and RFID electronics. FIG. [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 is a system flow diagram of an exemplary configuration of a portable wand system of the present disclosure having a surface treatment element and a computer recording system. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 is a system flow diagram of an exemplary configuration of a portable wand system of the present disclosure having an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element and a computer recording system. [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an aircraft cabin interior showing alignment features. [Figure 4B] 1 is a perspective view of an aircraft cockpit interior from the rear, showing application and avoidance compartments where RFID tags are located. [Figure 4C] 1 is a perspective view of the interior of an aircraft cabin from the rear, showing application and avoidance compartments. [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a portable wand system of the present disclosure being used with a system rolling bag, with the rolling bag in a closed position. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a front side perspective view of the portable wand system of FIG. 5A showing the wand applicator with manual selection device and the wheeled bag for the system in an open position. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is a front side perspective view of the portable wand system of FIG. 5B showing the wand applicator with manual selection device and the wheeled bag for the system in a closed position. [Figure 5D] FIG. 5B is a close-up top view of the system wheeled bag of FIG. 5A showing the hose of the portable wand system and the system wheeled bag in a closed position. [Figure 5E]FIG. 5C is a close-up front view of the fan of the portable wand system of FIG. 5B, showing the wheeled bag for the system in an open position. [Figure 6A] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a wand applicator with a barcode camera and decoder electronics held by a user. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a bottom perspective view of the wand applicator of FIG. 6A. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of the method of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aircraft in which the portable wand system of the present disclosure may be used. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary aircraft production and service method. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of an aircraft.

[0024] The drawings of the present disclosure show various aspects of the presented embodiment, and only the differences will be described in detail below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, the disclosed versions or embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the accompanying drawings show only some of the disclosed versions, but not all of them. In fact, several different versions can be provided, and the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the specific versions described. These versions are intended to fully illustrate the present disclosure and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0026] This specification includes references to "in one form" or "in a given form." Uses of the phrases "in one form" or "in a given form" do not necessarily refer to the same form. Particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any manner consistent with this disclosure.

[0027] As used herein, "comprising" is an open term and, as used in the claims, the term does not exclude the presence of additional structures or steps.

[0028] As used herein, "designed to" or "configured to" means that various parts or components described or claimed herein are "designed to" or "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In this context, "designed to" or "configured to" means that the part or component includes a structure that performs those tasks during processing. Thus, the part or component can perform a given task even when it is not currently operating (e.g., not turned on).

[0029] As used herein, the terms "first," "second," etc. are used as markers of the noun that follows them and do not imply any kind or order (e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.).

[0030] In this specification the word "a" or "an" preceding an element or step does not necessarily exclude the presence of a plurality of elements or steps.

[0031] The following description is made with reference to the drawings. Figure 1A is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a portable wand system 10 of the present disclosure. Figure 1B is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a surface 12, surface treatment application 14, and surface treatment application element (STAE) 16 for use with the exemplary configuration of the portable wand system 10 of the present disclosure. Figure 1C is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a portable wand system 10 of the present disclosure. The exemplary configuration includes a trainable portable wand system 11 that is trained and used in a learn mode 300, and after being trained in the learn mode 300, the trained portable wand system is used in a processing mode 302 as a trained portable wand system 11a.

[0032] 1A-1C represent various elements, but the lines connecting these blocks do not represent any particular subordinate relationships between the elements. For example, the connecting lines in the various figures included herein indicate example functional relationships and / or physical connections between the various elements, but aspects of the present disclosure may include alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections.

[0033] The portable wand system 10 is a mobile applicator system used to manually administer a surface treatment 14 to one or more surfaces 12. The portable wand system 10 reports, confirms, and certifies that the surface treatment 14, such as an ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection treatment 170 (see FIG. 1B), has been properly, completely, and thoroughly administered to one or more surfaces 12 in a given area or object. The portable wand system 10 also allows a user 52 (see FIG. 1A), such as a worker 54 (see FIG. 1A), to independently verify that the surface treatment 14 has been sufficiently administered and completed. The one or more surfaces 12 designated for surface treatment are preferably surfaces in the interior 146 of one of an aircraft 148, a spacecraft 150, an automobile 152, a watercraft 154, a train 156, a hospital 158, an industrial building 160, an office building 162, a movie theater 164, a restaurant 166, or other suitable vehicle or structure, as shown in FIG. 1B.

[0034] One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A and 1C) that includes a trainable portable wand system 11 (see FIG. 1C) and a pre-trained portable wand system 11a (see FIG. 1C). As shown in FIG. 1A, the portable wand system 10 includes a wand applicator 18. Preferably, the wand applicator 18 is a handheld wand applicator 18a (see FIG. 1A) that is used manually by a user 52 (see FIG. 1A), an operator 54 (see FIG. 1A), or an inspector 56 (see FIG. 1A). The wand applicator 18 includes a handle portion 20 (see FIG. 1A) and a head portion 22 (see FIG. 1A). The portable wand system 10 further includes a selector body 24 (see FIGS. 1A and 1C), which will be described in more detail below, and a manual selection button 25 (see FIG. 1A) or user input button. The selector assembly 24 is operatively connected to or activated by a manual selection button 25 (see FIG. 1A) or user input button. In one form, the manual selection button 25 is connected to the wand applicator 18. For example, the manual selection button 25 is connected to or integral with the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18. In another form, the manual selection button 25 is connected to an energy storage device 110 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A) of a power assembly 108 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A) or to a system case 122 (see FIGS. 1, 5A) that houses or holds the portable wand system 10.

[0035] The wand applicator 18 includes a surface treatment element (STAE) 16 (see FIG. 1A), specifically mounted on a head portion 22 of the wand applicator 18. In a preferred embodiment, the surface treatment element (STAE) 16 includes an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26 (see FIG. 1A). The UV lamp element 26 is operable or configured to emit ultraviolet (UV) light 28 (see FIG. 1A) having a wavelength in the range of 200 nm (nanometers) to 280 nm (nanometers) to sufficiently disinfect one or more surfaces 12. The UV lamp element 26 more preferably includes a 222 nm (nanometer) UV lamp element 26a (see FIG. 1A), which is operable or configured to emit UV light 28 at a wavelength of 222 nanometers. Other embodiments of the surface treatment element (STAE) 16 are described below with reference to FIG. 1B.

[0036] The UV light 28 is preferably germicidal short wavelength ultraviolet C (UVC) light, which can emit germicidal UV light 28. The 222 nm (nanometer) germicidal UV light kills or inactivates pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, yet has been shown to be safe for human exposure. Furthermore, the 222 nm germicidal UV light 28 can be emitted at full power within 1 millisecond after activation of the UV lamp element 26.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1A, the portable wand system 10 further includes a wand controller subsystem 30 that is connected, either wired or wirelessly, to the wand applicator 18. As shown in Figure 1A, the wand control subsystem 30 includes a computer program 32, such as an algorithm 32a.

[0038] 1A, the wand control subsystem 30 further includes a central processing unit (CPU) 60 and a memory unit 66. The memory unit 66 is connected to the CPU 60. The memory unit 66 stores data 68 (see FIG. 1A) measured by the portable wand system 10, including position data 58 measured by the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 (see FIG. 1A).

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1C, the memory unit 66 is designed to store and does store data 68 including a plurality of paths 304 or patterns 306 learned and recorded in the learn mode 300. These paths or patterns are learned or recorded by a user 52 or operator 54, such as a designated trainer, manually moving the portable wand system 10, e.g., trainable portable wand system 11, through, over, or near a plurality of sections 308, either targeted or untargeted for surface treatment. The plurality of paths 304 are also referred to as learned paths 304a (see FIG. 1C) or pre-programmed paths or tool paths. As shown in FIG. 1C, the plurality of paths 304 includes a plurality of desired paths 310, such as a first learned path 310a. As further shown in FIG. 1C, the plurality of paths 304, such as learned path 304a, further includes a plurality of stay-out zone paths 312, such as a second learned path 312a.

[0040] The plurality of zones 308 includes a plurality of application zones (stay-in zones) 314 (see FIG. 1C) having one or more surfaces 12 (see FIG. 1A) where a surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1A) is to be performed by a surface treatment element 16 (see FIG. 1A). The application zones 314 of the aircraft 148 (see FIG. 1B) or aircraft 500a (see FIG. 9) where a surface treatment 14, such as UV light disinfection 172 (see FIG. 1B) using the portable wand system 10, are to be performed include application zones 314 in the cockpit 315 (see FIG. 4B) or cockpit 506 (see FIG. 9), such as a cockpit control area 316 (see FIG. 4B), cockpit seating 318 (see FIG. 4B), cockpit panel area 320 (see FIG. 4B), cockpit floor 322 (see FIG. 4B), cockpit ceiling 324 (see FIG. 4B), or other suitable cockpit areas. The application zones 314 of the aircraft 148 (see FIG. 1B ) or aircraft 500a (see FIG. 9 ) where the surface treatment 14, such as UV light disinfection 172 (see FIG. 1B ), using the portable wand system 10, should be performed further include application zones 314 in the cabin 246 (see FIGS. 4A , 4C ), such as cabin seats 248 (see FIGS. 4A , 4C ), cabin floor 326 (see FIG. 4C ), cabin ceiling 327 (see FIG. 4C ), passenger service unit 328 (see FIG. 4C ), monitors 329 (see FIG. 4C ), overhead bins 330 (see FIG. 4C ), cabin panel area 331 (see FIG. 4C ), or other suitable cabin areas. Other areas or regions of the aircraft 148 where the surface treatment using the portable wand system 10 should be performed may also be designated as application zones 314. As used herein, "application zone" refers to a zone, area, or region of a given vehicle or structure, such as an aircraft or other air vehicle, that is designed to undergo surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1B) using the portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 1C) of the present disclosure, and that has one or more surfaces to be treated.

[0041] The plurality of compartments 308 further includes a plurality of avoidance compartments 332 (see FIG. 1C ) where the application of the surface treatment 14 should be avoided and where the surface treatment 14 should not be performed, for example, surfaces that are adversely affected by UV light 28 or other surface treatments. Examples of avoidance compartments 332 within the aircraft 148 (see FIG. 1B ) or aircraft 500 a (see FIG. 9 ) where the application of the surface treatment 14 by the portable wand system 10 should not be performed include a cockpit window 334 (see FIG. 4B ) within the cockpit 315 or cockpit 506 (see FIG. 9 ), a cabin window 335 (see FIGS. 4A , 4C ) within the cabin 246 (see FIGS. 4A , 4C ), or other areas or regions within the aircraft 148 (see FIG. 1B ) or aircraft 500 a (see FIG. 9 ) that have been designated as avoidance compartments 332 where the surface treatment by the portable wand system 10 should not be performed. As used herein, "avoidance zone" refers to a zone, area, or region of a given vehicle or structure, such as an aircraft or other air vehicle, that is designed to not undergo surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1B) using the portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 1C) of the present disclosure, and that has one or more surfaces on which surface treatment should be avoided, thereby avoiding adverse effects on the surfaces in that zone, area, or region.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1C, a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, is designed to be trained, trained, or pre-programmed in a learn mode 300 by a user 52, such as a designated trainer, or operator 54. The learn mode 300 or pre-programming mode shown in FIG. 1C includes a first learn mode 300a, which is a first pre-programming mode, and a second learn mode 300b, which is a second pre-programming mode. Prior to training a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, in the learn mode 300, the portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, is operated to enter the learn mode 300.

[0043] The manual select button 25 functions when the user 52 or operator 54 presses it once or in a predetermined sequence or pattern, depending on the desired function. For example, pressing the manual select button 25 once will "zero out" the position of the wand applicator 18 to the home position 336 (see FIG. 1C). Additionally, pressing the manual select button 25 a second time, or in any other suitable pattern or sequence, will enter the select mode 338 (see FIG. 1C).

[0044] In the selection mode 338, a plurality of mode selections 340 (see FIG. 1C ) corresponding to functions to be performed by the portable wand system 10 can be selected using the manual selection button 25. As shown in FIG. 1C , the plurality of mode selections 340 includes a learn mode selection 342 and a processing mode selection 344. The plurality of mode selections 340 may also include other suitable mode selections. The learn mode selections 342 further include an application zone learn mode selection 342a (see FIG. 1C ) that transitions the portable wand system 10 to training in a first learn mode 300a in the application zone 314. The learn mode selections 342 further include an avoidance zone learn mode selection 342b (see FIG. 1C ) that transitions the portable wand system 10 to training in a second learn mode 300b in the avoidance zone 332. The mode selections 340 may be configured with a color indicator using LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to allow the user 52 to easily identify the selected mode.

[0045] Thus, a user 52 or operator 54, such as a designated trainer, can transition a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, into selection mode 338 by selecting or pressing manual selection button 25 in an appropriate sequence or pattern of successive presses, such as double presses, and then select learn mode option 342 with manual selection button 25 to transition to learn mode 300. Next, the user 52 or operator 54, such as a designated trainer, can select apply zone learn mode option 342a or avoid zone learn mode option 342b with manual selection button 25.

[0046] Upon completion of learn mode 300, user 52 or operator 54 presses manual select button 25 once to "zero out" the position of wand applicator 18 to home position 336 (see FIG. 1C ). User 52 or operator 54 can then transition portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, to selection mode 338 by selecting or depressing manual select button 25 in an appropriate sequence or pattern of successive presses, such as double presses, and then transition to processing mode 302 by selecting processing mode option 344 with manual select button 25.

[0047] The manual selection button 25 can also be used to select multiple zone options 346 (see FIG. 1C ), such as one or more of an application zone option 346a (see FIG. 1C ) and an avoidance zone option 346b (see FIG. 1C ). When a portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, is activated in the learn mode 300, the desired zone 308a (see FIG. 1C ) can be selected using the manual selection button 25 or using a selector body 24 in one of the forms described below. Selecting or pressing the application zone option 346a with the manual selection button 25 selects or sets the selected stay-in zone 314a. Alternatively, the selected application zone 314a may be selected or set to a default state prior to selecting or setting the learn mode option 342. Selecting or pressing the avoidance zone option 346b with the manual selection button 25 selects or sets the selected stay-out zone 332a. Alternatively, the selection avoidance section 332a may be selected or set to an initial state prior to the selection or setting of the learn mode option 342.

[0048] A portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, is trained in a learn mode 300, such as a first learn mode 300a. The training is performed by an operator 54, such as a designated trainee, or user 52 manually moving the wand applicator 18 along multiple desired paths 310 within multiple application zones 314 having one or more surfaces 12 to be treated with the surface treatment element 16. For example, a selected application zone 314a is selected in learn mode 300, and the operator 54, such as a designated trainee, or user 52 manually moves or manipulates the wand applicator 18 of the portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, along the desired path 310 within the selected application zone 314a. The desired path 310 corresponds to the selected application zone 314a. Each desired path 310 of the plurality of desired paths 310 corresponds to a selected application zone 314a of the plurality of application zones 314 and is recorded in real time by the CPU 60 of the wand control subsystem 30 included in the portable wand system 10 and stored in real time by the memory unit 66 of the wand control subsystem 30 included in the portable wand system 10. Before manually moving the wand applicator 18 along the plurality of desired paths 310 within the plurality of application zones 314 in the first learning mode 300a, the application zone learning mode option 342a is selected with the manual selection button 25. Training of the portable wand system 10 is preferably performed by manually moving the wand applicator 18 along the plurality of desired paths 310 within the plurality of application zones 314 with the surface treatment element 16, such as the ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26, turned off. However, training of the portable wand system 10 can also be performed with the surface treatment element 16, such as the ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26, turned on.

[0049] Learning or training one or more desired paths 310 is performed by manually moving the wand applicator 18 in a learning mode 300, such as a first learning mode 300a, by, for example, positioning the wand applicator 18 within or above the interior of an application section 314, such as a selected application section 314a, positioning the wand applicator 18 in a given orientation, manipulating the wand applicator 18, and moving the wand applicator 18 in an appropriate manner relative to the application section 314.

