Antimicrobial Lighting Segments for Touch Screen Sanitization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contamination of environmental surfaces, such as touch screens, by microorganisms like bacteria and viruses poses a risk for pathogen transmission and can lead to illness outbreaks, regulatory issues, and decreased consumer perception of product quality.
Innovation Solution
An antimicrobial lighting system comprising a lighting array with individually controllable antimicrobial lighting segments that emit light at specific wavelengths, including UV ranges, to inactivate microorganisms on touch screen surfaces, controlled based on usage information and user presence to reduce microbial growth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If antimicrobial lighting segments are continuously activated to inactivate microorganisms on touch screen surfaces, then microbial growth is effectively reduced, but user safety is compromised due to potential exposure to UV radiation
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operational state of antimicrobial lighting segments based on real-time detection of user presence. When a user is detected, the lighting segments are deactivated to prevent UV exposure. When no user is present, the segments are activated to inactivate microorganisms. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction between maintaining continuous microbial protection and ensuring user safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses presence sensors to detect user presence and provides feedback to the control circuitry, which then adjusts the operational state of the antimicrobial lighting segments. This feedback mechanism ensures that the lighting is only active when safe to do so, while maintaining effective microbial inactivation during periods of non-use.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If antimicrobial lighting segments are deactivated when users are present to ensure safety, then user safety is improved, but microbial contamination risk increases during active usage periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary microbial inactivation during periods when the touch screen is not in use and no users are present. By proactively reducing microbial load during these intervals, the system prepares a cleaner surface for upcoming usage periods, thereby maintaining hygiene without requiring continuous operation during user presence.
Solution Approach 2:
The antimicrobial lighting operates periodically rather than continuously, activating during intervals between user sessions and deactivating during usage periods. This periodic operation maintains effective microbial control over time while ensuring user safety during active usage, resolving the contradiction between safety and contamination prevention.
3Productivity
If individually controllable lighting segments are used to target specific zones, then lighting efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is divided into multiple independently controllable segments or zones, each corresponding to a specific area of the touch screen. This segmentation allows the system to activate only the segments corresponding to areas where users are present or where microbial contamination is most likely, improving lighting efficiency and reducing unnecessary UV exposure while maintaining effective coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Different segments of the lighting system can be activated with different intensities or durations based on local conditions. For example, segments corresponding to high-touch areas may receive more intensive treatment, while segments in low-usage areas may use reduced intensity. This local quality approach optimizes overall system efficiency while managing complexity through targeted control.
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 system effectively reduces microbial growth on touch screen surfaces, minimizing the frequency of cleaning and maintaining hygiene, while ensuring user safety by activating antimicrobial light only when the surface is not in use.
Implementation Method 1
each element emits light at a wavelength, irradiance, and direction sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms
Implementation Method 2
emit light including wavelengths in a range of about 405±15 nanometers
Implementation Method 3
emit light at a wavelength, irradiance, and direction sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting array including one or more antimicrobial light segments, each light segments including one or more antimicrobial light sources, is configured to emit light sufficient to inactivate one or more microorganisms on a touch screen display surface. The lighting array may individually control activation of the one or more antimicrobial light segments based on user presence information, time of day information, and/or touch screen display usage information. A touch screen display assembly includes a housing, a touch screen display and a lighting array including one or more antimicrobial light segments.