Inactivation method and inactivation system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for disinfecting environments against harmful microorganisms and viruses are inefficient due to the difficulty in tracking infected individuals' contact areas and the limitations of ultraviolet irradiation, which often result in low efficacy and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
An inactivation method and system that detects individuals in a space, calculates and controls the accumulated ultraviolet irradiation amount to ensure it does not exceed a safe threshold, allowing for effective sterilization by emitting UV light in a wavelength range of 200-240 nm, which is safer for humans and animals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ultraviolet light is used for sterilization and inactivation of microorganisms and viruses, then the inactivation efficiency is improved, but the safety of persons and animals is compromised due to adverse effects of ultraviolet light on human or animal cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wavelength parameter of ultraviolet light from conventional ranges (254nm, 265nm) to the 200-240nm range, specifically centering around 222nm. This parameter change enables effective inactivation of microorganisms and viruses while reducing adverse effects on human and animal cells, as the shorter wavelength is more effectively absorbed by microbial nucleic acids and less penetrating to human skin and eye tissues.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation device is set to a low and constant value to ensure safety, then the safety of persons is improved, but the inactivation efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of ultraviolet light intensity based on real-time detection of person presence and movement. The irradiation amount is adjusted according to the accumulated exposure of persons in the space, allowing the system to operate at higher intensities when safe and maintain safety when persons are present. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the intensity adaptive rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms through detection devices that monitor person presence and movement in the irradiation space. The detection results are used to adjust the ultraviolet irradiation amount in real-time, creating a closed-loop control system that balances safety and efficiency. The feedback ensures that the accumulated irradiation amount remains within safe limits while maximizing inactivation effectiveness.
3Productivity
If decontamination work is performed intensively on areas where infected persons have moved, then the effectiveness of virus transmission prevention is improved, but the ability to track and identify infected areas is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces detection devices as intermediaries that track person presence and movement in the irradiation space. These devices provide information about where persons have moved and which areas require intensive decontamination. The intermediary detection system bridges the gap between the need for targeted decontamination and the lack of tracking capability, enabling effective virus transmission prevention.
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
This approach reduces the risk of infection by ensuring effective environmental sterilization while minimizing adverse effects on humans and animals, maximizing inactivation efficiency while adhering to safety limits.
Implementation Method 1
by irradiating the space with ultraviolet light (UVC light)
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for inactivating microorganisms and/or viruses present in a specific space in which a person is present, by emitting light in a wavelength range for inactivating microorganisms and/or viruses in the space, the method comprising: a detection step of detecting a person present in an irradiation space; an acquisition step of acquiring an accumulated irradiation amount of an irradiation amount of the light irradiated to the detected person in a period from a predetermined reference time point to a current time point; a determination step of determining an allowable maximum irradiation amount by comparing an allowable limit value (TLV: Threshold Limit Value) of an irradiation amount of the light in the wavelength range with the accumulated irradiation amount; and an irradiation step of controlling a light source and irradiating the light into the irradiation space with the allowable maximum irradiation amount as an upper limit.