[0050] A portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, is trained in a learn mode 300, such as second learn mode 300b. The training is performed by an operator 54, such as a designated trainee, or user 52 manually moving the wand applicator 18 along one or more avoidance zone paths 312 in, over, or near a plurality of avoidance zones 332 where the surface treatment is to be avoided. For example, a selected avoidance zone 332a is selected in the learn mode 300, such as second learn mode 300b, and the operator 54, such as a designated trainee, or user 52 manually moves or manipulates the wand applicator 18 of the portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, along the avoidance zone path 312 in, over, or near the avoidance zone 332. The avoidance zone paths 312 correspond to one or more selected avoidance zones 332a. Each of the plurality of avoidance zone paths 312 corresponds to one or more selected avoidance zones 332a of the plurality of avoidance zones 332 and is recorded in real time by the CPU 60 of the wand control subsystem 30 included in the portable wand system 10 and stored in real time by the memory unit 66 of the wand control subsystem 30 included in the portable wand system 10. Before manually moving the wand applicator 18 along the plurality of avoidance zone paths 312 in, over, or near the plurality of avoidance zones 332 in the second learn mode 300b, the avoidance zone learn mode option 342b is selected with the manual select button 25.

[0051] Learning or training of the avoidance zone path 312 is performed in a learn mode 300, such as the second learn mode 300b, by manually moving the wand applicator 18, for example, by positioning, orienting, or manipulating the wand applicator 18 within or above the interior of the avoidance zone 332, near the exterior or interior of the avoidance zone 332, or along the perimeter of the avoidance zone 332, such as adjacent avoidance zones 332, or by tapping the wand applicator 18 on a corner of the avoidance zone 332, or by moving in an appropriate manner relative to the avoidance zone 332. Furthermore, the avoidance zone 332 can be generated directly, for example, by selecting an option in a menu to generate an avoidance zone, or indirectly by selecting an option to have the wand applicator 18 load a zone 308 that has already been set as the application zone 314. Training of the portable wand system 10 is preferably performed by manually moving the wand applicator 18 along multiple avoidance zone paths 312 within multiple avoidance zones 332 with the surface treatment element 16, such as the ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26, turned off.

[0052] The plurality of desired paths 310 correspond to the plurality of application segments 314 recorded in the CPU 60 and stored in the memory unit 66, respectively, and the plurality of avoidance segment paths 312 correspond to the plurality of avoidance segments 332 recorded in the CPU 60 and stored in the memory unit 66, respectively, and these paths can be developed to generate a depiction 34 (see FIG. 1A), such as a geometric model 36 (see FIG. 1A). The geometric model 36 may include a CAD (computer-aided design) model or other type of computer model or map of the desired paths 310 recorded and stored in correspondence with the plurality of application segments 314, and of the avoidance segment paths 312 recorded and stored in correspondence with the plurality of avoidance segments 332. The geometric model 36 may identify the plurality of segments 308, including the application segments 314 and their desired paths 310, and the avoidance segments 332 and their avoidance segment paths 312.

[0053] In another form, the depiction data 34 includes photographic images 38 (see FIG. 1A ) acquired by a photogrammetry process 40 (see FIG. 1A ) that records and stores a plurality of desired paths 310 corresponding to a plurality of application areas 314 and a plurality of avoidance area paths 312 corresponding to a plurality of avoidance areas 332.

[0054] As shown in Figure 1A, wand control subsystem 30 further includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42. IMU 42 preferably includes a six-degrees-of-freedom inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42a (see Figure 1A). As used herein, "six degrees of freedom" refers to the degree of freedom of movement in three-dimensional space, meaning that an object can freely translate forward / backward, up / down, and left / right along three mutually orthogonal axes, and can freely change orientation by rotational movements about these three orthogonal axes: yaw (vertical axis), pitch (horizontal axis), and roll (longitudinal axis).

[0055] The IMU 42 includes an integrated circuit (IC) 42b (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B) or chip mounted on a circuit board 44 (see FIGS. 2A-2B) and includes an accelerometer 46 (see FIG. 1A) that measures acceleration 48 (see FIG. 1A) of the wand applicator 18. The IMU 42 also measures one or more positions 50 (see FIG. 1A) of the wand applicator 18 as a user 52 (see FIG. 1A), such as a designated trainee, or an operator 54 (see FIG. 1A), or an inspector 56 (see FIG. 1A), manually moves the wand applicator 18 over one or more surfaces 12 on which a surface treatment is to be performed. The IMU 42 sends position data 58 about the movement 388 (see FIG. 1C) of the wand applicator 18 to a CPU 60 connected to the IMU 42.

[0056] Wand control subsystem 30 further includes surface treatment application element (STAE) power feedback 62 (see FIG. 1A) to CPU 60. In one preferred form, portable wand system 10 includes UV lamp element 26, and wand control subsystem 30 further includes ultraviolet (UV) lamp element power feedback 64 (see FIG. 1A) to CPU 60. As shown in FIG. 1A, wand control subsystem 30 may further optionally include a wireless network interface 70 connected to CPU 60.

[0057] Instead of using an IMU 42 in the wand control subsystem 30, the wand control subsystem 30 can include one or more of a fixed-position extensometer 72 (see FIG. 1A), a rotational position sensor 74 (see FIG. 1A), and / or an external photogrammetry sensor 76 (see FIG. 1A), either individually or in combination. The fixed-position extensometer 72 measures the elongation of a material under stress and can also be used to determine yield strength, tensile strength, yield point elongation, strain hardening index, and strain rate. The rotational position sensor 74 measures the rotational angle from an output voltage and converts the physical angular position into an electrical signal. The external photogrammetry sensor 76 records, measures, and analyzes photographic images and electromagnetic radiation imaging patterns, generating two-dimensional and three-dimensional digital models of a surface, area, or object as the final product.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 1A, the portable wand system 10 further includes an indicator element 78. In one form, the indicator element 78 includes a binary indicator 80 (see FIG. 1A) or an on / off indicator. As shown in FIG. 1A, the binary indicator 80 may include a light signal 82 associated with the wand applicator 18, a surface treatment element (STAE) light flashing alert 84, such as an ultraviolet (UV) light flashing light alert 84a, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, a pressure change alert 96, or any other suitable binary indicator to indicate completion of the surface treatment 14 of one or more surfaces 12 and to indicate when the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C) and / or is proximate to, facing toward, or approaching one or more avoidance zones 332. The audio alert 86 or sound alert 88 may be an audible alert such as a bell, chime, buzzer, voice, or other sound or noise. The binary indicator 80 indicates when a surface treatment 14, such as a given surface treatment 14a, on a sub-area or one or more surfaces 12 is complete and it is OK to proceed to treating the next sub-area or surface 12, and indicates when the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C ) and / or is adjacent to, facing towards, or approaching one or more avoidance zones 332.

[0059] Instead of or in addition to the binary indicator 80, the portable wand system 10 may include a video display 98 connected to the wand applicator 18, and may include, for example, a video progress display 98a. In one form, the video display 98 is connected to the wand applicator 18 by a wired or wireless connection, for example, via a connecting element 100 (see FIG. 1A ), such as an interconnecting cable. In another form, the video display 98 is mounted on the wand applicator 18. The video display 98 may include, for example, a handheld tablet computer connected to the wand applicator 18 via the connecting element 100, a screen display mounted on the wand applicator 18, or other suitable video display device. The visual display 98 is visible to the user 52 or operator 54 and displays one or more portions 102 (see FIG. 1A) of the surface 12 on which the surface treatment is to be performed, and one or more of an illuminated progress bar 106 (see FIG. 1A) or a color coded signal 104 (see FIG. 1A) constituting a map to indicate a complete coverage portion 102a (see FIG. 1A) of the portion 102 that has been treated.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 1A, the portable wand system 10 further includes a power entity 108 connected to the wand control subsystem 30. As shown in FIG. 1A, the power entity 108 includes an energy storage device 110 connected to a power connector 112. As shown in FIG. 1A, the energy storage device 110 includes one or more batteries 110a or other suitable energy storage devices. The power connector 112 includes a wired connector 114 (see FIG. 1A), such as, for example, an interconnecting power cable 114a (see FIG. 1A), a power cord 114b (see FIG. 1A), a high-voltage cable 114c (see FIG. 1A), an LED (light-emitting diode) wiring 114d (see FIG. 1A), or other suitable wired connector. The power connector 112 further includes a wireless connector 116 (see FIG. 1A).

[0061] 1A, power entity 108 further includes a power source 117, such as a surface treatment element (STAE) power source 118, including, for example, a UV lamp element power source 120, or other suitable power source for surface treatment element 16. Power source 117 provides power 121 (see FIG. 1A) to surface treatment element 16, such as wand applicator 18 or UV lamp element 26 in portable wand system 10.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 1C , the selector body 24 in a portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11 and the trained portable wand system 11a, may take one of a variety of forms. The various forms of the selector body 24 are preferably operatively connected to and activated by a manual selection button 25. As described above, the manual selection button 25 is activated by a user 52 or operator 54 with a single press or multiple successive presses depending on the desired function. The manual selection button 25 is designed to select a home position 336 and a selection mode 338. In the selection mode 338, a number of mode options 340 (see FIG. 1C ), such as a learning mode option 342 or a processing mode option 344, may be selected corresponding to the function to be performed by the portable wand system 10. The user 52 or operator 54 can use the manual selection button 25 to select any option from a plurality of zone options 346 including an application zone option 346a and an avoidance zone option 346b.

[0063] 1C, selector assembly 24 includes a barcode assembly 348 that is connected to and activated by a manual selection button 25 connected to wand applicator 18. As shown in FIG. 1C, barcode assembly 348 includes, for example, a barcode camera 350 or barcode reader connected to wand applicator 18 at head 22 of wand applicator 18. Manual selection button 25 is activated by a suitable sequence or pattern of depressions, such as double depressions, by user 52 or operator 54 double-depressing manual selection button 25 or double-depressing manual selection button 25 in the form of trigger handle 284 (see FIG. 6A).

[0064] As shown in FIG. 1C, the barcode body 348 further includes decoder electronics 352. The decoder electronics 352 is connected to the wand applicator 18, for example, at the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18 or at the barcode camera 350 itself. The barcode camera 350 is designed to read and does read one or more barcodes 354 (see FIG. 1C) disposed in one or more application zones 314 and one or more avoidance zones 332. The barcode body 348 selects one or more selected application zones 314a and one or more selected avoidance zones 332a in the learn mode 300, and selects the selected application zones 314a and the selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C) corresponding to the selected application zones 314a in the process mode 302.

[0065] In one embodiment, the barcode camera 350 or barcode reader includes a two-dimensional image capture scanner 350a (see FIG. 1C) that decodes a barcode 354 using camera and decoder electronics 352. The barcode camera 350 is designed to read and performs scanning of a barcode 354, such as a two-dimensional barcode 354a (see FIG. 1C), e.g., a QR (Quick Response) code 354b (see FIG. 1C), or other suitable barcode. The QR code 354b is a code consisting of a black square within a square frame on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device such as the barcode camera 350 and decoded and analyzed using image processing. The required data is extracted from the patterns of both the vertical and horizontal components of the image.

[0066] In one embodiment, the barcode camera 350 is designed to read or read a barcode 354, such as, for example, a two-dimensional barcode 354a printed on a surface 356 (see FIG. 1c) of work instructions 358 (see FIG. 1C) for the surface treatment 14 to be performed in each section 308. In another embodiment, the barcode camera 350 is designed to read or read a barcode 354, such as, for example, a two-dimensional barcode 354a printed on an adjacent surface 360 ​​(see FIG. 1C) adjacent to one or more surfaces 12 on which the surface treatment 14 is to be performed. The two-dimensional barcode 354a may be printed or affixed directly to the adjacent surface 360, or may be printed or affixed indirectly, for example, on a label, decal, or sticker affixed to the adjacent surface 360. Barcode 354 is a machine-readable optical image or label that contains information about the item to which it is attached, such as selected application zone 314a and corresponding desired path 310, selected avoidance zone 332a and corresponding avoidance zone path 312, etc.

[0067] Barcode camera 350 is designed to and does read barcode 354. Decoder electronics 352 is configured to decode the information contained in barcode 354 and send the data to a computing device such as CPU 60. Decoder electronics 352 includes a decoder circuit that analyzes barcode image data acquired by barcode camera 350 or a barcode reader or sensor and sends the contents of the barcode to a computing device such as CPU 60. A memory unit 66 connected to CPU 60 of wand control subsystem 30 can store multiple desired paths 310 and avoidance zone paths 312, and these paths can be selected from the memory unit. For example, barcodes 354, such as QR codes 354b, located in application zones 314 and avoidance zones 332 or printed on work instructions 358, can be read by operator 54 or user 52 using a barcode camera 350 or barcode reader on wand applicator 18, or scanned using a separate mobile device 362 (see FIG. 1C ) in communication with portable wand system 10. This allows operator 54 or user 52 to recall desired or preferred routes 310 corresponding to zones 308, such as selected application zone 314a or selected avoidance zone 332a. Barcode entity 348, including barcode camera 350 and decoder electronics 352 operatively connected to CPU 60, can select zones 308, such as application zone 314, where a surface treatment, such as disinfection, should be performed, and select zones 308, such as avoidance zone 332, where a surface treatment should not be performed.

[0068] In another embodiment, the barcode camera 350 or barcode reader includes an optical scanner 364 (see FIG. 1C ), which includes a light source, a lens, and a light sensor that converts light pulses into an electrical signal. The optical scanner 364 is designed to and reads a barcode 354, such as a barcode located in one or more of the application zones 314, a barcode located in one or more of the avoidance zones 332, a barcode printed on a paper surface 356 of a work instruction 358, or a barcode printed on an adjacent surface 360 ​​adjacent to one or more surfaces 12 on which the surface treatment 14 is to be performed. The optical scanner 364 decodes the data contained in the barcode 354 using decoder electronics 352 and transmits the data to a computing device such as the CPU 60.

[0069] 1C, selector body 24 includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) body 366 that is connected to and activated by a manual selection button 25 that is connected to wand applicator 18. As shown in FIG. 1C, RFID body 366 includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader 368 that is connected to wand applicator 18, for example, at head 22 of wand applicator 18. Manual selection button 25 is activated by a suitable sequence or pattern of depressions, such as double depressions, by user 52 or operator 54 double-depressing manual selection button 25 or double-depressing manual selection button 25 in the form of a trigger handle 284 (see FIG. 6A).

[0070] 1C , RFID body 366 further includes radio frequency identification (RFID) electronics 370 and radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 372. RFID electronics 370 is connected to wand applicator 18, for example, at handle portion 20 of wand applicator 18. RFID reader 368 is designed to read and does read one or more of RFID tags 372 located in one or more application zones 314 and one or more avoidance zones 332. RFID reader 368 and RFID electronics 370 are operatively connected to CPU 60 of wand control subsystem 30 and can be used in conjunction with RFID tag 372 to identify zones 308, such as one or more application zones 314, where a surface treatment, such as disinfection, should be performed, and to identify zones 308, such as one or more avoidance zones 332, where a surface treatment should not be performed.

[0071] In the learning mode 300, the RFID reader 368 reads RFID tags 372 located in various zones 308, such as the application zone 314 and the avoidance zone 332. The RFID reader 368 also detects each zone 308 via the RFID tag 372 located therein. The RFID tags 372 are useful for the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 (see FIG. 1A) to determine the position 50 (see FIG. 1A) of the wand applicator 18 and to prevent deviations from the position 50 of the wand applicator 18. In the processing mode 302, the RFID reader 368 may have already mapped, recorded, and stored the avoidance zone 332 in the memory unit 66. In this case, even without scanning the avoidance section 332, the wand applicator 18 can be operated to stop or reduce the power 121 (see FIG. 1A) of the wand applicator 18, specifically the power 121 of the surface treatment element 16 or the UV lamp element 26, when the wand applicator 18 accidentally enters or approaches the avoidance section 332 or is pointed in the direction of the avoidance section 332.

[0072] The RFID reader 368 and RFID electronics 370 can use electromagnetic fields and weak radio waves to identify and track RFID tags 372 attached to or embedded in objects or surfaces within the zones 308, such as the application zone 314 and the avoidance zone 332. When triggered by an electromagnetic pulse or radio waves from the RFID reader 368, the RFID tag 372 transmits digital data, such as an identifier 373 (see FIG. 1C ), to the RFID reader 368. The identifier 373 is used to identify and select the desired zone 308a, such as the selected application zone 314a or the selected avoidance zone 332a. The RFID tag 372 is an electronic tag, label, sticker, or the like that transmits data via radio waves to the RFID reader 368. The RFID tag 372 contains an antenna and receives and responds to radio frequency requests from the RFID reader 368 as a transmitter. The RFID tag 372 is uniquely identified by a wireless infrastructure using Wi-Fi. The RFID tag 372 is preferably a passive RFID tag 372a (see FIG. 1C) that is powered by the energy of a response command signal from the RFID reader 368 and is activated by the RFID reader 368 located nearby, rather than an active RFID tag that requires a built-in power source such as a small battery.

