Grounding Apparatus for Reducing Aerosolization of Lung Pathogens
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Solution Overview
Problem
The spread of diseases through aerosolization of charged airway particles is a significant issue, as electrical charges on individuals can lead to increased aerosolization of virus particles in crowded spaces, such as stadiums and churches, where grounding opportunities are limited.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for electrically grounding a body using a capacitance article and a grounding apparatus, which comprises a capacitor attached to the body and a conductive surface connected to an electrical ground, allowing excess charge to be safely dissipated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a person wears synthetic materials like rubber-soled shoes on vinyl floors or wool sweaters in crowded spaces, then the person becomes electrically charged through friction, but this charge increases aerosolization of viral particles from the lungs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a grounding apparatus as an intermediary element between the charged person and the ground. This mediator provides a controlled path for charge dissipation, allowing the person to remain comfortable in synthetic materials while safely releasing accumulated static charge through the grounding connection, thereby preventing viral particle aerosolization caused by electrostatic repulsion
2Reliability
If a person remains isolated from ground in crowded spaces like stadiums or churches, then the person maintains electrical charge buildup, but this prevents natural charge dissipation and increases disease spread risk
Solution Approach 1:
The grounding apparatus is designed to be self-service in operation. The person simply needs to make contact with the grounding element (such as a grounded metal surface or wearable grounding device), and the system automatically provides charge dissipation without requiring active control or complex operations. This maintains high reliability for disease prevention while keeping the system simple to use
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the harmful electrical charge from the person's body through the grounding apparatus, separating the charge dissipation function from the person's natural state. By removing the excess charge that causes aerosolization, the system prevents disease spread without requiring the person to change their behavior or environment significantly
3Object-affected harmful factors
If viral particles rest on the alveolar wall in the lungs, then they are normally filtered out, but electrostatic repulsion from charged airway walls causes particles to be expelled through aerosolization
Solution Approach 1:
The grounding apparatus creates equipotential conditions between the person's body and the ground, eliminating the electrical potential difference that causes electrostatic repulsion of charged viral particles from the airway walls. By equalizing the electrical potential, the system allows particles to remain retained in the lungs through normal filtration mechanisms without being expelled by electrostatic forces
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 the aerosolization of lung pathogens by neutralizing electrical charges on the body, thereby minimizing the spread of disease through airborne transmission.
Implementation Method 1
The capacitance article of the present invention comprises a capacitor that can be attached to the body by an attachment portion
Implementation Method 2
The grounding apparatus of the present invention comprises a conductive surface and a grounding connector that connects the conducting surface to the electrical ground
Implementation Method 3
The grounding apparatus is then connected to the electrical ground and the body put in contact with the conductive surface of the grounding apparatus to remove excess charge from the capacitor and the body
Implementation Method 4
When a particle is charged oppositely a person, it behaves differently than with an uncharged body. The particle is repelled from both the walls of the airways and from the alveolar surface
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a method and system for storing charge on a body and subsequently electrically grounding that body so the body can operate without the unwanted effects of an electrical charge. The system of the present invention comprises an electrical conducting medium, which may be a human body, a capacitance article, and a grounding apparatus. In use the capacitance article is connected to the electrical conducting medium to reduce the buildup of electrical charge on the electrical conducting medium and instead store the charge in the capacitor of the capacitance article. The electrical conducting medium may then be connected to the grounding apparatus at a predetermined interval remove any built-up charge on both the capacitance article and the electrical conducting medium by putting those components in electrical continuity with the ground.