Spheroid UV Cavity Germ Elimination Machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing UV disinfection devices are economically and efficiently challenging to produce, as they require multiple UV lights to achieve the necessary UV energy per unit area for effective pathogen reduction, leading to increased costs and maintenance issues.
Innovation Solution
The design of UV germ eliminating devices with spheroid cavities surrounded by UV reflective boundaries amplifies UV power by 10-50 times, using UV LEDs or mercury-based lamps, and incorporates air pipes to maximize air exposure to UV light, ensuring uniform irradiance and efficient germ elimination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple UV lights are used to achieve the desired UV energy per unit area for effective pathogen reduction, then the pathogen elimination effectiveness is improved, but the device cost and maintenance cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a spheroid-shaped cavity instead of conventional flat or angular structures. This curved geometry causes UV light to reflect multiple times along different paths, significantly increasing the effective UV exposure area and duration. The spherical shape ensures uniform light distribution and maximizes the utilization of a single UV light source, achieving the required pathogen elimination effectiveness without needing multiple UV lights, thereby reducing device complexity and cost.
2Reliability
If multiple UV lights are used to achieve the desired UV energy per unit area for effective pathogen reduction, then the pathogen elimination effectiveness is improved, but the maintenance cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spheroid cavity design maximizes the UV light utilization efficiency, allowing a single UV light to provide sufficient disinfection capability. By reducing the number of UV lights from multiple to just one, the maintenance burden is significantly reduced. When the single UV light fails, replacement is simpler and less costly compared to maintaining multiple lights, thus improving ease of repair while maintaining pathogen elimination effectiveness.
3Device complexity
If a single UV light is used with spheroid cavity and UV reflective boundaries, then the device complexity is reduced, but the UV energy distribution uniformity needs to be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The spheroid cavity geometry inherently promotes uniform UV energy distribution through its curved surfaces that reflect light from multiple angles. This geometric design compensates for the potential non-uniformity that might arise from using a single UV light source. The spherical shape ensures that UV energy is distributed more evenly across the cavity, reducing the need for complex positioning adjustments and simplifying manufacturing while achieving adequate uniformity for effective disinfection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates UV reflective boundaries that replicate and redirect UV light throughout the cavity. These reflective surfaces act as additional light sources by bouncing UV photons around, creating a more uniform distribution pattern. This copying of light paths through reflection enhances the uniformity of UV energy distribution without requiring additional physical UV lights, thereby maintaining device simplicity while improving energy distribution uniformity.
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 enhanced UV power and air flow design achieves up to 99.99% pathogen reduction with reduced device complexity and cost, making the technology more economical and efficient for continuous disinfection of air in various settings.
Implementation Method 1
spheroid cavities surrounded by UV reflective boundaries amplifies UV power by 10-50 times
Implementation Method 2
The disinfection properties of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the 200-300 nm have been documented
Implementation Method 3
The elimination of an organism via UV radiation is generally dose-dependent
Data Source
AI summary
A Germ Eliminating Machine (GEM) having a first spheroid cavity and a second spheroid cavity coupled in series to the first spheroid cavity is set forth. The GEM is configured to pass outside air through the first spheroid cavity and into the second spheroid cavity. The GEM also includes a first UV device configured to provide UV light to the first spheroid cavity, such that UV light repeatedly reflects in the first spheroid cavity, and a second UV device configured to provide UV light to the second spheroid cavity such that UV light repeatedly reflects in the second spheroid cavity. The UV light from the first and second UV devices damage germs in the outside air that passes through the first spheroid cavity and into the second spheroid cavity.