[0073] 1C, the selector body 24 includes a manual selector body 374 that includes a manual selection device 376 connected to the wand applicator 18 and a reference list 378 that is pre-programmed with identifiers 373, such as identification numbers, corresponding to a plurality of application zones 314 and avoidance zones 332. The manual selection device 376 can be activated or enabled by the manual selection button 25.

[0074] In one form, the manual selection device 376 includes a selection element 380 (see FIG. 1C ). Examples of selection elements include buttons 380 a (see FIG. 1C ) on the wand applicator 18 that are manually pressed by the operator 54 or user 52, a touchscreen 380 b on the wand applicator 18 that is used to input the identifier 373 (see FIG. 1C ) by touching it with the operator 54 or user 52, or any other suitable selection element 380 on the wand applicator 18, particularly on the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18. The buttons 380 a or touchscreen 380 b may include, for example, up / down arrow buttons or a scroll bar, or any other suitable selection mechanism for selecting the identifier 373 from the predefined list 378. The identifier 373 may include a numeric input such as an identification number or serial number, an alphanumeric input, a character input such as a name, code name, or descriptor, or any other suitable identifier for identifying the plurality of application sections 314 and sections 308, such as the avoidance section 332, and / or the desired path 310 and the avoidance section path 312. The selection element 380 is preferably used by the user 52 or operator 54 to identify and select from a preprogrammed list 378 an identifier 373 corresponding to the desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a, and to recall from the memory unit 66 a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or a selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0075] In another embodiment, the manual selection device 376 includes a keypad 382 (see FIG. 1C ). The keypad 382 is connected to the wand applicator 18 by wire or wireless connection. The user 52 or operator 54 can type or enter information, such as an identifier 373 included in a preprogrammed list 378, into the keypad 382 to identify and select an identifier 373 associated with or corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a. Additionally, the selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or the selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with one or more selected avoidance sections 332a can be recalled from the memory unit 66.

[0076] In yet another embodiment, the manual selection device 376 is a suitable separate mobile device 362, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or the like, having an application 384 (see FIG. 1C ) that communicates with the portable wand system 10 via a suitable wireless connection, e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or the like, or a wired connection. The user 52 or operator 54 can identify and select an identifier 373 associated with or corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a, by typing or inputting information, such as the identifier 373, contained in a preprogrammed list 378 into the separate mobile device 362. The user 52 or operator 54 can also recall from the memory unit 66 a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or a selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0077] 1C, after the portable wand system 10 has been trained in the learning mode 300 as a trainable portable wand system 11, the portable wand system 10 is used in the processing mode 302 as a trained portable wand system 11a. Prior to transitioning to the processing mode 302, the operator 54 or user 52 preferably uses the manual selection button 25 to select the processing mode option 344 (see FIG. 1C) to activate the portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, in the processing mode 302. Furthermore, before transitioning to the processing mode 302, or after transitioning to the processing mode 302 and before activating the wand applicator 18 in the processing mode 302, the user 52 or operator 54 preferably uses a selector body 24, such as a barcode body 348, an RFID body 366, or a manual selector body 374, to select a selected application area 314a having one or more surfaces 12 on which a surface treatment, such as disinfection, is to be performed, and then selects a desired path 310 corresponding to the selected application area 314a from the paths recorded and stored in the first learning mode 300a.

[0078] Additionally, prior to transitioning to the processing mode 302, or after transitioning to the processing mode 302 and prior to activating the wand applicator 18 in the processing mode 302, the operator 54 or user 52 preferably uses a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, to identify a starting position 167 (see FIG. 4A) on one of the surfaces 12 to be treated included in the selected application section 314a using a registration feature 130 (see FIGS. 1A, 4A). The registration feature 130 is a feature for aligning the wand applicator 18 with a known position 132 (see FIGS. 1A, 4A) included in the selected application section 314a. The portable wand system 10 preferably has the capability to identify one or more alignment features 130 (see Figures 1A, 4A) for aligning the wand applicator 18 to one or more known positions 132 (see Figures 1A, 4A) and / or known orientations 134 (see Figure 1A) on one or more surfaces 12.

[0079] In the processing mode 302, the user 52 or operator 54 manually moves the wand applicator 18 along a working path 386 (see FIG. 1C ) that matches or substantially matches the desired path 310 within the selected application zone 314a based on the desired path 310, with the surface treatment element 16, such as the UV lamp element 26, activated. A portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a used in the processing mode 302 after the learning mode 300, measures the movement of the wand applicator 18 in real time as the user 52 or operator 54 manually positions, orients, or otherwise moves the wand applicator 18 along the working path 386 that matches or substantially matches the desired path 310 within the application zone 314 based on the desired path 310.

[0080] For that selected application zone 314a, a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, uses a computer program 32, such as an algorithm 32a, to compare the working path 386 with the desired path 310. The computer program 32, such as an algorithm 32a, alerts the user 52 or operator 54 when the working path 386 deviates from the desired path 310, resulting in a deviation 387 (see FIG. 1C), and alerts the user 52 or operator 54 when the wand applicator 18 is approaching and pointed toward the avoidance zone 332. This allows adjustments to be made to the movement 388 (see FIG. 1C) of the wand applicator 18 and to the power 121 to the wand applicator 18. In processing mode 302, when user 52 or operator 54 operates or moves 388 (see FIG. 1C ) the wand applicator 18 of a portable wand system 10, such as trained portable wand system 11a, the resulting working path 386 is compared with the desired path 310 recorded and stored in memory unit 66. This determines whether any or all of working path 386 significantly deviates from desired path 310, and if there is a deviation 387, the location of the deviation is identified and the corresponding area, such as surface 12 or section 308, is notified to user 52 or operator 54, thereby identifying the area, such as surface 12 or section 308, where the surface treatment 14 needs to be redone.

[0081] When the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and directed toward the avoidance zones 332, the computer program 32, such as the algorithm 32a, provides a feedback signal 390 (see FIG. 1C ) to the power supply 117 of the power body 108, causing the power body 108 to reduce or stop the power 121 to the wand applicator 18, for example, to a surface treatment element 16, such as a UV lamp element 26, included in the wand applicator 18. The computer program 32, such as the algorithm 32a, further triggers the indicator element 78 when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and directed toward one or more avoidance zones 332, causing the indicator element 78 to notify the user 52 or operator 54 that the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C ). As shown in FIG. 1A and described above, indicator element 78 is a binary indicator 80 that includes one of a light signal 82 associated with wand applicator 18, a surface treatment element light flashing alert 84, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, and a pressure change alert 96.

[0082] A portable wand system 10, such as trained portable wand system 11a, uses indicator element 78 to warn or notify user 52 or operator 54 when wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392, such as being located at or pointed at an avoidance zone 332, such as a cockpit window 334 (see FIGS. 1C, 4B). Additionally, any surface or area not located on desired path 310 can be designated as an avoidance zone 332.

[0083] The portable wand system 10 automatically adjusts the power output 394 according to conditions. For example, when the wand applicator 18 is positioned on the surface 12 to be treated within the selected application zone 314a, the wand applicator 18 is supplied with full power 121 (see FIG. 1A) from the power supply 117 (see FIG. 1A). However, if the wand applicator 18 deviates from its course or enters or approaches one or more of the avoidance zones 332, the power 121 supplied to the wand applicator 18 from the power supply 117, and specifically the power supplied to the surface treatment elements 16, such as the UV lamp elements 26, of the wand applicator 18, is automatically reduced or stopped. In this manner, the portable wand system 10 adjusts the output power 394 of the wand applicator 18, specifically the output power of the surface treatment element 16, such as the UV lamp element 26, when the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 and when it is pointed toward a zone 308 designated as an avoidance zone 332 where no surface treatment will be performed. The portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, verifies that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed on one or more surfaces 12 included in one or more selected application zones 314a.

[0084] The portable wand system also optionally includes a computer recording system 136 (see FIGS. 1A, 3A-3B) connected to the wand control subsystem 30. The computer recording system 136 is configured to analyze the position data 58 of the wand applicator 18 and communicate to the indicator element 78 the status 15 of the application of a surface treatment 14, such as a predetermined surface treatment 14a (see FIG. 1B) or a desired surface treatment 14b (see FIG. 1B), on one or more surfaces 12.

[0085] 1A, computer recording system 136 includes a computer 138 connected to router device 140 and wireless access point 142 via internet connection 144. Wireless network interface 70 of wand control subsystem 30 connects to or communicates with wireless access point 142 of computer recording system 136. CPU 60 converts the stream of data 68 recorded in learn mode 300 into position data 58, including desired path 310 and avoidance zone path 312, stored in memory portion 66, and wirelessly transmits this position data to computer recording system 136. Computer recording system 136 verifies the location of wand applicator 18, calculates position 50 of wand applicator 18, and provides feedback on areas of surface 12 where surface treatment by surface treatment element 16 has not yet been completed and treatment needs to be performed. The computerized recording system 136 also provides a central recording function 242 (see Figures 3A-3B) that records and keeps a history of the coverage of one or more surfaces 12 that have had the surface treatment 14 applied to their entire surfaces, as described below.

[0086] The portable wand system 10 measures real-time position data 58 of the wand applicator 18, and a computer program 32, such as an algorithm 32a, compares the work path 386 to the desired path 310 and indicates to the user 52 or operator 54 whether there is a deviation 387 of the work path 386 from the desired path 310. The portable wand system 10 also indicates that a desired surface treatment 14b (see FIG. 1B) has been performed on one or more surfaces 12, and the extent to which the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed. The portable wand system 10 also verifies and certifies that the desired surface treatment 14b or predetermined surface treatment 14a has been sufficiently, properly, and completely performed. As used herein, "desired" or "predetermined" refers to the intended or appropriate amount of work required to sufficiently and efficiently perform a surface treatment to cover the entire surface of one or more surfaces.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 1A, the portable wand system 10 can be transported or carried by a user 52 or operator 54 and can be stored in a system case 122, a system backpack 124, a system roller bag 126, a system shoulder case 128, or any other suitable carrying case, carrier, or bag.

[0088] Reference is now made to Figure 1B, which illustrates examples of surfaces 12, surface treatments 14, and surface treatment elements (STAEs) 16 that may be used with portable wand systems 10 (see Figure 1A) of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, including trainable portable wand system 11 (see Figure 1C) and trained portable wand system 11a (see Figure 1C).

[0089] As shown in FIG. 1B , the one or more surfaces 12 to be treated preferably include one or more interior surfaces 12 a in the interior 146 of one of an aircraft 148, a spacecraft 150, an automobile 152, a ship 154, a train 156, a hospital 158, a factory building 160, an office building 162, a movie theater 164, a restaurant 166, or other suitable interior surfaces.

[0090] 1B, the surface treatment 14, such as predetermined surface treatment 14a or desired surface treatment 14b, may include a disinfection treatment 168, an ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection treatment 170 for ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection 172, a decontamination treatment 174, a disinfection treatment 176, a sterilization treatment 178, a hardening treatment 180, a shot peening treatment 182, a chemical contaminant detection treatment 184, a biological contaminant detection treatment 186, a non-destructive testing process 188, an eddy current testing 190, a painting treatment 192, an abrasive media blasting operation 194, a sandblasting treatment 194a, a surface preheating treatment 196, a torch welding treatment 198, or other suitable surface treatment. The surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1B) is preferably a predetermined surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1B) having a predetermined workload and coverage.

[0091] The UV light disinfection 172 is preferably a predetermined ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection 172a (see FIG. 1B) or a desired ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection 172b (see FIG. 1B) having a predetermined workload and coverage. For the predetermined UV light disinfection 172a or desired UV light disinfection 172b, the irradiance of the UV light 28 is preferably at a treatment level ranging from 2 millijoules per square centimeter to 100 millijoules per square centimeter. For the predetermined UV light disinfection 172, the speed at which the wand applicator 18 is moved across the surface 12 during disinfection or other surface treatment is preferably in the range of 1 inch per second to 10 inches per second. For the predetermined UV light disinfection 172, the distance from the wand applicator 18 held by the user 52 to the surface 12 being treated is preferably in the range of 1 inch to 6 inches.

[0092] As further shown in FIG. 1B , the surface treatment element 16 includes one of an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26, a gaseous dispersal element 200, an aerosolized element 202, a disinfectant liquid 204, a disinfectant gas 206, a germicidal liquid 208, a germicidal gas 210, a sterilizing liquid 212, a sterilizing gas 214, a cleaning liquid 216, a hardening element 218, a shot peening element 220, a contaminant detection element 222, a paint 224, an abrasive media blasting element 226, a sandblasting element 226a, a surface preheating element 228, and a torch welding element 230.

[0093] Reference is now made to Figures 2A-2B. Figure 2A is a perspective view of a form of portable wand system 10 of the present disclosure, such as portable wand system 10a, exemplified by trainable portable wand system 11, that includes a binary indicator 80 as one form of indicator element 78, an RFID reader 368, and an RFID electronics 370. Figure 2B is a perspective view of a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, exemplified by trainable portable wand system 11 shown in Figure 2A, that includes a visual display 98 as one form of indicator element 78, an RFID reader 368, and an RFID electronics 370.

[0094] As shown in FIGS. 2A-2B , a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, exemplifying trainable portable wand system 11, includes a wand applicator 18, e.g., a handheld wand applicator 18a, including a handle portion 20 and a head portion 22. Head portion 22 includes an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26 as the surface treatment element 16. UV lamp element 26 is preferably configured to emit UV light 28 (see FIG. 1A ) having a wavelength in the range of 200 nanometers to 280 nanometers and capable of disinfecting one or more surfaces 12. More preferably, UV lamp element 26 is a 222 nm (nanometer) ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26a (see FIG. 1A ) configured to emit UV light 28 having a wavelength of 222 nanometers.

[0095] As further shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, exemplified by trainable portable wand system 11, includes a manual selection button 25 located on the handle portion 20. In FIG. 2A, indicator element 78 is located on the handle portion 20 and includes a binary indicator 80 in the form of a light signal 82. However, binary indicator 80 may be other types of binary indicators, such as a surface treatment element (STAE) light flashing alert 84, such as an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element light flashing alert 84a, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, a pressure change alert 96, or one of other suitable binary indicators, as shown in FIG. 1A, to indicate that a predetermined UV light disinfection 172a (see FIG. 1B) of one or more surfaces 12 has been completed or that the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392.

[0096] 2B , indicator element 78 is connected to handle portion 20 via connection element 100, such as a connecting cable or power cord, and includes a visual display 98, such as a progress visual 98a, to indicate the progress of a surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1B), such as UV light disinfection 172 (see FIG. 1B), on one or more surfaces 12 (see FIG. 1B) to be disinfected, sanitized, sterilized, or another type of surface treatment. Visual display 98 is visible to user 52 and displays one or more of a portion 102 (see FIG. 1A) of one or more surfaces 12 to be disinfected and a color-coded signal 104 (see FIG. 1A) comprising an illuminated progress bar 106 (see FIG. 1A) to indicate full coverage portion 102a (see FIG. 1A) that has been treated, or to indicate that wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392.

[0097] As further shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, exemplified by trainable portable wand system 11, in one form includes a selector body 24 that includes an RFID body 366, which includes an RFID reader 368 located in the head portion 22 of the wand applicator 18 and RFID electronics 370 located in the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18.

[0098] In another alternative form, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, e.g., trainable portable wand system 11, includes a selector body 24 including a barcode body 348 (see FIG. 1C), as described above, which includes a barcode camera 350 (see FIG. 1C) located on the head portion 22 of the wand applicator 18, and decoder electronics 352 (see FIG. 1C) connected to the barcode camera 350 or located on the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18. In yet another alternative form, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, e.g., trainable portable wand system 11, includes a selector body 24, as described above, that includes a manual selector body 374 (see FIG. 1C), which includes a manual selection device 376 (see FIG. 1C) on or in communication with the wand applicator 18 or portable wand system 10. The manual selection device 376 is designed or configured to access a pre-programmed list 378 (see FIG. 1C) or other information with an identifier 373 (see FIG. 1C).

[0099] As further shown in Figures 2A-2B, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, exemplified by trainable portable wand system 11, includes a power entity 108 connected to, for example, a wand applicator 18. As shown in Figures 2A-2B, the power entity 108 includes an energy storage device 110, such as a battery 110a. As further shown in Figures 2A-2B, the energy storage device 110 is connected to the wand applicator 18 via a wired connector 114, such as an interconnecting power cable 114a.

