Ozone Sanitizing System with Segmented Chamber and Sensor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for killing bacteria and viruses on large surface areas with numerous cracks and hidden locations face challenges due to the clumping of bacteria cells, which protects them from oxidants, and ozone's strong oxidizing properties pose hazards to humans, requiring safe and efficient sanitizing systems.
Innovation Solution
A sanitizing system that encloses objects in a hermetically sealed cabinet filled with ozone gas, controlled by a sensor and controller to maintain a predetermined concentration and time for disinfection, with safety features like entrapment detection and ozone conversion to safe oxygen, ensuring effective disinfection while minimizing human exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ozone gas is used to disinfect objects, then the kill rate of bacteria and viruses increases to 99.99%, but the hazard to human respiratory systems increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the enclosure into two distinct chambers: a first chamber for holding the object to be disinfecting and a second chamber for housing the ozone generator. This spatial segmentation allows the ozone-generating component to be isolated from the object chamber, preventing direct exposure of the disinfecting environment to harmful ozone concentrations while maintaining effective disinfection of the object.
Solution Approach 2:
A selectively permeable membrane is introduced as an intermediary barrier between the ozone generator chamber and the object chamber. This membrane allows controlled interaction (such as gas diffusion) while blocking direct contact between the harmful ozone environment and the object being disinfected, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving high kill rates and preventing respiratory hazards.
2Ease of operation
If direct contact between oxidant and bacteria is used, then the simplification of the sanitizing process increases, but the effectiveness decreases due to bacterial clumping
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a spray mechanism to deliver oxidant solution to the object surface. This pneumatic/hydraulic approach allows the oxidant to be applied as a fine mist or spray, increasing contact efficiency with individual bacteria while the enclosed ozone environment continues to work on breaking up bacterial clumps, thereby maintaining both simplicity and effectiveness.
3Measurement precision
If a hermetically sealed enclosure is used to maintain ozone concentration, then the control precision of ozone levels increases, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is segmented into separate chambers with the ozone generator isolated in one chamber. This segmentation simplifies the overall system architecture by containing the complex ozone-generating components away from the object chamber, while still allowing precise control of ozone levels in the object chamber through the selectively permeable membrane barrier.
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 achieves a 99.99% kill rate of bacteria and viruses while ensuring operator safety by maintaining controlled ozone levels and converting ozone to safe oxygen after disinfection, effectively addressing the challenges of surface area disinfection and ozone hazards.
Implementation Method 1
Ozone (O3) is effective because it is a strong oxidant and disinfectant... Ozone destroys bacteria by interfering with the metabolism of bacterium cells and in sufficient quantities, ozone will break through the cell membrane and lead to the destruction of the bacteria
Implementation Method 2
Ozone also destroys viruses by diffusing through the protein coat resulting in damage to the viral RNA
Implementation Method 3
generating ozone within the enclosed space... a controller responsive to a sensor positioned inside the cabinet is also envisioned to assist in maintaining the predetermined concentration of ozone within the interior chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A device for sanitizing objects using ozone is disclosed having a container defining an enclosed space and a selectively closeable opening for enclosing the space, an ozone generator, an ozone converter, a controller, and a timer working together to generate a predetermined concentration of ozone within the enclosed space and maintain approximately the same concentration for a predetermined period of time. Also disclosed are assemblies and methods detecting and warning of entrapment within the enclosure and halting ozone production when it occurs. Further disclosed are devices and methods for coupling a maintenance device to the sanitizing system to perform various maintenance operations such as adjusting operational control parameters, and observing conditions within the enclosed chamber in real-time such as temperature, humidity, and ozone concentration.