Antimicrobial Lighting for Flat Common-Touch Surface Decontamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commonly touched environmental surfaces, such as restaurant menus and airline safety instructions, often serve as reservoirs for infectious pathogens and are frequently inadequately cleaned or sanitized, leading to the transmission of microorganisms through cross-contamination.
Innovation Solution
The use of antimicrobial light systems, including lighting arrays with antimicrobial lighting segments emitting light within specific wavelength ranges, and non-thermal plasma generators to inactivate microorganisms on common touch surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional cleaning protocols are used for common touch surfaces, then operational simplicity is maintained, but microbial contamination persists due to inadequate cleaning frequency and effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cleaning systems (manual wiping, spraying) with a photobiological system using blue light LEDs that emit at 405-420nm wavelength. This optical/biological approach substitutes physical cleaning mechanisms with photoactivated antimicrobial action, achieving superior decontamination without the complexity of mechanical cleaning protocols
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-service through photoactivated antimicrobial compounds deposited on surfaces that automatically activate upon exposure to blue light. The surfaces essentially decontaminate themselves when illuminated, eliminating the need for complex manual cleaning operations while maintaining high reliability
2Reliability
If manual cleaning procedures are implemented, then ease of operation is maintained, but cross-contamination transmission remains high due to human error and inconsistent execution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human-operated mechanical cleaning with an automated photobiological system. Blue light LEDs activate antimicrobial compounds on surfaces, providing consistent, reliable decontamination that eliminates human error and inconsistent execution while maintaining operational simplicity through automatic or on-demand activation
3Reliability
If frequent manual cleaning is performed to reduce microbial reservoirs, then microbial decontamination effectiveness improves, but time consumption and operational disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows surfaces to self-decontaminate when exposed to blue light, eliminating the need for frequent manual cleaning interventions. The antimicrobial compounds remain dormant until activated by light, providing continuous protection without time loss to cleaning operations
Solution Approach 2:
The antimicrobial compounds are pre-deposited on surfaces during manufacturing or initial setup, preparing them for future light activation. This preliminary action eliminates the need for repeated application and cleaning cycles, reducing time loss while maintaining effective microbial reservoir reduction
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The application of antimicrobial light and non-thermal plasma effectively reduces microbial growth on common touch surfaces, improving hygiene and reducing the probability of microorganism transmission through cross-contamination.
Implementation Method 1
antimicrobial light within one or more antimicrobial wavelength ranges is applied to inactivate one or more microorganisms on one or more common touch surface(s)
Implementation Method 2
a non-thermal (NT) plasma generator is used to reduce or mitigate growth on common touch surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
An antimicrobial lighting system includes an antimicrobial lighting array that emits antimicrobial light within one or more antimicrobial wavelength ranges to inactivate one or more microorganisms on common touch surfaces. The common touch surfaces may include, for example, restaurant menus, airline safety instructions, pamphlets, instruction cards, or other common touch objects having a generally flat form factor, or that can be reduced to a flat form factor. Application of the antimicrobial light to the common touch surfaces may improve hygiene of such common touch surfaces and may help maintain microbial growth below acceptable levels.