[0100] As further shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10a, exemplified by trainable portable wand system 11, includes a wand control subsystem 30. In this form, the wand control subsystem 30 is integrated into the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18. In other forms, the wand control subsystem 30 may be separate from the wand applicator 18 and connected to the wand control subsystem via wires or wirelessly. For example, the wand control subsystem 30 may be a system case 122 (see FIG. 1A), a system backpack 124 (see FIG. 1A), a system wheeled bag 126 (see FIG. 1A), a system shoulder case 128 (see FIG. 1A), or other transport or carrying device used to transport and store the portable wand system 10.

[0101] The wand control subsystem 30 includes a computer program 32 (see FIG. 1A), such as an algorithm 32a (see FIG. 1A). In one embodiment, the wand control subsystem 30 includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42, such as a six-degree-of-freedom inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42a, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B. Instead of the IMU 42, the wand control subsystem 30 may include one or more of a fixed-position extensometer 72, a rotational position sensor 74, and / or an external photogrammetric sensor 76, either separately or in combination. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 includes an integrated circuit 42b (see FIGS. 2A-2B), such as a chip mounted on a circuit board 44, and an accelerometer 46 (see FIGS. 2A-2B). As mentioned above, wand control subsystem 30 further includes a central processing unit (CPU) 60 (see FIG. 1A) connected to IMU 42, an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element power feedback section 64 to CPU 60, and a memory section 66 connected to CPU 60. Wand control subsystem 30 further includes a wireless network interface 70 connected to CPU 60.

[0102] As further shown in Figures 2A-2B, the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 measures the acceleration 48 (see Figure 1A) and position 50 (see Figure 1A) of the wand applicator 18 using an x-y-z coordinate system 232. Figures 2A-2B show an x-axis 234, along with x-axis acceleration 234a and x-axis rotation 234b. Figures 2A-2B show a y-axis 236, along with y-axis acceleration 236a and y-axis rotation 236b. Figures 2A-2B show a z-axis 238, along with z-axis acceleration 238a and z-axis rotation 238b.

[0103] Reference is now made to Figures 3A-3B. Figure 3A illustrates a system flow diagram 240a for a portable wand system 10b, such as a trained portable wand system 11a, having a surface treatment component 16 and a computer recording system 136, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3B illustrates a system flow diagram 240b for a portable wand system 10b, such as a trained portable wand system 11a, having an ultraviolet (UV) lamp component 26 and a computer recording system 136.

[0104] As shown in Figures 3A-3B, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10b, exemplified by trained portable wand system 11a, includes a wand applicator 18 having a manual selection button 25, a wand control subsystem 30, an energy storage device 110, an indicator element 78, and an optional computer recording system 136. As shown in Figures 3A-3B, the manual selection button 25 and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 are connected to a CPU 60 of the wand control subsystem 30 by one-way communication. The IMU 42 measures the acceleration 48 (see Figure 1A) and position 50 (see Figure 1A) of the wand applicator 18 and transmits this data 68 (see Figure 1A) to the CPU 60.

[0105] As further shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, the memory unit 66 and the wireless network interface 70 are bidirectionally connected to the CPU 60. The memory unit 66 stores data 68 (see FIG. 1A) including segments 308, such as application segments 314 (see FIG. 1C) and avoidance segments 332 (see FIG. 1C). The segment data also includes a desired path 310 recorded in a learning mode 300 (see FIG. 1C), such as a first learning mode 300a (see FIG. 1C), and an avoidance segment path 312 recorded in a learning mode 300, such as a second learning mode 300b (see FIG. 1C). The CPU 60 can store the data 68 (see FIG. 1A) in the memory unit 66 and can read the data 68 from the memory unit 66. The CPU 60 can send signals to and receive signals from the wireless network interface 70.

[0106] As further shown in Figures 3A-3B, the CPU 60 sends data 68 to an indicator element 78, such as a binary indicator 80 or a visual display 98. As further shown in Figures 3A-3B, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10b, exemplified by trainable portable wand system 11, includes a selector body 24 connected to the CPU 60 by one-way communication. As shown in Figures 3A-3B, the selector body 24 includes one of a barcode body 348, an RFID body 366, and a manual selector body 374.

[0107] As shown in Figure 3A, the energy storage device 110 provides energy to the surface treatment element (STAE) power supply 118, which in turn provides energy to the surface treatment element (STAE) power feedback 62 to the CPU 60. As further shown in Figure 3A, the surface treatment element (STAE) power supply 118 provides power to the surface treatment element (STAE) 16, which in turn provides feedback to the STAE power feedback 62 to the CPU 60. The STAE power feedback 62 determines the output 394 (see Figure 1C) and duration of the surface treatment element (STAE) 16 and sends that data 68 to the CPU 60. Figure 3A also shows a feedback signal 390 sent from the CPU 60 to the STAE power supply 118. This feedback signal 390 is provided from a computer program 32, such as an algorithm 32a in the CPU 60, to the STAE power supply 118 when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at one or more avoidance zones 332, causing the power entity 108 (see FIG. 1A) to reduce or stop power 121 (see FIG. 1A) to the wand applicator 18 (see FIG. 1A), for example, power 121 to the surface treatment element 16 of the wand applicator 18. The computer program 32, such as an algorithm 32a in the CPU 60, is further operable to trigger an indicator element 78 to warn or notify the user 52 or operator 54 that the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C) when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at the avoidance zones 332.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 3B, the energy storage device 110 provides energy to the UV lamp element power supply 120 and to the UV lamp element power feedback 64 to CPU 60. As further shown in FIG. 3B, the UV lamp element power supply 120 provides power to a housing 278 that contains the UV lamp element 26 and an ultraviolet (UV) lamp sensor 295. The UV lamp sensor 295 is a light sensor, such as an ultraviolet (UV) fluence sensor. The UV fluence sensor is a photodiode device that measures ultraviolet (UV) light output in real time and provides the measurement as feedback to the UV lamp element power feedback 64 to CPU 60. The UV lamp element power feedback 64 determines the UV light output and duration of the UV lamp element 26 and sends this data 68 to the CPU 60.

[0109] 3B also shows a feedback signal 390 sent from CPU 60 to UV lamp element power supply 120. This feedback signal 390 is provided to UV lamp element power supply 120 from a computer program 32, such as algorithm 32a in CPU 60, when wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at avoidance zone 332, causing power body 108 (see FIG. 1A) to reduce or stop power 121 (see FIG. 1A) to wand applicator 18 (see FIG. 1A), for example, power 121 to UV lamp element 26 of wand applicator 18. Computer program 32, such as algorithm 32a, further triggers indicator element 78 to warn or notify user 52 or operator 54 that wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C) when wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at avoidance zone 332. As shown in FIG. 1A , the indicator element 78 is a binary indicator 80 that includes one of a light signal 82 associated with the wand applicator 18, a surface treatment element light flashing alert 84, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, and a pressure change alert 96.

[0110] As further shown in Figures 3A-3B, a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10b, may be wirelessly connected to a computer recording system 136, which may optionally provide a central recording function 242. The central recording function 242 (see Figures 3A-3B) is a function provided by the computer recording system 136 to record and maintain a history of the coverage of the surface treatment 14 that has been applied to one or more surfaces 12.

[0111] The computer recording system 136 includes a computer 138 (see FIGS. 3A-3B). The CPU 60 converts the stream of data 68 (see FIG. 1A) and wirelessly transmits the positions 50 (see FIG. 1A) to the computer recording system 136. The computer recording system 136 verifies and calculates the positions to provide feedback on the surface 12, objects, and / or areas where surface treatment is not complete and treatment needs to be performed.

[0112] Computer 138 is wirelessly connected to router device 140 (see FIGS. 3A-3B) via Internet connection 144 (see FIGS. 3A-3B). As shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, router device 140 is connected to wireless access point 142. As shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, wireless network interface 70 is wirelessly connected to wireless access point 142 of central recording function 242 via wireless connection 244.

[0113] Reference is now made to Figure 4A, which is a front perspective view of the interior 146 of a cabin 246 of an aircraft 148, showing a cabin seat 248 and an alignment feature 130. In an exemplary embodiment, the alignment feature 130 includes an armrest 250 of the cabin seat 248. The alignment feature 130 is a known location 132 within the area where a surface treatment 14, such as a desired surface treatment 14b, is to be applied.

[0114] Low-cost accelerometers 46 tend to produce jittery measurements, limiting the allowable operating time to prevent excessive error. Therefore, to utilize an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 equipped with such an accelerometer, the wand applicator 18 is periodically “aligned” (i.e., temporarily positioned in a known orientation and position) with respect to a known location 132 or data, such as the armrest 250 of the next passenger cabin seat 248 in the operating sequence. For example, in FIG. 4A , the armrest 250a of the front row is the starting location 167 and known location 132 for the wand applicator 18, and the armrest 250a of the back row is the next known location 132a. The user 52 or operator 54 positions the wand applicator 18 at the armrest 250a of the back row, which is the next known location 132a, and then briefly presses the manual selection button 25 (see FIGS. 2A-2B ) on the wand applicator 18. This signals the portable wand system 10 to begin surface treatment 14, such as UV light disinfection 172 (see FIG. 1B), for the next compartment, and then begins work at the next known location 132a, allowing sufficient time to treat one or more surfaces 12 in that sub-area before aligning with the next alignment feature 130.

[0115] Figure 4A further illustrates an application area 314, such as a passenger cabin seat 248, having a surface 12 on which a surface treatment 14 (see Figure 1A) is to be performed by a surface treatment element 16 (see Figure 1A) of the portable wand system 10 (see Figures 1A, 1C). Figure 4A also illustrates an avoidance area 332 (shaded area in Figure 4A), such as a passenger cabin window 335, on which the portable wand system 10 should avoid performing the surface treatment 14.

[0116] Reference is now made to FIG. 4B , which is a rear perspective view of the interior 146 of the cockpit 315 of the aircraft 148, illustrating an example of an application zone 314 and an avoidance zone 332 bearing RFID tags 372, such as passive RFID tag 372a. FIG. 4B illustrates application zone 314, which is an area of ​​the cockpit 315 where surface treatment, e.g., disinfection, should be performed using the portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A and 1C ). The application zone 314 shown in FIG. 4B includes the cockpit control area 316, the cockpit seating 318, the cockpit panel area 320, the cockpit floor 322, and the cockpit ceiling 324. FIG. 4B also illustrates an avoidance zone 332 (the shaded portion of FIG. 4A ), which is an area of ​​the cockpit 315 where surface treatment using the portable wand system 10 should be avoided. The avoidance zone 332 shown in FIG. 4B includes a cockpit window 334. 4 shows both application zone 314 and avoidance zone 332, each of which is provided with an RFID tag 372 configured or designed to be read by RFID reader 368 (see FIG. 1C) and processed by RFID electronics 370 (see FIG. 1C). RFID tag 372 may be embedded in or positioned underneath surface 12 (see FIG. 1A) of application zone 314 and avoidance zone 332 so as to be invisible, or RFID tag 372 may be positioned so as to be visible on surface 12 of application zone 314 and avoidance zone 332. Barcodes 354 (see FIG. 1C) may be positioned in place of RFID tags 372 in application zone 314 and avoidance zone 332. The barcodes are, for example, affixed to the surface 12 of the application section 314 and the avoidance section 332, or embedded in or positioned underneath the surface 12 of the application section 314 and the avoidance section 332, and are configured to be read by a barcode camera 350 (see FIG. 1C) and decoded by decoder electronics 352 (see FIG. 1C).

[0117] Reference is now made to Figure 4C, which is a perspective view of the interior 146 of the cabin 246 of the aircraft 148 as seen from the rear, showing the application zone 314 and the avoidance zone 332. In one embodiment, RFID tags 372 (see Figure 4B) are embedded in the application zone 314 and the avoidance zone 332, and the application zone 314 and the avoidance zone 332 can be identified and selected by reading these RFID tags 372 with an RFID reader 368. In another embodiment, bar codes 354 (see Figure 1C) are embedded in the application zone 314 and the avoidance zone 332, and the application zone 314 and the avoidance zone 332 can be identified and selected by reading these bar codes 354 with a bar code camera 350. In yet another embodiment, the application section 314 and the avoidance section 332 can be identified and selected by a manual selector 374 (see FIG. 1C) by a manual selection device 376 (see FIG. 1C) accessing information such as a pre-programmed list 378 (see FIG. 1C) or identifier 373 (see FIG. 1C), as described above.

[0118] FIG. 4C further illustrates an application zone 314 within the cabin 246 where the portable wand system 10 should be used to perform a surface treatment 14, such as UV light disinfection 172 (see FIG. 1B ). The application zone 314 illustrated in FIG. 4C includes cabin seats 248, cabin floor 326, cabin ceiling 327, passenger service units 328, monitors 329, overhead bins 330, and cabin panel area 331. The passenger service units 328 are components located above the cabin seats 248 and may include a crew call interface, reading lights, climate control, passenger warning lights used during the flight, or other suitable components. FIG. 4C further illustrates an avoidance zone 332 within the cabin 246 where the portable wand system 10 should not be used to perform the surface treatment 14. The avoidance zone 332 illustrated in FIG. 4C (the shaded area in FIG. 4C ) includes cabin windows 335.

[0119] Reference is now made to FIGS. 5A-5E, which illustrate a portable wand system 10C according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, which is used with a system case 122, such as a system wheeled bag 126. FIG. 5A is a front perspective view of the portable wand system 10c, which is used with a system case 122, such as a system wheeled bag 126, and which includes a wand applicator 18 (FIG. 5B). The system case 122 shown in FIG. 5A is, for example, a system wheeled bag 126, and includes a hard shell case 252 with a latch 254, a telescoping handle 256, a top handle 258, a side handle 260, and roller wheels 262. In FIG. 5A, the system case 122, which is the system wheeled bag 126, is in a closed position 263. In this configuration, portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10c, further includes a hose 264, such as air hose 264a, attached to wand applicator 18 (see FIG. 5B). As shown in FIG. 5A, portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10c, further includes a hose retainer 266 for securing hose 264 to an exterior surface 268 of hard case 252. As shown in FIG. 5A, hose retainer 266 includes a fabric cover 270 connected to securing element 272, which may be buckle 272a or other suitable securing element.

[0120] FIG. 5B is a front, side perspective view of a portable wand system 10, such as the portable wand system 10c of FIG. 5A, showing a wand applicator 18 with a manual selection device 376 and a system case 122, such as a system wheeled bag 126, containing the wand applicator 18 and an energy storage device 110, such as a battery 110a. The system case 122, which is the system wheeled bag 126 in this figure, is in an open position 274. The wand applicator 18 includes a surface treatment element 16, such as a UV lamp element 26. As shown in FIG. 5B, the manual selection device 376 is connected to or incorporated into the wand applicator 18. The manual selection device 376 includes a touchscreen 380b (see FIG. 1C) for use by a user 52 or operator 54. Alternatively, the manual selection device 376 may include a set of buttons 380a that are pressed by the user 52 or operator 54. FIG. 5B shows a hose 264, such as air hose 264a, with a first end 276a attached to a housing 278 of the wand applicator 18 and a second end 276b attached to a fan 280, such as a cooling fan. The fan 280 cools the wand applicator 18, including the UV lamp element 26. The fan 280 also cools the energy storage device 110. In this version, the wand control subsystem 30 (see FIG. 1A) is located not in the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18, but rather in a separate location within the hard case 252 of the system wheeled bag 126. The system case 122, such as the system wheeled bag 126, has a cutout opening 282 (see FIG. 5B) that receives a portion of the hose 283 (see FIG. 5B) when the system case 122 is in a closed position 263 (see FIG. 5A), thereby allowing the wand applicator 18 to fit within the system case 122.

[0121] FIG. 5C is a front, side perspective view of a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10c of FIG. 5B, showing the system case 122 as a system wheeled bag 126 in the closed position 263. In this view, the wand applicator 18 with the manual selection device 376 has been removed from the system wheeled bag 126 and is ready for use by a user 52 (see FIG. 1A) or operator 54 (see FIG. 1A). As further shown in FIG. 5C, the manual selection device 376 is connected to or incorporated into the wand applicator 18. FIG. 5C also shows a power cord 114b (see FIG. 5C), which is configured to be plugged into a power outlet in the interior 146 (see FIG. 1B) of an aircraft 148 (see FIG. 1B) or other suitable vehicle or structure where a surface treatment 14 is to be performed by the portable wand system 10. During transport, power cord 114b is stored within system wheeled bag 126. Power cord 114b extends through a cutout opening 282 formed when system wheeled bag 126 is in closed position 263.

[0122] FIG. 5D is a close-up top view of a system case 122, such as the system wheeled bag 126 of FIG. 5A, showing a hose 264, such as air hose 264a, in a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10C. In this view, the system case 122, which is the system wheeled bag 126, is in the closed position 263. FIG. 5D shows a first end 276a of the hose 264 extending from a cutout opening 282. The hose 264 exits the system wheeled bag 126 when the system wheeled bag 126 is in the closed position 263 during transport. The cutout opening 282 allows the fan 280 (see FIG. 5B) to draw air during operation, even when the system wheeled bag 126 is in the closed position 263.

[0123] Figure 5E is a close-up front view of fan 280 of a portable wand system 10, such as portable wand system 10c of Figure 5B, when a system case 122, such as system wheeled bag 126, is in the open position 274. In Figure 5E, a second end 276b of a hose 264, such as air hose 264a, is attached to fan 280.

[0124] 6A-6B illustrate one embodiment of a wand applicator 18 for use with one or more embodiments of the portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B) of the present disclosure, such as a handheld wand applicator 18a. FIG. 6A illustrates a side perspective view of one embodiment of the wand applicator 18, such as handheld wand applicator 18a including a barcode camera 350 and decoder electronics 352, as held by a user 52. As shown in FIG. 6A, the user 52 is grasping the handle portion 20, which defines a trigger handle 284. In this embodiment, the manual selection button 25 includes a trigger portion 286 that can be triggered or activated by the user at any point along its length.

[0125] FIG. 6A also shows a barcode camera 350, such as a two-dimensional image capture scanner 350a or barcode reader, connected to or integrated with a wand applicator 18, such as handheld wand applicator 18a, and positioned near the second end 292b of the wand applicator 18. FIG. 6A also shows decoder electronics 352 located within the handle portion 20 of a wand applicator 18, such as handheld wand applicator 18a. The barcode camera 350 is designed to read a barcode 354 (see FIG. 1C), and the decoder electronics 352 is configured to decode data contained in the barcode 354 and transmit the data to a computing device, such as CPU 60. The decoder electronics 352 includes a decoder circuit that analyzes the image data of the barcode captured by the barcode camera 350 and transmits the contents of the barcode to the computing device, such as CPU 60.

[0126] Figure 6A further illustrates indicator element 78 as a binary indicator 80 connected to exterior portion 288 of housing 278. Figure 6A also illustrates a first end 276a of a hose 264, such as air hose 264a, inserted into a port opening 290 in a first end 292a of wand applicator 18. Figure 6A also illustrates a second end 292b of wand applicator 18. In this version, wand control subsystem 30 (see Figure 1A) is not located within handle portion 20 of wand applicator 18, but instead is located at a distance from wand applicator 18.

[0127] FIG. 6B is a bottom perspective view of a wand applicator 18, such as the handheld wand applicator 18a shown in FIG. 6B. FIG. 6B shows a housing 278 and first and second ends 292a, 292b of the wand applicator 18. FIG. 6B also shows a barcode camera 350, such as a two-dimensional image capture scanner 350a, connected to or incorporated into a wand applicator 18, such as the handheld wand applicator 18a, and positioned near the second end 292b of the wand applicator 18. FIG. 6B also shows a first end 276a of a hose 264, such as air hose 264a, extending from the first end 292a of the wand applicator 18. FIG. 6B also shows an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26, including an ultraviolet (UV) lamp bulb 294. FIG. 6B further shows an ultraviolet (UV) lamp sensor 295 mounted in the interior 296 of the housing 278 so as to be positioned in the emission path of the UV lamp bulb 294. The housing 278 houses the UV lamp bulb 294 and the UV lamp sensor 295. The UV lamp sensor 295 is a light sensor, such as an ultraviolet (UV) fluence sensor. The UV fluence sensor is a photodiode device that measures ultraviolet (UV) light output in real time. As shown in FIG. 6B, the UV lamp bulb 294 is mounted in the interior 296 of the housing 278 so as to be positioned between the first end 292a and the second end 292b. FIG. 6B also shows a reflector lining element 298 attached to the interior 296 of the housing 278 behind the UV lamp element 26 containing the UV lamp bulb 294.

[0128] Reference is now made to Figure 7, which is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method 400 of the present disclosure. The method 400 provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for informing and confirming to an operator 54 (see Figure 1A) or a user 52 (see Figure 1A) that a desired surface treatment 14b (see Figure 1C) has been performed on one or more surfaces 12 (see Figures 1A-1C).

[0129] Although the blocks in FIG. 7 represent processes and / or portions or elements of processes, the lines connecting these various blocks do not represent a particular order or dependency of the processes and / or portions or elements of processes. The description of the steps of method 400 in FIG. 7 and in this disclosure should not be construed as dictating the order in which these steps are performed. Rather, it should be construed that one example order is provided, and that the order in which these steps are performed can be changed as necessary. Thus, certain processes may be performed in a different order or simultaneously.

[0130] 7, method 400 includes step 402 of providing one form of portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, 5B), such as trainable portable wand system 11 (see FIGS. 1A, 1C). As noted above, in one form, portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, includes wand applicator 18 (see FIG. 1A) having surface treatment element 16.

[0131] Step 402 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 having a wand applicator 18, wherein the surface treatment element 16 includes one of an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26, a gas dispersion element 200, an aerosolization element 202, a disinfectant liquid 204, a disinfectant gas 206, a sterilizing liquid 208, a sterilizing gas 210, a sterilizing liquid 212, a sterilizing gas 214, a cleaning liquid 216, a hardening element 218, a shot peening element 220, a contaminant detection element 222, a paint 224, an abrasive blasting element 226, a sandblasting element 226a, a surface preheating element 228, and a torch welding element 230, as shown in FIG. 1B.

[0132] A portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, further includes a wand control subsystem 30 (see FIG. 1A) connected to wand applicator 18. Wand control subsystem 30 includes a computer program 32 (see FIG. 1A), such as algorithm 32a (see FIG. 1A), a memory unit 66 (see FIG. 1A), and a central processing unit (CPU) 60 (see FIG. 1A) connected to memory unit 66. In one form, wand control subsystem 30 further includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 (see FIG. 1A) connected to CPU 60, and in another form, further includes one or more of a fixed-position extensometer 72 (see FIG. 1A), a rotational position sensor 74 (see FIG. 1A), or an external photogrammetry sensor 76 (see FIG. 1A). Wand control subsystem 30 further includes a surface treatment element (STAE) power feedback unit 62 (see FIG. 1A) connected to CPU 60.

[0133] A portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, further includes a selector body 24 (see FIGS. 1A, 1C) operatively connected to and activated by a manual selection button 25 (see FIG. 1A). Step 402 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 having a selector body 24 including a barcode body 348 (see FIG. 1C). As described above, barcode body 348 includes a barcode camera 350 (see FIG. 1C) connected to wand applicator 18, decoder electronics 352 (see FIG. 1C) connected to wand applicator 18 or barcode camera 350, and one or more barcodes 354 (see FIG. 1C) disposed in one or more of the application zones 314 and one or more of the avoidance zones 332. Barcode camera 350 is designed to read and does read one or more barcodes 354 located in one or more application zones 314 and one or more avoidance zones 332 .

[0134] In one embodiment, the barcode camera 350 is designed to read and reads two-dimensional barcodes 345a (see FIG. 1C), such as QR (quick response) codes or matrix barcodes printed on a paper surface 356 (see FIG. 1c) of work instructions 358 (see FIG. 1C) for various surface treatments 14, or a QR code or matrix barcode printed on an adjacent surface 360 ​​(see FIG. 1C) adjacent to the surface 12 on which the surface treatment 14 is to be performed. The two-dimensional barcode 354a is printed or affixed directly to the adjacent surface 360, or indirectly, for example, on a label, decal, or sticker attached to the adjacent surface 360. In another embodiment, the barcode camera 350 or barcode reader includes an optical scanner 364 (see FIG. 1C).

[0135] Step 402 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 in which the selector body 24 has an RFID body 366 (see FIG. 1C ) operatively connected to and activated by a manual selection button 25 connected to the wand applicator 18. As described above, the RFID body 366 includes an RFID reader 368 (see FIG. 1C ) connected to the wand applicator 18, RFID electronics 370 (see FIG. 1C ) connected to the wand applicator 18, and one or more RFID tags 372 (see FIG. 1C ) located in one or more of the application zones 314 and one or more of the avoidance zones 332. The RFID reader 368 is designed to read and does read one or more of the RFID tags 372 located in the one or more application zones 314 and one or more avoidance zones 332. The manual select button 25 is activated by pressing it in a suitable sequence or pattern, such as double pressing, e.g., the user 52 or operator 54 double pressing the manual select button 25 or double pressing a manual select button 25 in the form of a trigger handle 284 (see FIG. 6A ). The RFID reader 368 and RFID electronics 370 are operatively connected to the CPU 60 of the wand control subsystem 30 and can be used in conjunction with the RFID tag 372 to identify zones 308, such as one or more application zones 314, where a surface treatment, such as disinfection, should be performed, and to identify zones 308, such as one or more avoidance zones 332, where a surface treatment should not be performed.

[0136] Step 402 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 having a selector body 24 that includes a manual selector body 374 (see FIG. 1C). The manual selector body 374 includes a manual selection device 376 (see FIG. 1C) connected to the wand applicator 18 and a reference list, which is a pre-programmed list 378 (see FIG. 1C) of identifiers 373, such as identification numbers, that correspond to a plurality of application zones 314 and avoidance zones 332. The manual selection device 376 may be activated or otherwise enabled by a manual selection button 25.

[0137] In one form, the manual selection device 376 includes a selection element 380 (see FIG. 1C), as described above, such as a group of buttons 380a (see FIG. 1C) provided on the wand applicator 18 that are manually pressed by the operator 54 or user 52, or a touch screen 380b provided on the wand applicator 18 that is used to input the identifier 373 (see FIG. 1C) by touch operation by the operator 54 or user 52, or any other suitable selection element 380 provided on the wand applicator 18, specifically on the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18. The selection element 380 is preferably used by the user 52 or operator 54 to identify and select from a preprogrammed list 378 an identifier 373 corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a, and to recall from the memory section 66 a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or a selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0138] In another aspect, the manual selection device 376 includes a keypad 382 (see FIG. 1C ), as described above. The keypad 382 is connected to the wand applicator 18 by wire or wireless connection. The user 52 or operator 54 can type or enter information, such as an identifier 373 included in the preprogrammed list 378, into the keypad 382 to identify and select an identifier 373 associated with or corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a, and can recall from the memory unit 66 a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or a selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0139] In yet another embodiment, the manual selection device 376 is a suitable separate mobile device 362, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or the like, having an application 384 (see FIG. 1C ) that communicates with a portable wand system 10, such as a wand applicator 18, via, for example, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other suitable wireless connection, as described above. The user 52 or operator 54 can type or input information, such as an identifier 373 included in a preprogrammed list 378, into the separate mobile device 362 to identify and select an identifier 373 associated with or corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as a selected application section 314a or a selected avoidance section 332a, and can recall from the memory unit 66 a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or a selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0140] A portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, further includes an indicator element 78. The indicator element 78 is a binary indicator 80 (see FIG. 1A ) that may include one of a light signal 82, a surface treatment element light flashing alert 84, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, a pressure change alert 96, or other suitable warning or alarm associated with the wand applicator 18, as shown in FIG. 1A . The indicator element 78 notifies the operator 54 or user 52 that the application of a surface treatment 14, such as a desired surface treatment 14b or a predetermined surface treatment 14a, to one or more surfaces 12 has been completed. Additionally, the indicator element 78 notifies the operator 54 or user 52 when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and directed toward an avoidance zone 332 and when the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392, as described below.

[0141] Portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, further includes a power entity 108 connected to wand applicator 18, specifically connected to wand control subsystem 30 included in wand applicator 18. Power entity 108 includes an energy storage device 110, such as a battery 110a (see FIG. 1A), connected to wand applicator 18 via a wired connector 114 (see FIG. 1A).

[0142] Step 402 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 including a computer recording system 136 (see FIG. 1A) connected to the wand control subsystem 30. The computer recording system 136 analyzes the position data 58 of the wand applicator 18 and communicates to the indicator element 78 the status 15 (see FIG. 1B) of the application of a surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1B), such as a predetermined surface treatment 14a (see FIG. 1B) or a desired surface treatment 14b (see FIG. 1C), to one or more surfaces 12. The computer recording system 136 includes a computer 138 (see FIG. 1A) for recording the application of a surface treatment 14, such as a predetermined surface treatment 14a or a desired surface treatment 14b, to one or more surfaces 12 and for verifying and certifying that the surface treatment 14, such as a predetermined surface treatment 14a or a desired surface treatment 14b, was properly applied to the one or more surfaces 12.

[0143] 7, the method 400 further includes a step 404 of training a portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, in a learning mode 300 (see FIG. 1C) to learn a plurality of paths 304 (see FIG. 1C). This step is performed by first having an operator 54 (see FIG. 1A) or user 52 (see FIG. 1A) manually move the wand applicator 18 along the plurality of paths 304, including a plurality of desired paths 310 (see FIG. 1C) within a plurality of application zones 314 (see FIG. 1C) that include one or more surfaces 12 on which the surface treatment 14 is to be performed, and then having the operator 54 (see FIG. 1A) or user 52 (see FIG. 1A) manually move the wand applicator 18 along the plurality of paths 304, including a plurality of avoidance zone paths 312 (see FIG. 1C) within or near a plurality of avoidance zones 332 where the surface treatment is not to be performed. After the trainable portable wand system 11 has been trained in learning mode 300, the trainable portable wand system 11 can be treated as and functions as a trained portable wand system 11a (see FIG. 1C).

[0144] Step 404 of training a portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, in learning mode 300 by manually moving the wand applicator 18 along multiple desired paths 310 (see FIG. 1C) within multiple application areas 314 (see FIG. 1C) including one or more surfaces 12 to be subjected to surface treatment may further include manually moving the wand applicator 18 along multiple desired paths 310 within multiple application areas 314 (see FIG. 1C) including one or more surfaces 12 in the interior 146 of any of an aircraft 148, spacecraft 150, automobile 152, ship 154, train 156, hospital 158, factory building 160, office building 162, movie theater 164, restaurant 166, or other suitable vehicle or structure, as shown in FIG. 1B, as the one or more surfaces 12.

[0145] Method 400 may further include, prior to step 404 of training a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, in learn mode 300, selecting learn mode option 342 (see FIG. 1C ) with manual selection button 25 to activate portable wand system 10, including wand applicator 18, in learn mode 300. In addition, application zone learn mode option 342a (see FIG. 1C ) may be selected with manual selection button 25 before manually moving wand applicator 18 along multiple desired paths 310 in multiple application zones 314. In addition, avoidance zone learn mode option 342b (see FIG. 1C ) may be selected with manual selection button 25 before manually moving wand applicator 18 along multiple avoidance zone paths 312 in, over, or near multiple avoidance zones 332.

[0146] 7, the method 400 further includes step 406 of recording and storing by the portable wand system 10 a plurality of desired paths 310 corresponding to a plurality of application zones 314, and a plurality of avoidance zone paths 312 corresponding to a plurality of avoidance zones 332. The CPU 60 records the plurality of paths 304 including the plurality of desired paths 310 and the avoidance zone paths 312 learned in the learn mode 300. The memory unit 66 of the wand control subsystem 30 stores the plurality of paths 304 including the plurality of desired paths 310 and the avoidance zone paths 312 learned in the learn mode 300.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 7, the method 400 further includes step 408 of selecting, by a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, specifically by the selector body 24, a selected application area 314a having one or more surfaces 12 to be subjected to surface treatment, and selecting a desired path 310 corresponding to the selected application area 314a.

[0148] 7, the method 400 further includes step 410 of operating a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, in a processing mode 302 (see FIG. 1C), where the operator 54 or user 52, with the surface treatment element 16 activated, manually moves the wand applicator 18 along a working path 386 (see FIG. 1C) that corresponds to or substantially corresponds to a desired path 310 (see FIG. 1C) within the selected application zone 314a. The working path 386 is determined in real time using position data 58 (see FIG. 1A) of the wand applicator 18.

[0149] Prior to step 410 of operating a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, in processing mode 302, method 400 may further include selecting processing mode option 344 (see FIG. 1C) with manual selection button 25 to activate the portable wand system 10 in processing mode 302.

[0150] The method 400 may further include, prior to step 408 of selecting the selected application zone 314a or prior to step 410 of operating the portable wand system 10 in the treatment mode 302, pressing the manual selection button 25 to identify a start position 167 (see FIG. 4A) on one of the surfaces 12 to be treated included in the selected application zone 314a using an alignment feature 130 (see FIG. 1A). The alignment feature 130 is a feature for aligning the wand applicator 18 to a known position 132 (see FIG. 1A) on one of the surfaces 12 included in the selected application zone 314a.

[0151] As shown in FIG. 7, the method 400 further includes a step 412 of performing a comparison by a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, specifically using a computer program 32 or algorithm 32a in the CPU 60 of the portable wand system 10, to compare the working path 386 with the desired path 310 to determine whether there is a deviation 387 (see FIG. 1C) between the working path 386 and the desired path 310.

[0152] As shown in FIG. 7, the method 400 further includes a step 414 of alerting the operator 54 or user 52 by the portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, when the working path 386 deviates from the desired path 310 and when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and directed toward one or more of the avoidance zones 332, thereby enabling adjustment of the movement 388 (see FIG. 1C) of the wand applicator 18 and adjustment of the power 121 (see FIG. 1A) to the wand applicator 18, for example, the power 121 to the surface treatment element 16 of the wand applicator 18.

[0153] Step 414 of notifying when the wand applicator 18 is in proximity to and directed towards one or more of the avoidance sections 332 may further include a computer program 32 (see FIG. 1A), such as algorithm 32a (see FIG. 1A), providing a feedback signal 390 (see FIG. 1C) to the power body 108 to cause the power body 108 to reduce or stop the power 121 to the surface treatment element 16 of the wand applicator 18, so as to notify when the wand applicator 18 is in proximity to and directed towards one or more of the avoidance sections 332 and adjust the power 121 to the wand applicator 18.

[0154] The step 414 of indicating when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at one or more of the avoidance zones 332 may further include the computer program 32 triggering an indicator element 78 to notify the operator 54 or user 52 that the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C ) so that the movement 388 (see FIG. 1C ) of the wand applicator 18 can be adjusted when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at one or more of the plurality of avoidance zones 332. The indicator element 78 includes a binary indicator 80, an example of which is described above and shown in FIG. 1A .

[0155] As shown in FIG. 7, the method 400 further includes a step 416 of verifying, by a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed on one or more surfaces 12 included in the selected application section 314a.

[0156] Verifying 416 that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed may further include verifying that the desired surface treatment 14b is one of the surface treatments 14 shown in FIG. 1B , such as disinfection treatment 168, ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection treatment 170, decontamination treatment 174, disinfection treatment 176, sterilization treatment 178, hardening treatment 180, shot peening treatment 182, chemical contaminant detection treatment 184, biological contaminant detection treatment 186, non-destructive testing process 188, eddy current testing 190, painting treatment 192, abrasive blasting treatment 194, sandblasting treatment 194a, surface preheating treatment 196, torch welding treatment 198, or other suitable surface treatments, and verifying 416 that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed.

[0157] Step 416 of verifying that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed on the selected application section 314a may further include the portable wand system 10 activating an indicator element 78 (see FIG. 1A ) to signal to the operator 54 or user 52 that the surface treatment element 16 has performed the desired surface treatment 14b or predetermined surface treatment 14a on one or more surfaces 12. As described above and shown in FIG. 1A , the indicator element 78 is a binary indicator 80 including one of a light signal 82, a surface treatment element light flashing alert 84, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, a pressure change alert 96, or other suitable warning or alarm associated with the wand applicator 18 to indicate completion of the performance of a surface treatment 14, such as the predetermined surface treatment 14a or the desired surface treatment 14b, on one or more surfaces 12.

[0158] The step 416 of confirming that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed on the selected application section 314a may further include activating an indicator element 78, including a visual display 98 (see FIG. 1A ), connected to the wand applicator 18, to signal to the operator 54 or user 52 that the desired surface treatment 14b or predetermined surface treatment 14a has been performed. The visual display 98 is visible to the user 52 or operator 54 and displays one or more portions 102 (see FIG. 1A ) of the surface 12 on which the surface treatment is to be performed and one or more of an illuminated progress bar 106 (see FIG. 1A ) or a color-coded signal 104 (see FIG. 1A ) constituting a map to indicate a covered portion 102a (see FIG. 1A ) of the portion 102 that has been fully treated.

[0159] The method 400 may further include, after step 416 of verifying that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed on the selected application section 314a, the following steps: moving a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, to a next known position 132a (see FIG. 1A) and aligning the portable wand system 10 at the next known position 132a, and selecting a next selected application section 314b (see FIG. 1C) on which to perform the surface treatment and selecting a desired path 310 corresponding to the next selected application section 314b. The method may further include repeatedly performing the steps of operating a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, in a processing mode 302, in which the operator 54 or user 52 manually moves the wand applicator 18 along a working path 386 that matches or substantially matches the desired path 310 in the next selected application section 314b, a step 412 of comparing the working path 386 to the desired path 310, a step 414 of reporting when the working path 386 deviates from the desired path 310, and a step 416 of confirming that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed.

[0160] Reference is now made to Figure 8, which is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method 450 of the present disclosure. One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method 450 for notifying and confirming to an operator 54 or user 52 that a desired ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection 172b (see Figure 1B) has been performed on one or more surfaces 12 to be disinfected in an interior 146 (see Figure 1B) of an aircraft 148 (see Figure 1B).

[0161] The blocks in Figure 8 represent processes and / or portions of processes or elements, but the lines connecting these various blocks do not represent any particular order or dependency of the processes and / or portions of processes or elements. The description of the steps of method 450 in Figure 8 and in this disclosure should not be construed as dictating the order in which these steps are performed. Rather, it should be construed that one example order is provided, and that the order in which these steps are performed can be changed as necessary. Thus, certain processes may be performed in a different order or simultaneously.

[0162] 8, method 450 includes step 452 of providing one form of portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, 5B), such as trainable portable wand system 11 (see FIGS. 1A, 1C). As noted above, in one form, portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, includes wand applicator 18 (see FIG. 1A) having ultraviolet (UV) lamp element 26 (see FIG. 1A).

[0163] A portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, further includes a wand control subsystem 30 (see FIG. 1A) connected to wand applicator 18. Wand control subsystem 30 includes a computer program 32 (see FIG. 1A), such as algorithm 32a (see FIG. 1A), a memory unit 66 (see FIG. 1A), and a central processing unit (CPU) 60 (see FIG. 1A) connected to memory unit 66. In one form, wand control subsystem 30 further includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 42 (see FIG. 1A) connected to CPU 60, and in another form, further includes one or more of a fixed-position extensometer 72 (see FIG. 1A), a rotational position sensor 74 (see FIG. 1A), or an external photogrammetry sensor 76 (see FIG. 1A). Wand control subsystem 30 further includes a surface treatment element (STAE) power feedback unit 62 (see FIG. 1A) connected to CPU 60.

[0164] A portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, further includes a selector body 24 operatively connected to and activated by manual selection button 25. Step 452 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 having a selector body 24 including a barcode body 348 (see FIG. 1C). As described above, barcode body 348 includes a barcode camera 350 (see FIG. 1C) connected to wand applicator 18, decoder electronics 352 (see FIG. 1C) connected to wand applicator 18 or barcode camera 350, and one or more barcodes 354 (see FIG. 1C) disposed in one or more of application zones 314 and one or more of avoidance zones 332. Barcode camera 350 is designed to read and does read one or more barcodes 354 located in one or more application zones 314 and one or more avoidance zones 332 .

[0165] In one embodiment, the barcode camera 350 is designed to read and reads two-dimensional barcodes 345a (see FIG. 1C), such as QR (quick response) codes or matrix barcodes printed on a paper surface 356 (see FIG. 1c) of work instructions 358 (see FIG. 1C) for various surface treatments 14, or a QR code or matrix barcode printed on an adjacent surface 360 ​​(see FIG. 1C) adjacent to the surface 12 on which the surface treatment 14 is to be performed. The two-dimensional barcode 354a is printed or affixed directly to the adjacent surface 360, or indirectly, for example, on a label, decal, or sticker attached to the adjacent surface 360. In another embodiment, the barcode camera 350 or barcode reader includes an optical scanner 364 (see FIG. 1C).

[0166] The step 452 of providing a portable wand system 10 may further include providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, in which the selector body 24 has a radio frequency identification (RFID) body 366 (see FIG. 1C ) operatively connected to and activated by a manual selection button 25 connected to the wand applicator 18. As described above, the RFID body 366 includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader 368 (see FIG. 1C ) connected to the wand applicator 18, radio frequency identification (RFID) electronics 370 (see FIG. 1C ) connected to the wand applicator 18, and one or more RFID tags 372 (see FIG. 1C ) disposed in one or more of the application zones 314 and one or more of the avoidance zones 332. The RFID reader 368 is designed to read and does read one or more of the RFID tags 372 located in the one or more application zones 314 and the one or more avoidance zones 332. The manual selection button 25 is activated by depressing the RFID reader 368 in an appropriate sequence or pattern, such as double pressing, such as by the user 52 or operator 54 double pressing the manual selection button 25 or by double pressing a manual selection button 25 in the form of a trigger handle 284 (see FIG. 6A ). The RFID reader 368 and RFID electronics 370 are operatively connected to the CPU 60 of the wand control subsystem 30 and can be used in conjunction with the RFID tags 372 to identify zones 308, such as the one or more application zones 314, where a surface treatment, such as disinfection, should be performed, and to identify zones 308, such as the one or more avoidance zones 332, where a surface treatment should not be performed.

[0167] Step 452 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 having a selector body 24 that includes a manual selector body 374 (see FIG. 1C). The manual selector body 374 includes a manual selection device 376 (see FIG. 1C) connected to the wand applicator 18 and a reference list that is a pre-programmed list 378 (see FIG. 1C) of identifiers 373, such as identification numbers corresponding to a plurality of application zones 314 and identification numbers corresponding to avoidance zones 332. The manual selection device 376 may be activated or otherwise enabled by a manual selection button 25.

[0168] In one form, the manual selection device 376 includes a selection element 380 (see FIG. 1C) as described above, such as a group of buttons 380a (see FIG. 1C) provided on the wand applicator 18 that are manually pressed by the operator 54 or user 52, or a touchscreen 380b provided on the wand applicator 18 that is used to input an identifier 373 (see FIG. 1C), such as a number or alphanumeric characters, by touch operation by the operator 54 or user 52, or any other suitable selection element 380 provided on the wand applicator 18, specifically on the handle portion 20 of the wand applicator 18. The selection element 380 is preferably used by the user 52 or operator 54 to identify and select from a preprogrammed list 378 an identifier 373 corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a, and to recall from the memory section 66 a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or a selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0169] In another aspect, the manual selection device 376 includes a keypad 382 (see FIG. 1C ), as described above. The keypad 382 is connected to the wand applicator 18 by wire or wireless connection. The user 52 or operator 54 can type or enter information, such as an identifier 373 included in the preprogrammed list 378, into the keypad 382 to identify and select an identifier 373 associated with or corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a, and can recall from the memory unit 66 a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or a selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0170] In yet another embodiment, the manual selection device 376 is a suitable separate mobile device 362, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or the like, having an application 384 (see FIG. 1C ) that communicates with the portable wand system 10, such as the wand applicator 18, via, for example, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other suitable wireless connection, as described above. The user 52 or operator 54 can type or input information, such as the identifier 373 included in the pre-programmed list 378, into the separate mobile device 362 to identify and select the identifier 373 associated with or corresponding to a desired section 308a, such as the selected application section 314a or the selected avoidance section 332a, and can recall from the memory unit 66 the selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected application section 314a and / or the selected avoidance section path 312b (see FIG. 1C ) associated with the selected avoidance section 332a.

[0171] A portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, further includes an indicator element 78. The indicator element 78 is a binary indicator 80 (see FIG. 1A ) that may include one of a light signal 82, a surface treatment element light flashing alert 84, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, a pressure change alert 96, or other suitable warning or alarm associated with the wand applicator 18, as shown in FIG. 1A . The indicator element 78 notifies the operator 54 or user 52 that a desired ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection 172b, such as a predetermined UV light disinfection 172a, has been performed on one or more surfaces 12. Additionally, the indicator element 78 notifies the operator 54 or user 52 when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and pointed at an avoidance zone 332 and when the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392, as described below.

[0172] Portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, further includes a power entity 108 connected to wand applicator 18, specifically connected to wand control subsystem 30 included in wand applicator 18. Power entity 108 includes an energy storage device 110, such as a battery 110a (see FIG. 1A), connected to wand applicator 18 via a wired connector 114 (see FIG. 1A).

[0173] Step 452 of providing a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, may further include providing a portable wand system 10 that includes a computer recording system 136 (see FIG. 1A) connected to the wand control subsystem 30. The computer recording system 136 analyzes the position data 58 of the wand applicator 18 and communicates to the indicator element 78 the status 15 (see FIG. 1B) of the application of a surface treatment 14 (see FIG. 1B), such as a predetermined surface treatment 14a (see FIG. 1B) or a desired surface treatment 14b (see FIG. 1C), to one or more surfaces 12. The computer record system 136 includes a computer 138 (see FIG. 1A ) for recording that a UV light disinfection 172, such as a desired UV light disinfection 172b or a predetermined UV light disinfection 172a, has been performed on one or more surfaces 12, and for verifying and certifying that a UV light disinfection 172, such as a desired UV light disinfection 172b or a predetermined UV light disinfection 172a, has been properly performed on one or more surfaces 12.

[0174] 8, the method 450 further includes a step 454 of selecting the learn mode option 342 (see FIG. 1C) with the manual selection button 25 to activate the portable wand system 10 in the learn mode 300. The selecting step 454 further includes using the selector body 24 to select a selected application zone 314a from the plurality of application zones 314 having one or more surfaces 12 on which to perform a disinfection treatment 168 (see FIG. 1B), such as UV light disinfection 172 (see FIG. 1B) with the UV lamp element 26.

[0175] 8, the method 450 further includes a step 456 of training a portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, in a first learning mode 300a (see FIG. 1C) of the learning modes 300, performed by an operator 54 or user 52 manually moving the wand applicator 18 along a plurality of desired paths 310 within a plurality of application zones 314 that include one or more surfaces 12 on which UV light disinfection 172, such as a desired UV light disinfection 172b, is to be performed by the UV lamp elements 26. Additionally, an application zone learning mode option 342a (see FIG. 1C) may be selected with the manual selection button 25 before manually moving the wand applicator 18 along the plurality of desired paths 310 within the plurality of application zones 314.

[0176] 8, the method 450 further includes a step 458 of recording and storing, by a portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, a plurality of desired paths 310 corresponding to a plurality of application zones 314. The CPU 60 records the plurality of desired paths 310 learned in the first learning mode 300a in real time. The memory portion 66 of the wand control subsystem 30 stores the plurality of desired paths 310 learned in the first learning mode 300a, preferably in real time.

[0177] 8 , the method 450 further includes a step 460 of training a portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, in a second learning mode 300b (see FIG. 1C ), performed by an operator 54 or user 52 manually moving the wand applicator 18 along one or more avoidance zone paths 312 (see FIG. 1C ) in or near a plurality of avoidance zones 332 (see FIG. 1A ). Prior to the step 460 of training the portable wand system 10, a selecting step 454 may further include using the selector body 24, and in particular the manual selection button 25, to select a selected avoidance zone 332a from the plurality of avoidance zones 332 in which to avoid performing a disinfection treatment 168, such as UV light disinfection 172. Additionally, the avoidance zone learning mode option 342b (see FIG. 1C) may be selected with the manual selection button 25 before manually moving the wand applicator 18 along the multiple avoidance zone paths 312 within, over, or near the multiple avoidance zones 332.

[0178] 8, the method 450 further includes a step 462 of recording and storing, by the portable wand system 10, such as the trainable portable wand system 11, a plurality of avoidance zone paths 312 corresponding to the plurality of avoidance zones 332. The CPU 60 records the plurality of avoidance zone paths 312 learned in the second learning mode 300b in real time. The memory unit 66 of the wand control subsystem 30 stores the plurality of avoidance zone paths 312 learned in the second learning mode 300b, preferably in real time.

[0179] After the desired path 310 included in the selected application section 314a has been learned in the step of training the portable wand system 10, or after the avoidance section path 312 included in the selected avoidance section 332a has been learned in step 460 of training the portable wand system 10, an additional desired path 310 included in the next selected application section 314b (see FIG. 1C ) can be learned, and the additional desired path 310 can be recorded by the CPU 60 and stored in the memory unit 66. After the avoidance section path 312 in the selected avoidance section 332a has been learned in the step of training the portable wand system 10, or after the additional desired path 310 in the next selected application section 314b has been learned, an additional avoidance section path 312 included in the next avoidance section 332b (see FIG. 1C ) can be learned, and the additional avoidance section path 312 can be recorded by the CPU 60 and stored in the memory unit 66. After the trainable portable wand system 11 has been trained in the learning modes 300, including the first learning mode 300a and the second learning mode 300b, the trainable portable wand system 11 can be treated as and functions as a trained portable wand system 11a (see FIG. 1C).

[0180] As shown in Figure 8, the method 450 further includes a step 464 of selecting the treatment mode option 344 (see Figure 1C) with the manual selection button 25 to transition the portable wand system 10 to the treatment mode 302 (see Figure 1C). As shown in Figure 8, the method 450 further includes a step 466 of selecting, with the selector body 24, a selected application zone 314a having one or more surfaces 12 to be disinfected, and selecting a desired path 310 recorded and stored in the first learning mode 300a that corresponds to the selected application zone 314a.

[0181] 8, the method 450 further includes a step 468 of operating a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, in a processing mode 302 (see FIG. 1C) where, with the UV lamp element 26 activated, an operator 54 or user 52 manually moves the wand applicator 18 in real time along a working path 386 (see FIG. 1C) that corresponds to or substantially corresponds to a desired path 310 (see FIG. 1C) within the selected application zone 314a. Each working path 386 is measured in real time using position data 58 (see FIG. 1A) of the wand applicator 18.

[0182] The method 450 may further include, prior to step 466 of selecting the selected application zone 314a or prior to step 468 of operating the portable wand system 10 in the processing mode 302, pressing the manual selection button 25 to identify a starting position 167 (see FIG. 4A) on one of the surfaces 12 to be disinfected contained in the selected application zone 314a using an alignment feature 130 (see FIG. 1A). The alignment feature 130 is a feature for aligning the wand applicator 18 to a known position 132 (see FIG. 1A) on one of the surfaces 12 in the selected application zone 314a.

[0183] As shown in FIG. 8, the method 450 further includes a step 470 of performing a comparison by a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, specifically using the CPU 60 of the portable wand system 10, to compare the working path 386 with the desired path 310 to determine whether there is a deviation 387 between the working path 386 and the desired path 310.

[0184] As shown in FIG. 8, the method 450 further includes a step 472 of alerting the operator 54 or user 52 by the portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, when the working path 386 deviates from the desired path 310 and when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and directed toward one or more of the avoidance zones 332, thereby enabling adjustment of the movement 388 (see FIG. 1C) of the wand applicator 18 and adjustment of the power 121 (see FIG. 1A) to the wand applicator 18, for example, the power 121 to the UV lamp element 26 of the wand applicator 18.

[0185] Step 472 of notifying when the wand applicator 18 is in proximity to and directed towards one or more of the avoidance sections 332 further includes notifying when the wand applicator 18 is in proximity to and directed towards one or more of the avoidance sections 332 so that the power 121 to the wand applicator 18 can be adjusted, which is done by a computer program 32 (see FIG. 1A), such as algorithm 32a (see FIG. 1A), providing a feedback signal 390 (see FIG. 1C) to the power entity 108 to cause the power entity 108 to perform an operation to reduce or stop the power 121 to the UV lamp element 26 of the wand applicator 18.

[0186] The step 472 of indicating when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at one or more of the avoidance zones 332 further includes indicating when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and aimed at one or more of the plurality of avoidance zones so that movement 388 (see FIG. 1C) of the wand applicator 18 can be adjusted by the computer program 32 triggering an indicator element 78 to notify the operator 54 or user 52 that the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C). The indicator element 78 includes a binary indicator 80, an example of which is shown in FIG. 1A.

[0187] 8, the method 450 further includes a step 474 of confirming, by the portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, that the desired UV light disinfection 172b has been performed on the one or more surfaces 12 included in the selected application zone 314a. The step 474 of confirming that the desired UV light disinfection 172b has been performed on the selected application zone 314a may further include the portable wand system 10 triggering an indicator element 78 (see FIG. 1A) to signal to the operator 54 or user 52 that the desired UV light disinfection 172b or predetermined UV light disinfection 172a has been performed on the one or more surfaces 12 by the UV lamp element 26. As described above and shown in FIG. 1A , indicator element 78 is a binary indicator 80 including one of a light signal 82, a surface treatment element light flashing alert 84, an audio alert 86, a sound alert 88, a tactile alert 90, a vibration alert 92, a pulse alert 94, a pressure change alert 96, or other suitable warning or alarm associated with wand applicator 18 to indicate completion of a surface treatment 14, such as a predetermined surface treatment 14 a, on one or more surfaces 12.

[0188] The step 474 of verifying that the desired UV light disinfection 172b has been performed on the selected application zone 314a may further include activating an indicator element 78 including a visual display 98 (see FIG. 1A ) connected to the wand applicator 18 upon activating the indicator element 78 to signal to the operator 54 or user 52 that the desired or predetermined UV light disinfection 172b, 172a has been performed. The visual display 98 is visible to the user 52 or operator 54 and displays one or more portions 102 (see FIG. 1A ) of the one or more surfaces 12 to be treated and an illuminated progress bar 106 (see FIG. 1A ) or a color-coded signal 104 (see FIG. 1A ) constituting a map to indicate a covered portion 102a (see FIG. 1A ) of the portion 102 that has been treated.

[0189] The method 450 may further include, after step 474 of verifying that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed on the selected application zone 314a, the following steps: moving a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, to a next known position 132a (see FIG. 1A) and aligning the portable wand system 10 at the next known position 132a, and selecting a next selected application zone 314b (see FIG. 1C) on which to perform a disinfection treatment and selecting a desired path 310 corresponding to the next selected application zone 314b. The method may further include repeatedly performing the steps of operating a portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, in a processing mode 302, in which the operator 54 or user 52 manually moves the wand applicator 18 along a working path 386 (see FIG. 1C) that matches or substantially matches the desired path 310 in the next selected application section 314b, a step 470 of comparing the working path 386 with the desired path 310, a step 472 of reporting when the working path 386 deviates from the desired path 310, and a step 474 of confirming that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed.

[0190] Reference is now made to FIG. 9 , which is a perspective view of an air vehicle 500, such as an aircraft 500a, that can be used with a form of the portable wand system 10 (see FIG. 1A ), such as a trainable portable wand system 11 (see FIG. 1C ) and a trained portable wand system 11a (see FIG. 1C ). As shown in FIG. 9 , the air vehicle 500, such as the aircraft 500a, includes a fuselage 502, a nose 504, a flight deck 506 or cockpit, wings 508, engines 510, and a tail section 512. As shown in FIG. 9 , the tail section 512 includes a vertical stabilizer 514 and a horizontal stabilizer 516. A portable wand system 10, such as the trained portable wand system 11a, can be used to perform various surface treatments 14, such as disinfection, sterilization, and the like, on various surfaces, structures, objects, and components on the aircraft 500a. For example, it can be used in the cockpit 506, the cockpit, the interior of the passenger cabin 246 (see Figures 4A and 4C), the interior of the galley, the interior of the lavatory, the interior of the storage bins, the interior and exterior of the overhead storage bins 330 (see Figure 4C), etc.

[0191] Reference is now made to Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example aircraft production and service method 550, and Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example aircraft 566. With reference to Figures 10 and 11, aspects of the present disclosure may be described in relation to aircraft production and service method 550 illustrated in Figure 10 and aircraft 566 illustrated in Figure 11.

[0192] Pre-production steps in exemplary aircraft manufacturing and service 550 include specification and design 552 of the aircraft 566 and material procurement 554. During production, steps include component and subassembly manufacturing 556 and system integration 558 of the aircraft 566. The aircraft 566 then undergoes certification and delivery 560 before entering service 562. While in customer service 562, the aircraft 566 undergoes routine maintenance and service 564 (including modifications, reconfigurations, refurbishments, and other appropriate inspections).

[0193] Each process in Aircraft Production and Use 550 may be performed or implemented by a system integrator, a third party, and / or an operator (e.g., a customer). For purposes of illustration, a system integrator may include, but is not limited to, an aircraft manufacturer and any number of major system subcontractors. A third party may include, but is not limited to, any number of vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers. An operator may also be an airline, a leasing company, a military entity, a service organization, etc.

[0194] 11 , an aircraft 566 produced by exemplary aircraft manufacturing and service 550 includes an airframe 568 having a number of systems 570 and an interior 572. Examples of systems 570 include one or more of a propulsion system 574, an electrical system 576, a hydraulic system 578, and an environmental system 580, as well as any number of other systems. While an aerospace example is provided, the principles of the present disclosure may be applied to other industries, such as the automotive industry.

[0195] The methods and systems presented herein may be employed during any one or more stages of aircraft production and use 550. For example, parts and subassemblies corresponding to part and subassembly production 556 may be fabricated or manufactured similarly to parts and subassemblies produced while aircraft 566 is in service 562. Additionally, one or more of the apparatus embodiments, method embodiments, or a combination thereof may be used, for example, in part and subassembly production 556 and system integration 558, to significantly improve, for example, the speed and cost of assembly of aircraft 566. Similarly, one or more of the apparatus embodiments, method embodiments, or a combination thereof may be used while aircraft 566 is in service 562, for example, but not limited to, in maintenance and service 564.

[0196] According to portable wand systems 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, 5A), including forms such as trainable portable wand system 11 (see FIGS. 1C, 2A-2B) and trained portable wand system 11a (see FIGS. 1C, 3A-3B), and methods 400 (see FIG. 7) and 450 (see FIG. 8), a user 52 or operator 54, such as a designated trainer, can preferably first train or program a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, in a learn mode 300 (see FIG. 1c). This training can be performed in the first learn mode 300a by manually moving a wand applicator 18 along a desired path 310 (see FIG. 1C) or pattern 306 (see FIG. 1C) within one or more application zones 314 (see FIG. 1C) that include one or more surfaces 12 on which a surface treatment 14 is to be performed. Each desired path 310 is preferably recorded using a computer device such as CPU 60 that tracks the output 394 of an inertial system located in wand applicator 18. Each desired path 310 is also stored in memory portion 66 of wand control subsystem 30.

[0197] A user 52 or operator 54, such as a designated trainer, can preferably train or program a portable wand system 10, such as trainable portable wand system 11, in a second learn mode 300b (see FIG. 1C ) by manually moving a mobile wand applicator 18 along one or more avoidance zone paths 312 (see FIG. 1C ) within, over, or near one or more avoidance zones 332 (see FIG. 1C ). Each avoidance zone path 312 is preferably recorded using a computing device, such as a CPU 60, that tracks the output 394 of an inertial system within the wand applicator 18. Each avoidance zone path 312 is also stored in the memory portion 66 of the wand control subsystem 30. The avoidance zone paths 312, or areas to avoid processing, are learned as avoidance zones 332 in learn mode 300 by selecting them using a manual selection button 25 on the wand applicator 18. In this case, a user 52 or operator 54, such as a designated trainer, positions the wand applicator 18 near and points it toward the avoidance zone 332 and selects or switches to the avoidance zone learn mode option 342b (see FIG. 1C ). Additionally, any surface or area not located on the desired path 310 can be designated as the avoidance zone 332. The desired path 310 and avoidance zone path 312 learned and recorded in learn mode 300 can also be transferred from a trained portable wand system 10 to an untrained portable wand system 10 via a data connection. This transferred data also includes a home reference location used to orient the untrained wand applicator 18 based on the identically positioned zone 308.

[0198] Additionally, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments of the portable wand system 10 (see Figures 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, 5A) and methods 400 (see Figure 7) and 450 (see Figure 8), multiple paths 304, such as the desired path 310 and the avoidance zone path 312, can be stored in and selected from the memory portion 66 of the wand control subsystem 30 using a selector body 24, which can include one of a barcode body 348, an RFID body 366, or a manual selector body 375, as described below. For example, the portable wand system 10 can store multiple routes 304 that are selectable using a barcode 354 (see FIG. 1C), such as a two-dimensional barcode 354a (see FIG. 1C) or a QR code 354b (see FIG. 1C), placed on a selected application zone 314a where a surface treatment, such as disinfection, is to be performed, or that are designated or selectable from a work instruction 358 (see FIG. 1C) that is scannable by the wand applicator 18. Additionally, the user 52 or worker 54 can have the wand applicator 18 or a separate mobile device 362 (see FIG. 1C) in communication with the portable wand system 10 load a zone 308 (see FIG. 1C), such as desired zone 308a (see FIG. 1C), to cause the portable wand system 10 to call up a desired route 310, which is a preferred route corresponding to the application zone 314 as the desired zone 308a, i.e., the selected application zone 314a, etc. The user 52 or operator 54 can also select a selected desired path 310b (see FIG. 1C), which is a preferred path corresponding to a selected application section 314a (see FIG. 1C) to be surface treated, from a pre-programmed list 378 on a separate mobile device 362 or on the wand applicator 18. Furthermore, the separate mobile device 362 can communicate with the portable wand system 10 and call up a desired path 310, such as the selected desired path 310b corresponding to the selected application section 314a, from the pre-programmed list 378 to the portable wand system 10. Each section 308 is identified based on the geometric model 36 (see FIG. 1A) as either a desired path 310 on which surface treatment should be performed or an avoidance section 332 on which surface 12 should not be treated.Thus, the portable wand system 10 can identify, select, and manage the compartments 308 where surface treatment, such as disinfection, is to be performed.

[0199] A movement 388 (see FIG. 1C ) or a subsequent movement 388 a following a previous movement, made by the user 52 or worker 54 to operate the wand applicator 18 along a work path 386, is compared with a desired path 310 (see FIG. 1C ) recorded and stored in the memory unit 66. This makes it possible to determine whether a portion or the entire work path 386 significantly deviates from the desired path 310, and if such a deviation 387 (see FIG. 1C ) occurs, the user 52 or worker 54 can be notified of the area, such as the surface 12 or the section 308, where the deviation occurred. This makes it possible to identify the area, such as the surface 12 or the section 308, where the surface treatment 14 needs to be performed again.

[0200] Additionally, portable wand systems 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, and 5A), including configurations such as trained portable wand system 11a (see FIG. 1C), and methods 400 (see FIG. 7) and 450 (see FIG. 8), can notify user 52 or operator 54 when working path 386 deviates from desired path 310 and when wand applicator 18 is approaching and directed toward avoidance zone 332. This allows user 52 or operator 54 to control output 394 (see FIG. 1C) of wand applicator 18, for example, by adjusting movement 388 (see FIG. 1C) of wand applicator 18 or by adjusting power 121 (see FIG. 1A) supplied to wand applicator 18. The adjustment of the power 121 to the wand applicator 18 is initiated by a computer program 32, such as algorithm 32a in the CPU 60, by providing a feedback signal 390 to the power body 108 to cause the power body 108 to reduce or stop the power 121 to the surface treatment element 16 of the wand applicator 18, such as the UV lamp element 26, if the wand applicator 18 is improperly positioned, such as pointed at, within, above, or near the avoidance zone 332. Each zone 308 is pre-programmed to reduce the power 121 of the wand applicator 18, thereby reducing the output 394 of, for example, the UV light 28 (see FIG. 1A), if the position 50 of the wand applicator 18 is not properly aligned with the area designated as the avoidance zone 332.

[0201] Additionally, the portable wand system 10 issues an audible or visual warning or alert, such as a buzzer, tone, or vibration, to the user 52 or operator 54 when the wand applicator 18 is proximate to and pointed at the avoidance zone 332. This is done, for example, by having a computer program 32, such as an algorithm 32a in the CPU 60, trigger an indicator element 78 (see FIG. 1A) to notify the user 52 or operator 54 that the wand applicator 18 is in an improper position 392 (see FIG. 1C) when the wand applicator 18 is pointed at the avoidance zone 332, which is an undesirable area, such as a cockpit window 334 (see FIG. 4B).

[0202] Disclosed aspects of the portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, and 5A) and methods 400 (see FIG. 7) and 450 (see FIG. 8) enable verification that a surface treatment 14, such as a desired surface treatment 14b (see FIG. 1B), has been properly performed. Specifically, the portable wand system 10 notifies and confirms that the desired surface treatment 14b has been performed by the surface treatment 14 on one or more surfaces 12 included in the selected application section 314a. Additionally, the disclosed aspects of the portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, and 5A) and methods 400 (see FIG. 7) and 450 (see FIG. 8) allow for real-time verification and certification to a user 52 or operator 54, and for verification and certification to an inspector 56 (FIG. 1A), such as an independent inspector, after the surface treatment 14, such as a desired surface treatment 14b, has been performed on one or more surfaces 12 in a given area or object with minimal surface irradiation. The portable wand system 10 also allows for user 52 or operator 54 to verify that the surface treatment 14 has been sufficiently performed and completed. Additionally, the portable wand system 10 can also indicate the sufficiency of performance of other processes, such as a curing process 180 (see FIG. 1B), such as curing or UV curing of a surface coating 180a (see FIG. 1B), a shot peening process 182 (see FIG. 1B), such as shot peening of a metal surface 182a (see FIG. 1B), a chemical contaminant detection process 184 (see FIG. 1B), a biological contaminant detection process 186 (see FIG. 1B), a non-destructive testing process 188 (see FIG. 1B), such as eddy current testing 190 (see FIG. 1B), or other suitable surface treatments.

[0203] The disclosed embodiments of the portable wand system 10 (see FIGS. 1A, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, and 5A) and methods 400 (see FIG. 7) and 450 (see FIG. 8) increase the repeatability, quality control, efficiency, and consistency of the surface treatment 14, resulting in a high-quality treatment and allowing the surface treatment 14 to be performed by a user 52 or operator 54 with skill. This contrasts with automated treatment methods, which require highly sophisticated equipment but lack the skill of a human operator when it comes to treating complex surfaces. The portable wand system 10 utilizes the highly sophisticated and skilled work of a human operator, such as a user 52 or operator 54, while maintaining the traceability and repeatability of an automated process. The portable wand system 10 achieves the traceability and repeatability of an automated process without the added complexity, while enjoying the adaptability of a human operator. The portable wand system 10 performs a surface treatment 14, such as a disinfection treatment 168, and allows a wand applicator 18, such as a handheld wand applicator 18a (see FIG. 1A ), to verify and certify that a surface treatment 14, such as a disinfection treatment 168, has been performed on a surface 12. The portable wand system 10 performs a surface treatment process, such as disinfection or sterilization, and can manually alert and verify to a user 52 or worker 54 that the surface treatment 14 has been satisfactorily performed on the surface 12, and alert the user 52 or worker 54 that an avoidance zone 332 has been entered, maintaining a high level of quality control and efficiency.

[0204] Many modifications and other embodiments of the present disclosure will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings of the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. The various aspects described herein are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting or exhaustive. Further, although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

[0205] The present disclosure further encompasses embodiments according to the following appendices:

[0206] Clause 1. A method for indicating and confirming that a desired surface treatment has been performed on one or more surfaces, comprising: 1. A portable wand system comprising: a wand applicator including a surface treatment element; a wand control subsystem connected to the wand applicator, the wand control subsystem including a computer program, a memory section, and a central processing unit (CPU) connected to the memory section; a selector body operatively connected to the manual selection button; an indicator element; a power source connected to the wand applicator; training the portable wand system in a learn mode by an operator manually moving the wand applicator along a plurality of desired paths within a plurality of application zones where surfaces are to be treated and along a plurality of avoidance zone paths within or near a plurality of avoidance zones where surfaces are not to be treated; recording and storing, by the portable wand system, the plurality of desired paths corresponding to the plurality of application paths and the plurality of avoidance path paths corresponding to the plurality of avoidance paths; selecting, with the portable wand system, a selected application area having one or more surfaces to be surface treated, and selecting a desired path corresponding to the selected application area; operating the portable wand system in a treatment mode with the surface treatment element activated by the operator manually moving the wand applicator along a working path within the selected application area based on the desired path; comparing the work path with the desired path by the portable wand system; notifying the operator by the portable wand system when the working path deviates from the desired path and when the wand applicator is proximate to and oriented within one or more of the plurality of avoidance zones so that adjustments can be made to movement of the wand applicator and power to the wand applicator; and verifying with the portable wand system that the desired surface treatment has been applied to the one or more surfaces within the selected application area.

[0207] Appendix 2. The method of Appendix 1, further comprising, prior to operating the portable wand system in the treatment mode, pressing the manual selection button to identify a starting location on one of the one or more surfaces to be surface treated within the selected application area using an alignment feature, wherein the alignment feature is for aligning the wand applicator to a known location within the selected application area.

[0208] Appendix 3. The method of Appendix 1, further comprising the step of selecting a learn mode option with the manual selection button to activate the portable wand system in the learn mode before training the portable wand system in the learn mode.

[0209] Appendix 4. The method of Appendix 1, wherein indicating when the wand applicator is in proximity to and oriented toward one or more of the avoidance zones further includes the computer program providing a feedback signal to the power entity to cause the power entity to reduce or stop power to the surface treatment element of the wand applicator so as to indicate when the wand applicator is in proximity to and oriented toward one or more of the avoidance zones and adjust power to the wand applicator.

[0210] Appendix 5. The method of Appendix 1, wherein indicating when the wand applicator is in proximity to and oriented within one or more of the avoidance zones further includes causing the computer program to trigger the indicator element to perform an action of notifying the operator that the wand applicator is in an improper position so that movement of the wand applicator can be adjusted, wherein the indicator element is a binary indicator element comprising one of a light signal associated with the wand applicator, a surface treatment element light flashing alert, an audio alert, a sound alert, a tactile alert, a vibration alert, a pulse alert, and a pressure change alert.

[0211] Appendix 6. The method of Appendix 1, wherein providing the portable wand system further comprises providing a portable wand system wherein the selector body includes a barcode body including a barcode camera connected to the wand applicator, decoder electronics connected to the wand applicator or the barcode camera, and one or more barcodes disposed in one or more of the application zones and one or more of the avoidance zones, and wherein the barcode camera is configured to read the one or more barcodes.

[0212] Appendix 7. The method of Appendix 1, wherein providing the portable wand system further comprises providing a portable wand system wherein the selector body includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) body including a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader connected to the wand applicator, radio frequency identification (RFID) electronics connected to the wand applicator, and one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags disposed in one or more of the application zones and one or more of the avoidance zones, wherein the RFID reader is designed to read the one or more RFID tags.

[0213] Appendix 8. The method of Appendix 1, wherein providing the portable wand system further comprises providing a manual selector body including a manual selection device connected to the wand applicator and a pre-programmed list of identifiers corresponding to the plurality of application zones and the plurality of avoidance zones, the pre-programmed list being accessible by the manual selection device further including one of a selection element on the wand applicator, a keypad connected to the wand applicator, and a separate mobile device having an application designed to communicate with the portable wand system.

[0214] Clause 9. The method of Clause 1, wherein verifying that the desired surface treatment has been performed further comprises verifying that the desired surface treatment is one of a disinfection treatment, an ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection treatment, a decontamination treatment, a disinfection treatment, a sterilization treatment, a hardening treatment, a shot peening treatment, a chemical contaminant detection treatment, a biological contaminant detection treatment, a non-destructive testing process, an eddy current testing process, a painting treatment, an abrasive blasting treatment, a sand blasting treatment, a surface preheating treatment, and a torch welding treatment.

[0215] Appendix 10. The method of Appendix 1, wherein providing the portable wand system further comprises providing a portable wand system, wherein the wand applicator has a surface treatment element comprising one of an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element, a gas dispersion element, an aerosolization element, a disinfectant liquid, a disinfectant gas, a sterilizing liquid, a sterilizing gas, a cleaning liquid, a hardening element, a shot peening element, a contaminant detection element, a paint, an abrasive blasting element, a sandblasting element, a surface preheating element, and a torch welding element.

Claims

1. a wand applicator including a surface treatment element; a wand control subsystem connected to the wand applicator, computer programs, and a wand control subsystem including a memory unit for storing a plurality of paths learned and recorded by an operator manually moving the wand applicator in a learning mode, the plurality of paths including a plurality of desired paths within a plurality of application zones having one or more surfaces on which the surface treatment is to be performed by the surface treatment element, and a plurality of avoidance zone paths within or near a plurality of avoidance zones where the surface treatment is to be avoided; a selector body operatively connected to the manual selection button; an indicator element; a power source connected to the wand applicator, the portable wand system is used in a treatment mode after the learn mode, and with the surface treatment element activated, measures real-time movement of the wand applicator as the operator moves the wand applicator along one or more work paths based on one or more of the desired paths in one or more of the application zones; The portable wand system further compares the working path with the desired path for selected application areas, and alerts the operator when the working path deviates from the desired path and when the wand applicator is close to and oriented within one or more of the avoidance areas, and confirms that the desired surface treatment has been performed.

2. 2. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein the selector body includes a barcode body including a barcode camera connected to the wand applicator, decoder electronics connected to the wand applicator or the barcode camera, and one or more barcodes disposed in one or more of the application zones and one or more of the avoidance zones, the barcode camera configured to read the one or more barcodes.

3. 3. The portable wand system of claim 2, wherein the barcode camera is further designed to read a two-dimensional barcode printed on one of a work instruction sheet for performing the surface treatment and an adjacent surface adjacent to the one or more surfaces on which the surface treatment is to be performed.

4. 4. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein the selector body includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) body including a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader connected to the wand applicator, radio frequency identification (RFID) electronics connected to the wand applicator, and one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags positioned in one or more of the application zones and one or more of the avoidance zones, the RFID reader designed to read the one or more RFID tags.

5. 5. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein the selector body includes a manual selection device connected to the wand applicator and a pre-programmed list of identifiers corresponding to the plurality of application zones and the plurality of avoidance zones, the pre-programmed list being accessible by the manual selection device including one of a selection element provided on the wand applicator, a keypad connected to the wand applicator, and a separate mobile device having an application designed to communicate with the portable wand system.

6. 6. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein the manual selection button enables the operator to select from a plurality of mode options and a plurality of zone options, the plurality of mode options including a learning mode option and a processing mode option, and the plurality of zone options including a plurality of application zone options and a plurality of avoidance zone options.

7. 7. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein when the wand applicator is in proximity to and oriented within one or more of the avoidance zones, the computer program provides a feedback signal to the power body to cause the power body to reduce or stop power to the surface treatment element of the wand applicator.

8. 8. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein when the wand applicator is brought into proximity with and oriented within one or more of the avoidance zones, the computer program triggers the indicator element to take an action to alert the operator that the wand applicator is in an improper position, the indicator element being a binary indicator element comprising one of a light signal associated with the wand applicator, a surface treatment element light flashing alert, an audio alert, a sound alert, a tactile alert, a vibration alert, a pulse alert, and a pressure change alert.

9. The wand control subsystem further comprises: one or more of a fixed position extensometer, a rotational position sensor, and an external photogrammetric sensor, or an inertial measurement unit (IMU); a central processing unit (CPU) connected to the memory unit and configured to record the plurality of paths learned in the learning mode; A portable wand system according to any preceding claim, further comprising: a surface treatment element power feedback section for said CPU.

10. 10. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein the surface treatment element comprises one of an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element, a gas dispersion element, an aerosolization element, a disinfectant liquid, a disinfectant gas, a sterilizing liquid, a germicidal gas, a sterilizing liquid, a sterilizing gas, a cleaning liquid, a hardening element, a shot peening element, a contaminant detection element, a paint, an abrasive blasting element, a sandblasting element, a surface preheating element, and a torch welding element.

11. 11. The portable wand system of claim 1, wherein the surface treatment comprises one of a disinfection process, an ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection process, a decontamination process, a disinfection process, a sterilization process, a hardening process, a shot peening process, a chemical contaminant detection process, a biological contaminant detection process, a non-destructive testing process, an eddy current testing process, a painting process, an abrasive blasting process, a sandblasting process, a surface preheating process, and a torch welding process.

12. A portable wand system according to any preceding claim, wherein in one or more of the learning mode and the processing mode, the portable wand system identifies one or more alignment features to align the wand applicator to one or more known positions in one or more of the plurality of application zones and the plurality of avoidance zones.

13. 13. The portable wand system of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the one or more surfaces to be subjected to surface treatment include one or more surfaces in the interior of one of an aircraft, a spacecraft, an automobile, a ship, a train, a hospital, a factory building, an office building, a movie theater, and a restaurant.

14. 1. A method for reporting and confirming that a desired ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection has been performed on one or more surfaces in an aircraft interior, comprising:

1. A portable wand system comprising: a wand applicator including an ultraviolet (UV) lamp element; a wand control subsystem connected to the wand applicator, the wand control subsystem including a computer program, a memory section, and a central processing unit (CPU) connected to the memory section; a selector body operatively connected to the manual selection button; an indicator element; a power source connected to the wand applicator; selecting a learn mode option with the manual select button to activate the portable wand system in learn mode; training the portable wand system in a first learning mode by an operator manually moving the wand applicator along a plurality of desired paths within a plurality of application zones having the one or more surfaces to be disinfected with the UV lamp element; recording and storing, by the portable wand system, the plurality of desired paths corresponding to the plurality of application areas; training the portable wand system in a second one of the learning modes by the operator manually moving the wand applicator along one or more avoidance zone paths within or near a plurality of avoidance zones that should not be disinfected; recording and storing, by the portable wand system, the one or more avoidance lane paths corresponding to the plurality of avoidance lane paths; selecting a processing mode option with the manual selection button to activate the portable wand system in a processing mode; using the manual selection button to select a selected application zone having one or more surfaces to be disinfected, and selecting a desired route corresponding to the selected application zone from among the desired routes recorded and stored in the first learning mode; operating the portable wand system in the treatment mode by the operator manually moving the wand applicator in real time along a working path within the selected application area based on the desired path with the UV lamp element activated; comparing the work path with the desired path by the portable wand system; notifying the worker by the portable wand system when the working path deviates from the desired path and when the wand applicator is proximate to and oriented within one or more of the avoidance zones so that adjustments can be made to movement of the wand applicator and power to the UV lamp elements; and confirming with the portable wand system that the desired UV light disinfection has been performed on the one or more surfaces within the selected application zone.

15. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, before operating the portable wand system in the processing mode, pressing the manual selection button to identify a starting location on one of the one or more surfaces to be disinfected within the selected application area using an alignment feature, wherein the alignment feature is for aligning the wand applicator to a known location within the selected application area.

16. Indicating when the wand applicator is in proximity to and oriented within one or more of the avoidance zones may further include the computer program providing a feedback signal to the power entity to reduce or stop power to the UV lamp element of the wand applicator so as to indicate when the wand applicator is in proximity to and oriented within one or more of the avoidance zones and adjust power to the wand applicator.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, comprising:

17. 17. The method of any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein indicating when the wand applicator is in proximity to and oriented within one or more of the avoidance zones further comprises the computer program triggering the indicator element to perform an action of notifying the operator that the wand applicator is in an improper position so that movement of the wand applicator can be adjusted, wherein the indicator element is a binary indicator element and includes one of a light signal associated with the wand applicator, a surface treatment element light flashing alert, an audio alert, a sound alert, a tactile alert, a vibration alert, a pulse alert, and a pressure change alert.

18. 18. The method of any of claims 14 to 17, wherein providing the portable wand system further comprises providing a portable wand system wherein the selector body includes a barcode body including a barcode camera connected to the wand applicator, decoder electronics connected to the wand applicator or the barcode camera, and one or more barcodes disposed in one or more of the application zones and one or more of the avoidance zones, and wherein the barcode camera is designed to read the one or more barcodes.

19. 19. The method of any of claims 14-18, wherein providing the portable wand system further comprises providing a portable wand system wherein the selector body includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) body including a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader connected to the wand applicator, radio frequency identification (RFID) electronics connected to the wand applicator, and one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags disposed in one or more of the application zones and one or more of the avoidance zones, wherein the RFID reader is designed to read the one or more RFID tags.

20. 20. The method of any of claims 14 to 19, wherein providing the portable wand system further comprises providing a manual selector body including a manual selection device connected to the wand applicator and a pre-programmed list of identifiers corresponding to the plurality of application zones and the plurality of avoidance zones, the pre-programmed list being accessible by the manual selection device further comprising one of a selection element on the wand applicator, a keypad connected to the wand applicator, and a separate mobile device having an application designed to communicate with the portable wand system.

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